The highest record for breath holding. Longest breath hold

An ordinary person can consciously hold his breath from thirty seconds to one minute. This is the standard breath holding time.

Attempts to increase this time may result in dizziness and fainting. For those who want to learn how to breathe correctly and hold their breath for the maximum time, there are special techniques.

Let's start with holding your breath underwater

Let's start with examples. Pearl divers can stay in the water for several minutes, otherwise they will not be able to earn a piece of bread. The time spent under water among them is from 3-4 minutes to 6-7. Trained athletes can remain without air for two to three minutes.

In order to learn how to stay without air for a long time, you need to consider a few points:

• The duration of stay under water depends on the ability to hold your breath on land. In order for the body to require less oxygen, it is necessary to get rid of excess weight.
• Basic meditation techniques will help you stay calm, slow down your heartbeat, remove anxiety and unnecessary thoughts. In this state, a person consumes less oxygen and can stay under water longer.
• To extend the delay time under water, it is necessary to saturate the lungs with oxygen. To do this, there are special techniques that anyone can master. It is enough for a beginner to simply breathe more air into the lungs.

Holding your breath while diving

During diving, the body experiences a strong physical load. The body requires large portions of oxygen. Cold water causes vasoconstriction. As a result, the blood brings less oxygen and takes less carbon dioxide from the cells of tissues and organs. And consequently, the so-called circulatory hypoxia occurs, i.e. oxygen starvation.

Holding the breath while inhaling increases the pressure in the lungs. Blood does not feed the heart well due to obstructed blood flow.

For a while, the desire to inhale is not very painful. Until the respiratory center is excited due to the pressure of accumulated carbon dioxide, a person is able to control himself.

Not to emerge to take a breath, you can only make an effort of will. Prolonged action of carbon dioxide lowers the sensitive receptors of the respiratory centers. The unbearable urge to inhale becomes less acute, and the diver can increase the time without air.

The subsequent need to inhale is a signal that it is time to emerge. The body has used up reserve reserves and oxygen, and further stay under water can give terrible complications. Acute lack of oxygen leads to fainting and death.

Curiously: the deeper the dive, the less oxygen the body needs.

Those. this is difficult process: the oxygen pressure in the mixture is higher at depth, and the diver can stay under water longer without oxygen deficiency, despite the fact that there is practically no oxygen in the lungs (critically low).

But when ascending, nature takes its toll: the total pressure decreases, and according to the same Dalton's law, the oxygen pressure in the mixture (partial pressure) drops rapidly, which leads to loss of consciousness in the diver, and as a result to death. So joking with deep diving training is not recommended.

Deep under water, the pressure inside the lungs is not lower than in the atmosphere. The closer to the surface, the lower the pressure.

Voluntary breath holding

Holding your breath for short periods is natural and not dangerous. Normally, breath holding is approximately 30-40 seconds after inhalation and about 20 seconds after exhalation. In rare cases, a person is able to not breathe for one minute, or a little more.

Attempts to increase the time spent without oxygen will lead to brain hypoxia. Professionals go without air for several minutes (2-4 min.)

Before such a test, they pump the body with pure oxygen. Special breathing techniques contribute to hyperventilation of the lungs.

A body soaked through with oxygen lengthens the time spent without air. This ability can be developed and trained.

Breath holding record

The organism dies if it is without air for about 4 minutes. The brain begins to suffer from hypoxia, and its cells die.

Athletes try to increase the vital volume of the lungs - this allows you not to breathe for several minutes without harm to the central nervous system.

Oriental practitioners are known for the fact that a yogi can arbitrarily slow down the pulse, heart rate and fall into a state of a kind of suspended animation. In this state, the body's oxygen consumption is greatly reduced, and brain cells do not experience starvation even with very long breath holdings.

world record for breath holding

China has set a new world record for holding one's breath underwater. The German T. Sitas spent 22 minutes and 22 seconds underwater. With this, he broke his own previous record, which was 17 minutes and 28 seconds.

The setting of the record was recorded by television cameras. Sitas with his record breath holding will be listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Before him, the record holder was a native of Switzerland, Peter Kola. He was able to stay underwater for 19 minutes and 21 seconds.
Tom increased that volume by 20 percent. To do this, he needed many years of hard training and tremendous willpower.

