How long can you hold your breath for?

[Bee Gees Fan]

Professional divers can hold their breath for about four or five minutes, I've heard, which I think is cool. So how long can people hold their breath for (or estimate that they can?)

For me, right now, the limit is 1 minute and 15 seconds. I think it's a prety good achievement so far. I used to practice, but I haven't done that for a few months now.

[Nervosa]

I've held mine for exactly two minutes before (under water, so no cheating). Although now I'm older and fitter with a bigger lung capacity, I think I could make another additional 30 seconds.

[Sideshow Meg]

I'm a swimmer but am rubbish at holding my breath underwater.

[Nervosa]

I'm a swimmer but am rubbish at holding my breath underwater.

I used to be a swimmer back in the day. I have a 'mile' cirtificate among other countless survival awards.

[DHP]

I guess lung capacity is key. The more minutes' worth of oxygen you have, the better. The brain can only go 2 minutes without oxygen before permanent brain damage sets in.

[Nervosa]

The brain can only go 2 minutes without oxygen before permanent brain damage sets in.

I won't attempt to break my old record then!

As it so happens, I have breathing difficulties anyway. It's my nose that's the problem. I have a 'twisted septum' and am on a waiting list for an opperation to correct the problem. Sometimes I'll wake up at night out of breath because I've been breathing through my nose and not getting a lot of air on each breath. So I usually always breathe through my mouth. But I try not to make it obvious looking because when you see someone with their mouth hanging open, you usually think they're not the sharpest knief in the drawer.

[DHP]

The brain can only go 2 minutes without oxygen before permanent brain damage sets in.

I won't attempt to break my old record then!

It's possible to hold your breath longer than two minutes, you just have to be sure your lungs can hold enough oxygen to get round your body for longer than 2 minutes (which most people can't). It's scary though. You can go weeks without food, a few days without water, but only 2 minutes without any oxygen.

[me123]

Being a clarinnetist, I've trained to go for about 2 and a half minutes providing i am expelling some of it for the whole time.

[Nervosa]

I timed myself out of curiosity there, and I struggled to get one minute! I must've been able to hold for two minutes when I was younger because I went swimming so much and always had challenges with friends.

[Wezzo]

Maybe 30 seconds. I'm asthmatic.

[Davey Boy]

I think it's easier to attemt a record underwater as I always find it hard to hold my breath when I am able just to breathe in. I think alot of it is willpower. When I was younger I used to challenge myself to swim as far as possible underwater. I found the point where you think you are out of breath and the point when you are out of breath and you need oxygen are quite different. My record was about 28-30m as I did a length underwater and then turned and kicked but came pretty much straight back up. I was definately underwater for over a minute though.

[Amber]

I find it easier to hold my breath while swimming. I can easily swim a lenght of our public swimming pool underwater without air (I haven't timed it, but it's a large pool, I'm guessing it's more than two minutes) but I simply cannot stay still and hold my breath, I think it's like what Frasier described in Perspectives on Christmas, the physical action distracts you

Like I say, I can swim without comming up from air, but I tried just ducking underwater and I didn't make 20 seconds!

Mind you, I have mild asthma, so maybe that's it, although it still doesn't explain why I can do it longer while swimming.

On a slightly different note (blinking), I did find this one trick, it was really scary, a few years back, I found if I sat in a certain position, and leaned my chin on my hand, and I put my fingers in a certain point in my mouth, I suddenly didn't need to blink! I timed myself and went 10 minutes without blinking! I tried it and I outstared my mum in a staring contest by more than twice her time! However, when I went to sleep that night I seemed to forget the position, and despite trying several time, I haven't been able to do it

[Nervosa]

On a slightly different note (blinking), I did find this one trick, it was really scary, a few years back, I found if I sat in a certain position, and leaned my chin on my hand, and I put my fingers in a certain point in my mouth, I suddenly didn't need to blink! I timed myself and went 10 minutes without blinking! I tried it and I outstared my mum in a staring contest by more than twice her time! However, when I went to sleep that night I seemed to forget the position, and despite trying several time, I haven't been able to do it

Interesting. Although it'd be bad for the eyes I'm sure.

[Davey Boy]

I find it easier to hold my breath while swimming. I can easily swim a lenght of our public swimming pool underwater without air (I haven't timed it, but it's a large pool, I'm guessing it's more than two minutes) but I simply cannot stay still and hold my breath, I think it's like what Frasier described in Perspectives on Christmas, the physical action distracts you

Like I say, I can swim without comming up from air, but I tried just ducking underwater and I didn't make 20 seconds!

Mind you, I have mild asthma, so maybe that's it, although it still doesn't explain why I can do it longer while swimming.

On a slightly different note (blinking), I did find this one trick, it was really scary, a few years back, I found if I sat in a certain position, and leaned my chin on my hand, and I put my fingers in a certain point in my mouth, I suddenly didn't need to blink! I timed myself and went 10 minutes without blinking! I tried it and I outstared my mum in a staring contest by more than twice her time! However, when I went to sleep that night I seemed to forget the position, and despite trying several time, I haven't been able to do it

I have to ask, what were you doing that enabled you to discover this trick??!!