And what about people like David Blaine or Tom Sietas? Sietas held his breath underwater for over 22 minutes (world record). I know they train for it like months and even years, but doesn’t holding your breath = no oxygen to brain?
Permanent brain damage apparently occurs just after 4 minutes of lack of oxygen to the brain, so why are freedivers left generally unscathed after 8 or 10 minutes without air?
In: Biology
When the human body stops breathing, it does not lose its access to oxygen. The average human only consumes about 5% of the oxygen we intake. This means your average breath has a fair bit of excess oxygen that our body consumes. Once you max out how much oxygen you can store in your lungs the next step is minimizing how much oxygen you use. Minimize all function you dont need. David Blaine trained for months to drop his heart rate to ridiculously low levels, the lower your heart rate the less oxygen you need. After that you are left with no oxygen. Min Max that last 4 minutes to avoid brain damage.
Latest Answers