What is the longest someone held their breath?

Have you ever wondered how long someone can hold their breath? It may seem like a useless feat, but let me tell you – it’s impressive. With the help of science and human determination, we have a better understanding of just how far the human body can push itself.

Breaking Records

In 2012, German freediver Tom Sietas broke his own Guinness World Record for holding his breath underwater for an unbelievable time of 22 minutes and 22 seconds! Can you even imagine sitting in one spot without breathing for that long?

How Do Freedivers Hold Their Breath?

Freediving is a method where people descend to great depths on one single breath. Before diving deep into this topic (pun intended), let’s first understand what happens when people hold their breath.

When we inhale air through our nostrils or mouth, oxygen enters our lungs and gets distributed throughout our bodies. As blood circulates through the body, it picks up oxygen molecules from the lungs and delivers them to various organs such as: heart muscle cells (myocardium), brain tissue (cerebrum) , liver cells (hepatocytes) etc..

During exhalation process carbon dioxide exits out of lungs which decreases pH level in body giving signal to respiratory system. This results in triggering automatic response of inhalation process again.

What Happens When We Hold Our Breath For More Extended Periods?

When people voluntarily stop breathing deeply (including yours truly after indulging too much on crappy foodie habits), two things start happening:

1) Carbon dioxide builds up within your bloodstream (hypercapnia) since exhaled gases never leave or escape
2) Oxygen levels slowly decrease as these are not being replenished due to no fresh intake

These increased levels result signally bodily functions accordingly . Hypercapnia causes increases extracellular hydrogen ion concentration which leads to low pH level also known as acidosis. This triggers a person’s body to involuntarily trigger rapid breathing movements.

How Do Freedivers Prevent Rapid Breathing?

Freedivers have mastered the art of preparing their bodies before diving deep into water for extended periods without taking air from outside.

Experts use techniques that can lower heart rate, conserve energy and slowly increase levels of co2 in blood after hyperventilating i.e deep inhalation followed by rapid exhalation.

In layman terms , due to overcompensation of oxygen diffusing out rather than carbon dioxide entering back into lungs lead some people going into unconscious state & that call it blackout.

Who Else Has Held Their Breath For An Uncomfortably Long Period?

It’s not just seasoned freediver Tom Sietas who holds this record; other record holders include:

  • Branko Petrovic held his breath underwater for 11 minutes and 54 seconds.
  • Aleix Segura Vendrell managed an extraordinary time of 24 minutes and 3 seconds on December,25th back in 2016 at Fermentation tank .
  • Stig Severinsen (nickname ‘The Great Dane’) set a world record underwater swimming distance while holding his breath: He swam an astounding 500 feet (152.4 metres) without breathing!

Can Average Joe Hold Their Breath Beyond A Minute Or Two Without Practice?

Our respiratory muscles need enough oxygen that ensures great flexibility so they do not get fatigued when we undergo any strenuous aerobic task It becomes harder if our body is already under stress leading us to breathe more frequently thus making marathon records like above near impossible

Research has shown average humans hold their breath around 30 seconds but through proper training these limits can be exceeded. (Train hard folks!)

Some athletes learn unique ways i.e Diaphragmatic breathing combined with mental visualizations to trick their bodies into thinking they’re taking a real breath that can last upwards of a minute or two.

In Conclusion

Holding your breath for an extended period is an ability not everyone possesses; it takes trained individuals and high levels of mental focus. It’s quite impressive how the human body can adjust to prepare itself for low oxygen situations with pure determination, practice & sufficient training even beyond limits.

As we progress day by day on this planet let us try not to overlook the simple things humans are capable of 🧡

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