Record for holding your breath on land

Unlike the underwater breath-holding record, the land-based breath-holding record is much shorter - only about 10 minutes. This is explained by the fact that in human nature there is a reflex inherited from mammals. It is called the diving reflex, in which the pulse rate is reduced and the vessels are compressed. But they are not vital to the body.

In the vessels of the brain and in the heart, the blood flow remains normal. For experienced athletes, this reflex helps to reduce the heart rate by almost half. On land, this reflex does not work. For this reason, the breath holding record on land is half that under water.

Holding your breath: benefits and harms

Yogis practicing a variety of techniques correct breathing, amaze the common man with almost supernatural powers.

Holding your breath: the benefits

Holding your breath for a long time stimulates your metabolism and doubles the energy your body needs. The practice of holding the breath is useful for neurotics, people prone to depression and aggressive behavior.

Breathing training perfectly restores mental balance. Improved performance in those prone to respiratory diseases. Holding the breath improves the functioning of the digestive tract, regulates the sweat and sebaceous glands.

The main advantage of this technique is that it allows you to reveal the reserve capabilities of the body and recreate the nervous system.

Holding your breath: harm

Practice can harm those who, while holding their breath, do not leave bad habits. Successes are achieved only with the restructuring of nutrition and the revision of lifestyle.

Alcohol or tobacco intoxication is incompatible with classes. It is contraindicated to practice prolonged breath holding for people suffering from serious heart or mental illness.

You can not deal with those who have not yet recovered from a recent illness. It is also better for those suffering from diseases of the internal secretion organs to refrain from practicing, since after holding their breath they may become worse. Participation in classes of pregnant women is excluded.

Holding your breath during sleep

On average, the nightly breath holding is about 20-30 seconds. This is physiological, involuntary sleep apnea. If it reaches values ​​​​of two or three minutes - this is dangerous symptom. After holding the breath for such a time, the brain cells begin to experience oxygen starvation.

The main cause of the phenomenon is snoring, due to which the lumen in the larynx and in the nasal passages narrows. During the night, sleep apnea patients can wake up an infinite number of times.

Having breathed properly, he falls asleep again and wakes up again after a short interval. People who suffer from nocturnal breath holding experience "chronic fatigue syndrome" due to ragged, restless sleep. They suffer from headaches, suffer from a decrease in intelligence, irritability. Apnea during nocturnal sleep dangerous phenomenon life threatening and requiring immediate treatment.

Breath holding test

Breath-holding tests are performed by people suffering from heart and lung diseases. Healthy people can take a test just to find out their performance.

Breath holding test

Stange test - breath holding test at the entrance

The bottom line: you need to take a deep (but not maximum) breath - the lungs should be filled to 2/3 of the maximum volume, and hold your breath. Pinch the nose with fingers or a trailer for the purity of the experiment. A sitting test is performed, the time to inhalation is recorded using a stopwatch.

A healthy person without special training will show a time of 40-60 seconds of holding the breath (man), and 30-40 seconds (woman). Trained athletes have 60-120 and 40-95 seconds, respectively.

Genchi test - breath holding test on exhalation

Essence: pre-do 2-3 deep respiratory cycles (inhale - exhale). Then a deep exhalation and maximum breath holding. A good indicator is more than 30 seconds of stopping breathing. Excellent - 60 seconds or more.

Breath holding: normal

Thus, it is considered normal for an ordinary person to hold their breath after a deep breath - 30-40 seconds, after a full exhalation - about 20 seconds. These are averages healthy person. Great importance at the same time, it has a conscious desire of the subject to participate in the experiment.

The most objective indicators can be obtained by listening to the patient's heart when his attention is distracted. If during this procedure you ask him to hold his breath, he does this with great effort of will. At the same time, the indicators increase slightly.

Maximum breath hold

Quite often indicators of a delay of breath during test exceed an average level. Inspiratory breath holding in trained people ranges from one minute to 90 seconds. On exhalation, the maximum breath holding is more than 60 seconds. To determine the vital capacity of the lungs, the Genchi test (expiratory hold), the Stange test (expiratory hold) and the Serkin test (three-phase test) are used.

Breath holding training

The respiratory training system is the most popular remedy for restoring health. By learning how to breathe correctly, you can successfully control your emotional and mental state. And for diving enthusiasts, breath-holding exercises are a must.

