What is trachea?

The trachea is like a tube that helps you breathe inside your body.

Imagine you're drinking a big glass of juice through a straw, the straw carries the juice from the glass to your mouth. The trachea works kind of like that straw, but instead of juice, it carries air from your nose or mouth all the way down to your lungs.

The trachea is made of soft, flexible rings, think of them like little donut-shaped pieces, that keep the tube open so air can flow freely. These rings are strong enough to let you laugh, cough, and even shout without getting stuck.

When you breathe in, air goes through your nose or mouth and into the trachea, which then sends it down to your lungs. When you breathe out, the air travels back up through the trachea and out of your body.

Sometimes, when you're running or playing hard, you might feel like you’re breathing faster, that’s because your trachea is working harder to get more air to your lungs so you can keep going!