An article published in Scientific American in 2012 concluded…
As Schneider observed, “it is practically impossible for a man at sea level to voluntarily hold his breath until he becomes unconscious.” Unconsciousness might occasionally occur under unusual circumstances, such as in extreme diving competitions, and some anecdotes suggest rare cases in which children can hold their breath long enough to pass out, but laboratory studies confirm that normally we adult humans cannot do it. Long before too little oxygen or too much carbon dioxide can hurt the brain, something apparently brings us to the break point (as researchers call it) past which we cannot resist gasping for air.
An article published in Scientific American in 2012 concluded…
As Schneider observed, “it is practically impossible for a man at sea level to voluntarily hold his breath until he becomes unconscious.” Unconsciousness might occasionally occur under unusual circumstances, such as in extreme diving competitions, and some anecdotes suggest rare cases in which children can hold their breath long enough to pass out, but laboratory studies confirm that normally we adult humans cannot do it. Long before too little oxygen or too much carbon dioxide can hurt the brain, something apparently brings us to the break point (as researchers call it) past which we cannot resist gasping for air.