Holding breath while inhaling

The correct execution of this exercise trains the subconscious mind to hold the breath even when a person does not seek to do it consciously.

Relaxation is the most effective way achieve the desired result. The technique of holding the breath correctly while inhaling involves alternately relaxing the diaphragm, intercostal muscles and muscles of the abdomen.

It is carried out in several steps:

• Take a deep breath.
• Focus on the upper ribs and collarbones.
• Raise your shoulders and hold this position.
• Relax your shoulders, throat muscles, facial muscles and chin in turn.
• Feel the sensations of peace and complete relaxation.
• With an unbearable desire to exhale, slightly inhale a little air.

This technique increases the ventilation area of ​​the lungs, improves blood flow to the heart. The blood acidifies, hemoglobin begins to intensely give it oxygen. Breathing deepens: holding after inhalation improves gas exchange and saturates the blood with oxygen.

Breath holding while exhaling

• Exhale completely.
• Pull in your belly.
• Raise your diaphragm.
• Relax your intercostal muscles.
• Keep your spine straight.
• Relax your face, chin and throat.
• If you want to inhale, exhale a little more: this technique will allow you to effortlessly extend the pause.

A sharp increase in carbon dioxide stimulates the respiratory and nervous systems. The level of hydrogen ions rises, and the body begins to intensively absorb electrons, i.e. - pure energy.

An increase in temperature and heavy sweating is the 1st sign that the breath is being held correctly. The benefit of exercise is that it stimulates the body to produce powerful energy.

By learning the technique of holding your breath correctly, you can significantly improve your health, become a more balanced and harmonious person. You can discover new possibilities in yourself and awaken the hidden reserves of the body. And for divers and those involved in scuba diving, the ability to hold your breath is an absolutely necessary tool.

Good day, dear readers! Today I want to tell you some interesting information related to world records. People like to arrange competitions on the principle of "faster-higher-stronger". One of the most incredible records recorded in the Guinness Book of Records concerns a lot of work on oneself. It is this work that leads to the possibility of being under water for a long time without oxygen. Let's talk today about freediving records.

This is truly an achievement to be proud of, deserving respect. I started to be interested in this topic, after:

• independent, in Sinyavino, near Kaliningrad,
• watching the new film "Fear of the Depth" lasting 87 minutes. The heroes of the thriller dived in a cage in the open sea full of white sharks. I was wondering how long the human body can be without oxygen under the water column.

underwater breath holding record

The official name of the record, which was able to establish a Croatian named Goran Colak (Goran Čolak) - static sleep apnea.

The guy with the super ability is underwater without breathing, he even managed to set records in this category several times, surpassing himself every time. At just thirty years old, he was assigned a line in the largest collection of records on the planet - the Guinness record for holding his breath under water.

Record diving without scuba gear that was impossible to beat!

Due to the fact that Goran was a few minutes ahead of his closest competitor, he had a lot of chances to be a record holder for a long time, since a person who could surpass him has not yet appeared. And who knows, maybe the crazy guy is not going to stop there, improving his data and changing the figure for holding his breath under water by seconds, or even minutes.

Records of holding your breath underwater in a calm state belong to many people, including even the illusionist David Blaine. He was able to beat the result of Peter Kohl - the Swiss, who was without oxygen for 16 minutes 32 seconds. But soon he was able to defend his title. After that, many athletes and ordinary guys tried to get into the Book of Records, but not everyone succeeded.

The last ones before Goran Colak were Ricardo Bahi and Tom Satis. They held records of 20 minutes 21 seconds and 22 minutes 22 seconds respectively.

The Croatian managed to hold out for 22 minutes 32 seconds

How he succeeds, no one understands, so it seems to many an incredible miracle. I won't be able to spend half that time underwater. Although I also made some attempts, but more on that later ...

landmark day

September 28, 2013 was for Goran one of the most significant days in his life. On Ban Jelačić Square, which is central in his native country, the guy plunged into the water, putting his name in the Book of Records. But a year later, the Croatian managed to surpass his result, having been under water for 23 minutes and 1 second.

I knew that this world is quite unpredictable and incredible, but what strikes me even more is the persistence of a guy who has set a goal for himself and goes towards it, removing everyone in his path. This willpower, training and desire cannot but amaze and leave indifferent any person.

