In brief
The main organ of the respiratory system. Your lungs take up oxygen from the air you breathe and expel the carbon dioxide your body does not need.
- Asthma causes wheezing and breathlessness through a narrowing of the airways.
- Call triple zero (000) if someone is short of breath and cannot speak, or can only say single words or short sentences.
- Nose hairs help to trap particles of dust.
How it works
Air travels through thousands of tubes that branch smaller and smaller, ending in tiny air sacs called alveoli, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. The diaphragm, a sheet of muscle under the lungs, contracts and relaxes as you breathe.
Quitting smoking can help prevent lung problems. Within 2 to 12 weeks of quitting, circulation and lung function improve, and over 1 to 9 months coughing and breathlessness ease, according to healthdirect.
Looking after it
Call triple zero (000) if someone is short of breath and cannot speak, or can only say single words or short sentences, has pain in the chest, arm or jaw, is sweaty and pale, has blue lips, or is drowsy or confused.
Connections
5 connections on the map. Select a topic to read its page.
Lungs and breathing is affected by
Quitting smoking can help prevent lung problems, and lung function improves within weeks of quitting.
Sources: healthdirect Australia, Shortness of breath; healthdirect Australia, Quit smoking and vaping
Asthma makes the muscles in the airways tighten and the airway lining swell, narrowing the airways and making it hard to breathe.
Source: Better Health Channel (Victorian Government), Asthma
COPD is a group of long-term lung conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Source: healthdirect Australia, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Lungs and breathing supports
The lungs take up oxygen from the air, and red blood cells carry it using haemoglobin.
Sources: Better Health Channel (Victorian Government), Respiratory system; Pathology Tests Explained, Full blood count
Lungs and breathing is linked with
Shortness of breath is when you feel you cannot get enough air into your lungs.
Medicines and supplements
General education only. Never start, stop or change a medicine without your prescriber.
Sources
Each connection above names its own source. See every source AskBioMap uses.
Summarised from the Better Health Channel and healthdirect. Sources read on 12, 13 and 19 October 2026. General education only, not medical advice. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us through the HuBu-Intel contact page.