why does asphyxiation from carbon dioxide cause pain, but other gases such as nitrogen don’t?

Question

Why does nitrogen cause you to just pass out but carbon dioxide causes you to suffocated and feel it? Is it because of the oxygen in carbon dioxide?

In: 42

Answer 1

Your body produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct of your metabolism, so it’s fine-tuned to recognizing elevated levels of that. In contrast, your body doesn’t really have a measure for how much oxygen you’re getting.

So, it’s not the lack of oxygen that makes you feel like you’re suffocating, but the build-up of carbon dioxide. If you start breathing pure nitrogen instead, you’re still getting rid of the carbon dioxide normally, but you’re not getting any oxygen.