I wonder what his lung capacity is! .. How did he conduct his training? What was he thinking about, being lifeless and motionless in the water column?

The only advantage that helped Goran overcome the 23-minute mark was the use of hyperventilation. It is impossible to live without oxygen for longer than 10-13 minutes without it. This is not forbidden to potential record holders, so everyone uses this procedure before setting at least a personal record.

But in books I read that hyperventilation in the future will negatively affect human health. Although, I think that people who have set themselves the goal of getting into the Guinness Book of Records do not care much about minor health problems in the future. Who knows?

The breath holding record under water, owned by Goran Colak, is not the only achievement of the guy.

Since 2007, his attempts began, which were quite significant at the time. He tested his body not only in a static stay in water without oxygen, but also in dynamics. Goran owns seven set records Guinness on the move.

Such abilities, and in particular their development, deserve respect. I can't stop being amazed at what this guy does. It is unlikely that any of my acquaintances will be able to even come close to his records.

It is interesting that the career of victorious records of the guy from ordinary swimming in the pool began. I am sure that he will get a lot more, because he is only 32 years old. Although accuracy and caution will not hurt the guy. I would no doubt be more reserved than he. Still, a dozen records in different versions is a big risk.

If Goran often sets records near the surface of the water surface, then when freediving there is a real threat to human life and health.

Freediving is deep diving without scuba equipment.

It is practiced by many, both as a sport and as a source of income. It seems to me that at my age I would not have dared to dive more than a couple of meters without a tank. But some daredevils still decide on it. There are also quite a few of them.

If someone does not know how long he can last without oxygen entering the body, then I can assure you that often this time does not exceed a minute. Some may not breathe for more than 20 minutes, and whales do not surface for almost an hour and a half. You can record right now how long you can be without oxygen. Good luck, if anything 😉

If we return to the topic of diving under water, I think that this is a kind of philosophy. Philosophy of knowledge of the surrounding world, philosophy of knowledge of oneself, philosophy of testing unrealized possibilities.

A bit of freediving history

For the first time, a dive record without scuba gear was set at a depth of 100 meters under water by Enzo Mallorca and Jacques Mayol. Unfortunately, this was not recorded by official representatives of organizations that have the right to do so. Although the guys who did it first should be given respect. Still, they risked their lives.

Their names will never be forgotten due to the fact that they became the prototypes of the main characters of the famous film by Luc Besson. A film called "The Blue Abyss" I advise everyone who is interested in this topic to watch.

In 2002, diving to the depths without scuba found another record set by the French freediver Loic Leferme.

Without scuba gear, he reached a depth of 162 meters, thus breaking his previous record of 137 meters. The desperate guy did not stop there and two years later he swam 171 meters, after which he could not swim back to the surface. This suggests that one should always be careful, no matter what the goal is. I recommend you think about it, because it is very important.

Interestingly, the record for holding your breath on land is half that in water. Although it seems a bit unbelievable, it is true. In total, you can hold out for about 10 minutes without breathing, being above the surface of the water. Nature has laid a diving reflex in a person, which helps to stay breathless under the smooth surface of the water for a longer time.

This is explained by the fact that when immersed under water, the pulse rate slows down, and the vessels narrow. This does not lead to death or loss of consciousness, but only increases the resource reserve of the body. At the same time, the brain and heart do not suffer, because the blood flow in these organs remains the same. On land, this reflex is disabled. But I wonder if this effect will be if only the head is immersed in water, and the body is left outside? Maybe someday I will experiment.

Women's business

It is also worth noting that not only men are engaged in this dangerous hobby, sport and interesting activity. Women have also set quite a few records that are no less amazing and exciting. In the women's free diving category, the record without scuba gear is 91 meters. It was installed in Greece by Natalia Molchanova representing Russia.

A few years later, she managed to break her record, so our women can also be proud of. In general, a separate article should be written about Molchanova. it great woman, whose name is not very well known to compatriots. Unfortunately, Natalya left us early, the sea took her to her ...

