When you swim, you may wonder how long a person can last without breathing and even try to check it on your ownHow long can you hold your breath? Let’s see a little more!
What is the most a person can last without breathing?
Studies suggest that most people can hold their breath for 30 seconds, or in some cases, maybe a few minutes.
Currently, the Guinness record for static apnea is held by Spaniard Aleix Segura, who managed to stay floating underwater for 24 minutes and 3 seconds. Awesome!
To be able to withstand so much time underwater, Aleix Segura performed ventilation and previous inhalation of oxygen. Previous hyperventilation is very important as it allows the lungs to be filled with enough air.
But in no case should you feel bad if you only last a few seconds, the ability to keep air in your lungs for that long is not a simple task, and It requires a lot of practice and discipline.
When we submerge ourselves in water, the heart rate decreases and the capillaries in the extremities contract and blood and oxygen are redirected to the internal organs, This reflex helps us to be able to go without breathing for some time.
Lung capacity and breath holding capacity varies widely from person to person. Body type and gender can greatly influence this aspect. Studies show that people with shorter trunks, They have less resistance compared to those with longer trunks.
Women also have lower lung volume; 10% to 12% less than men, because their rib cage is usually smaller.
When we breathe, take in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, it is an automatic process, we do it without realizing it and it happens hundreds of times a day. When we hold our breath, the carbon gas has nowhere to come out, and the more time passes, the greater the effects the person will feel; strong, painful spasms in the diaphragm and muscles as carbon dioxide moves into the blood, as well as an uncomfortable feeling of dizziness.
When that process happens, The chemical receptors in the medulla oblongata of the brain activate a kind of alarm, just like a thermostat acts for a cooling system; If carbon dioxide levels are very high, they send a message to the brain; “I need to breathe” and that’s when we feel desperate to take a breath.
He reflection of Hering and Breuer It is another innate and important process to analyze. It refers to the response that slow-adapting stretch receptors give to the changes that occur at the lung level; When this reflex is activated due to holding the air, there is an interruption in the next inhalation for some time.
If you want to improve your lung resistance, you must practice a lot, and psychology also plays a fundamental role; tell yourself that you can hold your breath a little longer than normal, and little by little you will realize that you are improving. It is a voluntary response that is somehow trained. At a cellular level, it is not very clear how psychology can achieve these mental changes that make it possible to resist more, but if you wish, you can start to check it out for yourself, always being very careful and taking care of your health!
Now you know how long on average a person can last without breathing. Do you find everything that happens in our body interesting? Do not miss The art of swimming: when do we start? Where did the front crawl come from?