What are the Differences Between Inspiration and Inhalation?

Inspiration and inhalation are two completely different things, but they can seem very similar to someone who’s never thought about the differences between them before. They’re two different processes of breathing air into your lungs and then moving it out again, after all. However, there are some very important differences that you need to be aware of if you want to ensure that you’re getting enough oxygen into your body without putting yourself at risk for potential damage or even death from lack of oxygen intake in the body.

The origin of inspiration

The word inspiration originates from Latin, meaning breathing in. Through inspiration, air travels from your lungs into your tracheobronchial tree (your windpipe, bronchi, and bronchioles). It then enters each lung through its division called a bronchiole. Finally, oxygen is absorbed through capillaries in individual alveoli or air sacs. Your diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax to create negative pressure within your thoracic cavity that pulls air into your lungs. Once you inhale, muscles contract to push out old air and expel carbon dioxide as you exhale.

How inspiration works

How does inspiration work? Well, as you breathe, oxygen enters your body. It travels to your brain via arteries in your lungs. Your brain cells use oxygen to make ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The ATP transports chemical energy from one cell to another. Some of that energy is stored in a molecule called phosphocreatine (PCr). When you exercise, phosphocreatine supplies fuel for extra bursts of activity by releasing creatine, which becomes ADP.

The origins of inhalation

Inhale is a verb that traces its roots to Old English inhale, which means to breathe. This is an onomatopoeic word: If you say it out loud, it sounds like you’re actually breathing. It also has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch (inhaleren), German (einatmen) and Swedish (andas). The word inspiration also comes from Latin—inspirare—but it didn’t make its way into English until around 1600. The earliest known use of inspiration was by William Shakespeare, who wrote in Hamlet For ‘tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black...That can denote me truly.

How the air enters our lungs when we inhale

When we breathe in, air enters our nostrils or mouth. It travels through our nasal passages to our trachea—also known as windpipe—then into two bronchi (singular: bronchus). At each of these three points there is a bifurcation; each branch becoming increasingly finer until tiny alveoli form, where oxygen can finally be absorbed. The process of inhalation is continuous, with carbon dioxide continuously being exhaled from your lungs. This entire process takes about four seconds from start to finish.

Conclusion: Is there a difference between inspiration and inhalation?

Inspired by a friend, I put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) in an attempt to figure out whether there was a difference between inspiration and inhalation. To be honest, my initial inclination was no—I had always assumed that these words were interchangeable. After all, when you inhale, your inspiration increases—and what is it if not a burst of new thoughts/energy/motivation? But after a bit more research and contemplation, I’ve come to realize that there is indeed a difference between inspiration and inhalation. While they both do have similar definitions, their connotations could not be more different.