Why will people flying at high altitudes lose consciousness so quickly in a depressurization event when a human can normally hold their breath for much longer?

Question

Why will people flying at high altitudes lose consciousness so quickly in a depressurization event when a human can normally hold their breath for much longer?

In: Biology

Answer 1

When you hold your breath, there’s still
more oxygen in the air you’re holding than at ultra-high altitudes. You can try, but there’s just not enough oxygen to hold. You go into hypoxia very quickly.