Body Atlas

How You Breathe Out · Lungs

Do you use muscles to breathe out?

Usually not an action at all — just letting go.

The simple answer

Take a normal breath out and notice that you didn't really do anything — you just stopped breathing in. Quiet exhalation is almost entirely passive: the muscles relax and the chest falls on its own.

Go deeper

There's more: usually not an action at all — just letting go. The full explanation — and the interactive version you can tap and quiz yourself on — lives in the app.

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