Among men in this category, the record reaches 121 meters

Videos of divers diving under water not only fascinate, taking away the gift of speech, but also make you think about something far away. Under water world, from which, as it is believed, all life on Earth came out, is very interesting and incredible. There is an opinion that the depths of the Earth have been explored about as little as space. Every year, scientists discover new types of algae and underwater animals that have not been known to mankind until now.

Watching over underwater world, I feel a certain peace, connection with all life on the planet, as well as inner peace. But the feelings of those who plunge into the water world are even more acute and attuned to perception. What is it all the same attractive - this incredible water, with which we all are. It contains many wonders to ponder over.

But at the same time, water is a danger, water is a test, water is work on oneself. Diving should always be carried out with a certain level of training. In some cases, these are not even months, but years. Training that is applied to innate abilities human body, inspire confidence that any obstacles can be overcome.

Where to start your freediving attempts?

If you want to achieve similar results, do not put off starting to increase lung capacity and training until tomorrow. It's best to get started today!

First you need to learn how to breathe correctly and master techniques that increase the amount of air that can fill the lungs. It can be breathing techniques, meditation, exercise, etc.

I found here a funny video about diving under water without scuba gear while holding your breath:

It is best to hire a professional trainer to help you dive underwater like I did. For starters, you can use scuba gear to get used to the atmosphere that reigns under the surface of the water. This will allow you to better adapt to such conditions in the future.

It is important to move from one stage to another gradually, and not rush off a cliff into the abyss. Thanks to this, you can save the body from excessive stress and prepare it for what will happen to it in the future. If you hurry, nothing will come of it.

Finally, I want to wish that everything works out for you, as it once happened for me. It is important to overcome yourself every day, because with the help of this life acquires colors and becomes more interesting. See you next time, I'd love to read your feedback. Good luck everyone and thanks for subscribing.

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The art of holding your breath underwater is called freediving. It is still used by swimmers, for example, in pearling. Nowadays, freediving has become a sport discipline with different directions. Athletes hold competitions and set world records. Scuba diving enthusiasts also compete in the ability to do without oxygen. long time, their victories are recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

About freediving

Since ancient times, man has dreamed of conquering the water element. Diving for many peoples living on the coast was not so much fun as a way to get seafood. This skill has been honed over the centuries. Over time, various adaptations appeared, and now scuba diving has become an affordable element of recreation. But this did not stop training to retain air under water.

people armed scientific knowledge, began to train the ability to do without oxygen. Although official medicine believes that after 4 minutes of hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the blood), brain destruction begins, the records of professionals and amateurs refute this. But such abilities are achieved by many years of training. An unprepared person simply cannot immediately hold his breath for a long time, even a couple of minutes seem like an impossible task. With a lack of oxygen and an excess of carbon dioxide, a protective mechanism is activated - the need for inspiration is stimulated reflexively. Therefore, divers learn not only the technique of holding their breath, but also self-control.

To set world records in freediving, you need to train simultaneously in several areas:

• breathing exercises: it is aimed at increasing the volume of the lungs and training the diaphragm;
• self-control training: necessary to control the activity of the heart (the less often it beats, the less oxygen consumption);
• meditation techniques: different systems are used in practice (yoga, pranayama, plavita sadhana);
• "cheek pumping": provides an additional supply of oxygen in excess of normal lung capacity (experienced divers can store up to 3 liters of O 2 in excess of normal);
• relaxation technique: provides additional control over the body's oxygen consumption.

Professional freedivers are constantly improving their abilities in all these areas. But the biggest time and the best results are shown by those who additionally use the hyperventilation technique.

There are a number of restrictions in professional competitions, but they do not apply to Guinness Book record holders. Therefore, applicants actively use this opportunity and breathe pure oxygen before diving or use the technique of rapid breaths for hyperventilation. Their results are usually higher. That is why it will be fair to consider world records for holding your breath under water separately in different categories.

Please note: even experienced athletes and divers do not risk arranging competitions or diving to a depth without observers.

The danger lies in the fact that an excess of carbon dioxide can lead to a sudden loss of consciousness and the swimmer will simply drown. Therefore, it is dangerous for beginners to remain alone even at a shallow depth. It is necessary that someone is in control of the situation and able to provide assistance if necessary.

