Breathing and Respiration are involuntary actions that are inevitable. These actions are essential for living organisms in order to survive in this world. If we look at it scientifically, breathing and respiration are two distinct activities which the bodies of living organisms perform. However, in our day to day life, we use both the terms interchangeably. It is easy to get confused because the organs which we use to breathe and respire are the same as lungs, nose, and more. Moreover, it also happens because both of them require the involvement of oxygen. But, it becomes essential to understand the difference between breathing and respiration to learn their meaning. Thus, we will take a look at their definitions first to get a better idea.
Definition of Breathing
Breathing refers to a voluntary and biophysical action that our body performs. We also term it as ventilation. It occurs when we inhale and exhale air through the help of our lungs. Further, during this process, our ribcage contracts and expands involving the muscles present between the ribs. Moreover, the diaphragm is one of these muscles. In other words, it is a layer of muscle that exists between the abdominal cavity and the thoracic cavity. Thus, you will learn how the diaphragm will pull air in our body when it moves downwards and the oxygen-rich air reaches inside the lungs. Then, it transports to the body cells through our bloodstream and that triggers the process of respiration in our cells.
Definition of Respiration
Respiration refers to an involuntary and biochemical action that our body cells perform. During this process, the glucose and oxygen convert into water and carbon dioxide. Hence, it results in releasing energy in the form of ATP. All living organisms require energy in order to carry out day to day tasks, both physically and chemically. For instance, we need it for movement, controlling body temperature, growth and repair, and more. Thus, you see how the energy which we obtain through the chemical reaction is called respiration. It happens in all the living beings including plants and animal cells. The two different kinds of respiration are aerobic and anaerobic.
Difference between Breathing And Respiration
| Basis of Comparison | Breathing | Respiration |
| Meaning | It refers to the process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide through the lungs | It is a process where breaking down of glucose produces energy and the cell uses it to perform cellular work |
| Occurrence | It occurs in the lungs | It takes place in cells |
| Cellular activity | It occurs outside the cells making it extracellular | It occurs inside the cells making it intracellular |
| Process | It is a voluntary biophysical process with two stages of Glycolysis and Krebs | It is an involuntary biochemical process taking place through inspiration and expiration |
| Energy | No, it does not produce energy | It releases energy in the form of ATP |
| Enzymes | No use of enzymes is done in this process | Enzymes are used in a large number during this process |
| Organs | It occurs through respiratory organs like nose, lungs, mouth, and more | It happens in cells and cell organelles like mitochondria and more |
More details about Breathing
The different types of breathing are eupnoea, hyperpnoea, diaphragmatic, and costal. Eupnoea is slow breathing that happens when the body is resting. On the other hand, hyperpnoea happens due to a lack of oxygen in the body.
Further, diaphragmatic occurs when the diaphragm contracts and breathing happens through the abdomen. Finally, costal is shallow breathing where the ribcage is used for inhaling and exhaling.
More details about Respiration
Aerobic respiration is where oxygen and glucose produce water and carbon dioxide and release energy. Moreover, it occurs in the cell’s mitochondria.
Anaerobic respiration happens during hard exercises, or in cases of insufficient oxygen. It produces lactic acid that causes tiredness and pain resulting in muscle cramping.
FAQs about Breathing And Respiration
Question 1: State one difference between breathing and respiration.
Answer 1: Breathing does not use any kind of enzymes but respiration makes use of a lot of enzymes.
Question 2: Do breathing and respiration occur in the same place?
Answer 2: No, breathing occurs in the lungs whereas respiration takes place in cells.
