12 Fun Facts About Breathing

Breathing is one of the most universal and habitual practices that humans do. Most of the time, we don’t even think about it.

Our lungs allow us to breathe in air and provide much-needed oxygen to the rest of the body. This is an amazing process that keeps us going every day!

But chances are you haven’t heard of some of these breathing facts!

Who Knew These Breathing Facts?

Who laughs more: adults or children? How fast does a sneeze travel? Can our lungs float on water? Who was the first person to study the human respiratory system? What is the connection between our lungs and a tennis court?

Here are 12 bizarre and interesting breathing facts!

  1. The average person breathes in the equivalent of 13 pints of air every minute.
  2. Children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh about 15 to 100 times a day. Laughter is the best medicine, it may have some truth. It helps to boost the immune system.
  3. The lungs are the only organs in the human body to float on water.
  4. In 1243, the Arab physician Ibn al-Nafis became the first person ever to describe the breathing process.
  5. If the lungs were open flat, they would cover the entire tennis court size!
  6. Breathing has very little to do with oxygen. Air has 21 percent oxygen, and the body only needs 5 percent. The rest comes from carbon dioxide.
  7. Seventy percent of waste is eliminated through your lungs just by breathing.
  8. Guinness World Records lists Charles Osborne of Anthon, Iowa as the record holder for hiccupping for 68 years!
  9. The breathing rate is faster in children and women than in men.
  10. The human sneeze can take place at 10 mph.
  11. Humans exhale up to 17.5 milliliters of water per hour.
  12. In humans, the right lung is larger than the left lung to accommodate the heart.

For more information on the respiratory system, check out these facts by Pacific Medical ACLS!

They’ve created a comprehensive guide to understanding the lungs, how they work, and how to maintain your respiratory health.

These are just some fun breathing facts! Do some research and see what else you can find about breathing and the respiratory process. You just might be surprised!