Energy and the respiratory system
The human body has different systems for energy distribution. There is also a complicated system for the energy coming from our respiratory system, I have already mentioned how this works. The oxygen reaches our lungs, passes through the alveolar-capillary barrier reaching the red blood cells and is transported via the blood stream to the heart and forward to all of our cells. The cells then use the oxygen and the glucose, from other energy supplying systems, to create energy.
The power plant of the cells, the mitochondria, has its own system, the Kreb’s circle. It is dependent upon other hormone supplying systems, enzymes and so on. Waste products from the cells, like carbon dioxide and water, come back to the blood stream and reach the alveolar-capillary barrier. Most of the waste products leave the body during exhalation, whilst others are taken care of in other ways.
The respiratory system is only one of many that need to work properly in order for us to stay alive. It is of course run by many different factors of which we can affect only some.
When we grow older we do not use energy from breathing as effective as when we are young. Elderly people have to breathe deeper to get enough energy but that also means they lose a lot of carbon dioxide, which regulates the oxygen uptake. Energy from our respiration system also degenerate a lot with older age, and women also get less energy from this system than men do. An estimation is that a 50 years old person only uses half of the energy available compared to a 20 year old. No wonder elderly do things slower!
The different systems of the body creating energy can be affected by many different factors. Let´s look at some of the most significant:
The most damaging to the human body nowadays are different kinds of stress. We all know that if we are not in balance we will just wonder around aimlessly, unable to reach any of our goals. If we are worried we will lose weight or eat more to compensate the energy we spend on worrying. The same will happen if we are annoyed or scared. We simply don´t use our energy effectively.
How use our energy effectively
• Physical strain gives a natural need for more energy and in the old days you had to work hard to survive. Longevity was surely affected by that, since working hard made you breathe more as well. Nowadays there is no need to work that hard, not in our affluent society of wealth anyway, but many sportsmen force themselves to work hard in order to win contests. It has now been proven that the lifespan of sportsmen is shorter than that of an average person.
• The body strives to keep in balance. The body automatically and without the knowledge of our conscious uses energy to maintain a state of homeostasis. A body in physical wellbeing and in good mental health therefore uses energy more effectively and also needs less energy.
• One of the most energy consuming systems in the body is our digestive system. That is why it is bad for us to eat excessively. Meat and other animal products need far more energy from the body to digest and assimilate. By avoiding products that are hard to digest one can lessen the need of energy and thereby also live longer.
• Our immune system is a wonderfully working system, when we are in a state of homeostasis. It defends us against all the germs and microorganisms that are foreign to us and that we eat, drink or inhale. It takes a lot of energy from our body and it is wise not to burden it by consuming things that are toxic.
• In the “civilized” world we are everyday exposed to a myriad of different kinds of radiation from all the technological equipment surrounding us. How this radiation affects us, both long term and short term, is not yet known in detail, but we are beginning to see consequences of it as new diseases show up frequently.
• Thoughts are also information, forming the structure of your body. Therefore you should avoid negative thoughts. They do damage your body. Also remember that we are affected by radiation from outer space and that also interferes with bodily functions.