Why can’t we inhale and exhale at the same time?
In: Biology
The reason why we can’t inhale and exhale at the same time is because we create a pressure difference between our lungs and the atmosphere. We can only either breathe in or only breathe out due to this.
To breathe in, our diaphragm extends downwards making our air cavity bigger. The enlarged air cavity results in the pressure in the air cavity to be below that of the atmosphere. This causes air to rush into our lungs to make the pressure equal to the atmosphere.
To breathe out, the process is reversed. So, the diaphragm contracts which reduces the volume of the air cavity. This increases pressure to above that of the atmosphere and so the air in our lungs is forced out.
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