Respiratory means relating to breathing and the body system that makes breathing possible. Your respiratory system includes your lungs, windpipe, nose, and all the other parts that work together to bring oxygen into your body and release carbon dioxide.

When doctors talk about respiratory health, they mean how well your breathing system works. A respiratory infection like pneumonia or bronchitis affects your lungs or airways, making it harder to breathe. During cold and flu season, you might hear about respiratory viruses that cause coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath.

Every time you inhale and exhale, you're performing respiration. Your respiratory system works constantly without you thinking about it, delivering oxygen to every cell in your body and removing waste gases.

Athletes focus on building respiratory endurance so they can breathe efficiently during intense exercise. Someone with asthma might use an inhaler to help with respiratory difficulties. The word always connects back to that essential life function: the steady rhythm of breathing in and breathing out that keeps you alive.