What happens to the air in the nasal cavity? Anatomy of the nose

It's impossible to live without air. Our whole life consists of rhythmic breaths and exhalations. That's how the body gets oxygen. And what happens to the air in the nasal cavity? Why is it important for a person to breathe properly and freely?

Main functions of the nose and nasal cavity

Nature has placed on the human nose four main functions:

1. Breath. The most important function, designed to ensure the supply of oxygen to the tissues.
2. The sense of smell. One of the feelings that allows you to fully live, perceiving the smells of the world.
3. Protection. What happens to air in the nasal cavity? First of all, it is purified. All major impurities, such as dust, are retained on internal hairs, called cilia. Smaller particles settle on the nasal mucosa. In addition, there is a kind of disinfection, since the nasal mucus detoxifies the bacteria that enter the air. And in the nasal cavity the air warms up to the necessary temperature and is moistened. Warming the air in the nasal cavity avoids many problems and illnesses.
4. Acoustics. The nasal cavity amplifies the sound. Resonator function facilitates the pronunciation of consonant sounds.

Anatomy. Outer nose

The nose is considered the entrance to the upper respiratory tract. This body consists of three components:

• External nose;
• The nasal cavity;
• Accessory sinuses.

The external nose is called the bone-cartilaginous base, covered with muscle tissue and skin. The shape of the nose is individual for each person, but in general it is a figure that is close to an irregular trihedral pyramid. Nasal bones are paired, they are fixed on the frontal bone, forming the back of the nose. The wings and the tip are formed from cartilaginous tissue. And the skin-muscular cover has a large number of capillaries, nerve fibers and sebaceous glands.

Clinical anatomy of the nose. Nasal cavity

Let's start with clinical anatomy. That is, we determine the structure and position of the nose and its cavity. In addition, we will determine with which departments the body interacts. In the previous section, the location and contact of the outer part of the organ with other parts of the skull was described. As for the nasal cavity, it is located between the oral cavity and the fossa of the skull. And on each side are the eye sockets.

The nasal cavity is divided into 2 parts by a septum. Interaction with the external environment occurs through the nostrils, with the nasopharynx - through the hoan (internal nasal opening). On each side of the nasal cavity is surrounded by four paranasal sinuses.

Why not breathe with your mouth?

Many people breathe through their mouths, not understanding why it should not be done. Especially it concerns children. What happens to the air during breathing? To begin with, it passes through the outer nose and nasal cavity. Before allowing the flow of air into the larynx, the body warms and clears it while passing through the nose. Through the larynx, air enters the trachea and bronchi, then into the lungs. Pulmonary vesicles (alveoli), are filled with the air received by inspiration, and give it to the blood through numerous capillaries. When breathing through the mouth into the lungs, dust particles and other foreign elements directly enter.

If children breathe through the mouth, then they can underdecay the maxillary sinuses and narrow the nasal passages. In addition, this leads to improper growth of the teeth, which begin to "creep" on each other. As the balance between the facial and jaw parts is disturbed, speech difficulties begin.

Understanding what happens to air in the nasal cavity, and how wrong breathing affects a person, it is much easier to explain to children and adults why it is necessary to breathe through the nose, not the mouth.

Diseases of the external nose

Diseases of the external nose is not very much. These can be congenital anomalies in toddlers. Such as the lateral trunk (dysgenesis), that is, the appearance of an additional nostril. There may be underdevelopment of one half of the nose or nasal cartilage (hypogenesis).

Common injuries of the external nose are injuries. These can be fractures of the nasal bones and even organ detachment.

With age, the outer nose can affect the rhinophyma. This disease is poorly understood, in people it is called a raspberry, wine or potato nose. Disease leads to an increase in the body and a change in its shape. More common in men.

Diseases of the nasal cavity

Diseases of the external nose and nasal cavity can be congenital and acquired. Congenital, for example, is the narrowness of the nasal passages. The constriction may be partial or complete.

Often the nasal cavity is damaged as a result of injuries and bruises. Possible damage to the internal nasal septum, which badly affects the air permeability. Curvature of the internal septum makes breathing difficult.

Another common disease is a sharp cold. This is called inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose. Rhinitis may be an independent disease or be one of the symptoms of another infectious lesion.

Acute rhinitis sometimes turns into a chronic form. Chronic rhinitis is often a prolonged independent disease. Chronic process is divided into simple, hypertrophic, atrophic and allergic forms. If you do not treat a chronic runny nose, then the permeability of the Eustachian tubes and the development of the middle ear catarrh can be disrupted.

One of their chronic diseases of the nasal cavity is called "ozena." The disease is expressed in the sharp atrophy of the nasal mucosa. Over time, the process affects not only the mucosa, but also the bone structure of the shells. The problem has not been sufficiently studied, but physicians assume that its roots lie in external factors and living conditions.

Understanding what happens to air in the nasal cavity, a person is more serious about maintaining health. This allows you to stop the pathological processes in time and avoid serious problems.