HOW ARE WE ABLE TO HOLD OUR BREATH?

Have you ever wondered how free divers, magicians or swimmers are able to hold their breath for so long?

When we feel the urge to breathe, the common misconception is that we are short of oxygen which we now know is not the case!

When we feel the urge to breathe, it is due to a build up of carbon dioxide within the body, Not a lack of oxygen.

When we create energy, we produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Exercising, changes in altitude or holding our breath will all build up carbon dioxide within the body.

We have special sensors (chemoreceptors) that monitor for Carbon dioxide levels When we reach our carbon dioxide tolerance, we get the signal to breathe (or hyperventilate if the urge is high) to offload carbon dioxide.

Which is why in high school, it’s common in biology to be taught that carbon dioxide is a waste product But it’s super important for how we use oxygen!

There is a breathing physiology concept called ‘the Bohr effect’ which states that the more carbon dioxide we have in the body = the more oxygen enters our body tissue from our circulation.

So when we tolerate carbon dioxide poorly = it’s the equivalent of leaving a door only partially open for oxygen to travel to the muscles

And if we have a high tolerance to carbon dioxide = we leave the door wide open for oxygen to leave our circulation to repair our muscles

A poor Carbon dioxide tolerance has also been commonly associated with anxiety, panic & a reduced ability to use oxygen within your body Cardon dioxide can be built up with exercise, altitude training, or dedicated breath hold practices

In summary, increasing out tolerance to carbon dioxide will increase our breath holding capacity.

References

Breathe by James Nester

The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick Mckeown

Jaws by Sandra Kahn and Paul Erhlich