In the mammalian
respiratory system
The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...
, eupnea is normal, good, healthy and unlabored
breathing
Breathing (or ventilation) is the process of moving air into and from the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxygen.
All aerobic creatures need oxygen for cellular ...
, sometimes known as ''quiet breathing'' or a ''resting respiratory rate''. In eupnea, expiration employs only the
elastic
Elastic is a word often used to describe or identify certain types of elastomer, elastic used in garments or stretchable fabrics.
Elastic may also refer to:
Alternative name
* Rubber band, ring-shaped band of rubber used to hold objects togeth ...
recoil of the
lungs
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of th ...
.
Eupnea is the unaffected natural breathing in all mammals, including humans. Eupnea does not require any volitional effort whatsoever, but occurs whenever a mammal is in a natural state of relaxation, i.e. when there is no clear and present danger in their environment and without substantial
exertion
Exertion is the physical or perceived use of energy.Newton's Third Law, Elert, Glenn. “Forces.” ''Viscosity – The Physics Hypertextbook'', physics.info/newton-first/. Exertion traditionally connotes a strenuous or costly ''effort'', resulting ...
. When a mammal perceives potential danger or is under exertion, eupnea stops, and a much more limited and labored form of breathing—
shallow breathing
Shallow breathing, thoracic breathing, costal breathing or chest breathing is the drawing of minimal Breathing, breath into the lungs, usually by drawing air into the Thoracic cavity, chest area using the intercostal muscles rather than throug ...
—occurs.
Eupnea is an
efficient and effective form of breathing, which balances between maximizing air intake, and minimizing muscular effort.
During eupnea, neural output to respiratory muscles is highly regular and stable, with rhythmic bursts of activity during inspiration only to the
diaphragm and external intercostal muscles.
Etymology and pronunciation
The word ''eupnea'' uses
combining forms of ''
eu-
This is a list of common affixes used when scientifically naming species, particularly extinct species for whom only their scientific names are used, along with their derivations.
*a-, an-: ''Pronunciation'': /ə/, /a/, /ən/, /an/. ''Origin' ...
'' + ''
-pnea'', from
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, from , "well" + , "breath".
See pronunciation information at ''dyspnea''.
See also
*
List of terms of lung size and activity
Following are terms that specify a type of lung size and/or activity. More specific definitions may be found in individual articles.
* Eupnea – normal breathing
* Apnea – absence of breathing
* Bradypnea – decreased breathing rate
*Dyspnea or ...
*
Respiratory rate
The respiratory rate is the rate at which breathing occurs; it is set and controlled by the respiratory center of the brain. A person's respiratory rate is usually measured in breaths per minute.
Measurement
The respiratory rate in humans is me ...
*
Dyspnea
Shortness of breath (SOB), also medically known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathing, breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of brea ...
*
Tachypnea
Tachypnea, also spelt tachypnoea, is a respiratory rate greater than normal, resulting in abnormally rapid and shallow breathing.
In adult humans at rest, any respiratory rate of 1220 per minute is considered clinically normal, with tachypnea be ...
*
Bradypnea
*
Apnea
Apnea, BrE: apnoea, is the temporal cessation of breathing. During apnea, there is no movement of the muscles of inhalation, and the volume of the lungs initially remains unchanged. Depending on how blocked the airways are ( patency), there ...
Footnotes
References
Respiratory system
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