Pushing The Limits Of Extreme Breath-Holding

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A special thanks to Juan Valdivia for his expert advice on the science of extreme breath holding.

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References:

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Directed by Derek Muller
Written by Felicity Nelson and Derek Muller
Edited by Trenton Oliver
Animated by Ivy Tello
Filmed by Derek Muller
Produced by Derek Muller and Han Evans
Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images and Pond5
Music from Epidemic Sound

[calinacho]

I enjoy the fact that the subtitles describe Brandon's laughter as maniacal.

[gazzwars]

"Breathing is so important, it happens without conscious thought"

GREAT, THANKS A LOT DEREK

[MugiOverall]

Cannot believe that this man went through so much trouble just to remind me to manually breathe

[froniccruxis]

The end of his breath was so intense. His neck and chest convulsing and he is losing track of time. Such a great edit with him explaining it as well.

[vero]

I've been consciously breathing the whole video, which is arguably more torture than what Brandon's doing.

[zenlettering]

Brandon seems like such a nice and kind person, so much endearing and motivation from him. Incredible teacher.

[opsyko]

"Stretching can help expand what you've got"
- Veritasium 2024
Thanks that will be noted for future endeavours

[henryweatherly]

as a doctor, i was pretty darn impressed with the explanation of the physiology of breathing. expertly done, as per usual

[mojaveman]

I remember learning lung packing from Bear Grylls. I'd sit at the bottom of the pool as a kid for 3 or 4 minutes at a time. It was one of the most euphoric, meditative things to just be floating in silent weightlessness. There was a point halfway through where you just felt like you could stay down there for another hour as long as you didn't move.

[Bravais_Lettuce]

Learning how to hold your breath that long in that short of a period of time is honestly very impressive.

[corruo]

That was actually crazy how effective going through the alphabet and pausing between each letter was. I watched once through, and my first breath hold with you on the bed was about 40 seconds. My second one while you were in the pool was just over 2 minutes.

[bradbrad]

As a free diver and spearfisherman, this was a lovely watch. Breath training and holding is a meditation. It's as much a physical practice as it is a psychological one.

[KenesuEXE]

Actually so proud of Derek to last 2 and a half minutes!

But, my God, 17 minutes is just WILD

[kwcdude]

I love the explanation of how hyperventilating before holding breath is actually bad in very concise way as well as teaching us how to do it properly through other techniques.

Thanks for the awesome video Veritasium!

[meepmonstare]

This is fascinating. I live at high altitude (around 6500 ft) so i was waiting for him to bring it up. Genuinely, the increase of how long i can hold my breath at Sea level is amazing

[mountainmover]

I used to do this as a kid in the bathtub... I would totally relax and stay as still as possible. I was pretty impressed with myself when I made it to over 2 minutes.. I can't imagine holding my breath for this long. Insane!

[maltezachariassen]

As a teacher, I really hope people can appreciate how brilliantly Brandon creates a positive learning environment WHILE also pushing someone to exceed their limits - both physically and psychologically

[ClawDragoon]

Brandon was genuinely so encouraging and charismatic

[TheAdvertisement]

The gimmick of keeping Brandon on the right side of the screen the whole time just to drive in that yes, he actually is holding his breath for this long, is such a fun choice.

[fireflyfireworks]

Really interesting video, and very well explained. As someone with a background as rescue swimmer, I had the "fortune" to experience a pool blackout under controlled and supervised conditions. The really dangerous thing is, as mentioned in the video, when hyperventilating, is the feeling of sensation and happiness while actually passing out. You are (without help from others) dying without noticing.