THE LIMITS OF BREATH HOLDING.

BREATH holding; OXYGEN in the body; CARBON dioxide in the body; DIAPHRAGM innervation; LUNG physiology; REGULATION of respiration; BRAIN function localization; MUSCLE contraction

The article discusses the physiological processes involved in the length of time a person is able to hold their breath. The average time that most humans can hold a breath is one minute, despite the facts that the lungs hold nearly four times the necessary amount of oxygen and that toxic levels of carbon dioxide in the body is not reached in that time. An overview of research is presented that suggests that the diaphragm, which helps regulate breathing by inflating the lungs through its contractions, transmits nerve signals of discomfort feedback to the brain until it reaches the break point at which the subject begins involuntarily gasping for air. INSETS: What Triggers Break Point?;Secret of Champions;Secret of Champions.