Here’s What Holding Your Breath Does To Your Body

It's common to see how long you can hold your breath for, but how does your body know when you’re at your breaking point? In this episode of Human, Patrick explains why it comes down to what's in your blood.

The whole point of breathing is so that our tissues can consume oxygen and glucose and turn them into energy, leaving water and carbon dioxide as waste products. This process called cellular respiration is essential to anything that breathes oxygen. And if our tissues don’t get enough oxygen, or experience hypoxia, they can start to die off or see other problems.

There are a bunch of reasons that a tissue might not get enough oxygen — like an iron deficiency might cause anemia, which means that less oxygen will be able to ride on each red blood cell and oxygenate your tissues. Hypoxia can also happen if there’s not enough blood flow to a tissue, like when an artery is too narrow and doesn’t deliver as much blood to its target tissue. Then there’s high altitude where oxygen isn’t as easily available.

High CO2 levels in our blood, or hypercapnia, can cause symptoms like headaches and dizziness, but also more severe symptoms like paranoia, irregular heartbeats, and seizures. Hypercapnia can happen without breath holding too, like if you’re in a submarine or just a stuffy room with the windows closed. Since neither hypoxia or hypercapnia are ideal, our bodies are constantly measuring and reacting to oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. That’s where the carotid bodies come in, receptors embedded in the carotid artery in your neck that are triggered by certain chemicals.

#breathing #co2 #human #physiology #seeker #humanseries

Read More:
Pushing the Limits of Extreme Breath-Holding
“Scientists have long speculated that what feel like physical limits are often merely warning signals generated by the brain’s protective circuitry. In the case of breath-holding, a spate of recent studies offers a glimpse of what it takes to tap into the hidden reserves beyond these boundaries—and what price you might pay for access.”

What’s the secret to holding your breath?
“While our ability to breath-hold may not be all that special, when we compare ourselves with other animals, it’s now proving very useful in one particular area of medicine.”

The Limits of Breath Holding
“It's logical to think that the brain's need for oxygen is what limits how long people can hold their breath. Logical, but not the whole story.”
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This Seeker health series will dive deep into the cellular structures, human systems, and overall anatomy that work together to keep our bodies going. Using the visual structure and quick pacing of Seeker’s Sick series, these human bio-focused episodes will give a new audience an inside look on what’s happening inside all of us.

[Corporis]

Host and writer here, bonus fun fact I learned during research: losing consciousness disqualifies you from winning breath holding events.

[Master_Therion]

Average person: I can go almost a whole minute between breaths.
Competitive freediver: Hold my breath.

[xywing]

It helps a lot during nightmares and sleep paralysis (Or whatever you call being awake and seeing but being unable to move), happened a lot to me which pushed me to remember holding my breath in these scenarios. Increase the heart rate temporarily and wake up. Not a healthy solution but it's a solid one.

[krejziks]

Holding my breath in sets while running improved my vo2 max drastically in short amount of time, also breathing only through nose no matter how difficult it is

[yiyiyito]

Believe me if i fart next to you you wont wanna breath for about 5 minutes

[bernardvantonder]

I hoped there was more info about the effects of lower oxygen and higher CO2.

[yorusuyasoul]

I'm addicted to breathing please help

[danceteras]

Imagine how many of our ancestors died from holding their breath voluntarily for evolution to develop a mechanism to stop that.

[matyourin]

With some training I managed to hold my breath for about 2 min, then I start exhaling, holding breath, exhaling and so on - and was able to stretch it to 3:09 minutes before I had to breath in again. This is after being absolutely relaxed in bed. And I do 2-3 tries in advance (usually starting with 1 minute, then 1:30 minutes, then maybe 2 minutes)... so it gets a bit better after each try. But I never got beyond those 3:09 minutes....

[zachcrawford]

I was just thinking about this yesterday, since your blood gets rid of CO2 by dumping it into your lungs through diffusion, why does it stay in your blood when you are not breathing? Shouldn't it continue to diffuse into your lungs whether you are breathing or not, until the pressure from CO2 build up is high enough that you are forced to exhale? I thought maybe it was because blood can only diffuse C02 at lower pressures so I tried holding my breath with my lungs mostly empty, thinking that it would allow room for CO2 to exit to blood and build up in the lungs but I still got the same symptoms as a normal breath hold (a slight but steadily increasing burning sensation and an overpowering urge to start breathing again) and my lungs don't expand with new CO2 gas from my bloodstream while I was holding my breath (at least no noticeably. This makes me think there is a lot more going on than simple diffusion when it come to gas exchange in the lungs.

[sarakhalil]

Holding your breath for a few seconds can really help with shortness of breath when you are having an anxiety attack

[ryanmcintyre]

Fun fact, when I was in elementary school, I learned I could make my face turn different colors. I did it using this simple hack doctors DON'T want you to know, I held my breath. When I showed off my talent to my friends, I pushed myself farther than I ever had before and...I woke up a minute or two later, I'm not exactly sure how much time passed because I didn't even remember passing out. So that's a few minutes of my life I'm not getting back

[anandaditya]

I would love if you can discuss about hypoxia induced stem cell production which is used in anti-aging research using oxygen therapy through hyperbolic chamber. I would like to know if we can achieve similar results with voluntary breath holding and doing aerobics.

[seafarr]

I am trying to find benefit with breath holds...I have starting doing 20 + minutes..32+ being my best...10 + most days. I feel fine but my wife is concerned I might be over doing it. I enjoy the meditative and deep peace it gives. I do not feel close to passing out but it gets the body although lucid into a space of not wanting or needing to breath . It's very strange and extremely relaxing. I love it and have developed it from the whm Hoff breathing practice. It's truely unbelievable what is possible if you decide to put your mind to it.

[Cat_in_Spacetime]

"Hypoxia"
Hypo meaning Low
Oxia meaning Oxygen

[agi]

Thanks gentle giant for the informative video I used to hold my breath for two minutes whenever I would get a chance or opportunity for time pass but I will stop doing it after watching your video how long can you hold your breath my gentle giant?.

[TheHiddenMarty]

"intentional breath holding, not choking..." XD Someone is not kinky at all :D

[Another_youtube_animator]

Got bored in my test today and held my breath for 1 minute and 37 seconds and I’m really proud of myself XD

[the-umbrella-corporation]

At high attitude, the issue is with the pressure of the air as it relates to binding and releasing oxygen molecules, not percentage of oxygen in the air. The high altitude air is not low in oxygen, it is the partial pressure of the air which makes it harder to bind oxygen, deliver it to the tissues, and then release it.

[stefanklass]

I can hold my breath till I pass out. It’s very uncomfortable untill it isn’t.