Professional freediving

The world record for retaining air under water is set in different areas of freediving:

• static apnea. We are talking about diving to a shallow depth and being there without moving. In this discipline, it is estimated how many minutes a person can last under water. Competitions are held both in pools and in open water.
• Dynamics in flippers. It is estimated how many meters the athlete will swim without resurfacing.
• Dynamics without flippers. The distance is covered without additional equipment.
• Constant weight without fins. We are talking about deep diving, the result is also estimated in meters.

Each discipline has its own air holding world records.

static apnea

Natalia Molchanova was able to hold her breath for 9.2 minutes, winning not only among women, but also among men. Goran Kolak showed a result of 8.59, which is 3 seconds less than that of Natalia.

Dynamics in fins

And in this discipline, Molchanova was the best, she swam 234 meters, among men the winner is Goran Kolak, his achievement is 288 m.

Dynamic without fins

Natalia Molchanova showed here excellent result- 182 m. Among men, Goran Kolak, who swam 225 meters, became the record holder.

Constant weight without fins

This discipline was discovered by Enzo Mallorca. Back in the 60s of the last century, he refuted the theory of the impossibility of deep diving. Before that, it was believed that a person could not survive at a depth, since his lungs would simply burst. The first achievement of the Italian - diving to 51 meters was the beginning of the development of this discipline. No less famous Frenchman Jacques Maillol. At the age of 56, after a long training, he managed to overcome the hundred-meter line and dive to 105 meters.

If we talk about officially recorded victories, then among men, William Trubridge is known, who dived 101 meters in 2010.

Among women, Natalia Molchanova has the palm, she managed to overcome the mark of 71 meters.

Guinness Book

In the Guinness Book, freedivers also entered their victories:

• Karl Kost, who swam 177 m in the open ocean without any equipment.
• Marina Kazankova covered a distance of 154 meters in open water.
• In static apnea, the Italian Nicolo Putignano proved himself, he was able to set a world record for holding his breath under water in 19 minutes 2 seconds.
• He was beaten in 2010 by Switzerland's Peter Kolat, surviving 19 seconds longer (19 min 21 sec).
• Richard Bahier from Brazil has significantly raised the bar - up to 22 min 21 sec.
• Germany's Thomas Sietas was next with a 1 second improvement in 2012.
• Goran Kolak from Croatia achieved the best result - 22 minutes 30 seconds
• Spaniard Alex Segura raised the bar even higher - in 2016 he managed to hold out for 24 minutes and 3 seconds.
• On the this moment Croat Budimir Shobat holds the palm - 24.11 min.

Illusionist Achievements

Many famous illusionists practice apnea when performing tricks. The most impressive is the ability to get out of the water tank of a person chained. It is worth noting that in terms of the duration of being in them, illusionists do not show the longest time. But such tricks require more effort: the ability to control natural fear is required, the magician is chained, which makes it much more difficult to get out. And an uncontrolled release of adrenaline can increase the consumption of O 2 reserves. Also, unlike static apnea competitions, the person must move in order to break free from the shackles. Therefore, an excess consumption of oxygen is inevitable.

Record holders among illusionists can be called:

• Arvydas Garciunais, Lithuanian illusionist and his sister. The couple dived together, the guy lasted 15 minutes 58 seconds, the girl - 13 minutes;
• David Blaine, an American showman who managed to last even longer - 17 min 4 sec;
• Harry Houdini, famous illusionist who ice water managed to free himself from the handcuffs and get out in 8 minutes, and he did not have any special equipment.

Can't be explained

It seems that the longest time spent under water in different conditions already known. Naturally, even the biggest records for holding your breath underwater will be updated in the future. New victories are achieved through long-term training and improvement of one's own respiratory system. But there are truly inexplicable achievements in this area.

Filipino fisherman Jorge Pachino was able to stay at a depth of 60 m for 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Incredibly, there is a videotape that was filmed by representatives of the American Diving Association. They did not believe the newspapers that printed a note about Jorge's abilities, and came to personally verify the reality of such an achievement, taking with them the most modern equipment. There was no revelation: the Filipino was able to demonstrate his skills. It happened in 1991.

3-4 (maximum 5-6) minutes after cardiac arrest, leading to the cessation of breathing and oxygen supply to the brain. However, the question of how long a person can live without air is not so unambiguous, and the answer to it depends on the specific case and the environment. For example, an ordinary, untrained individual is able not to breathe for a maximum of 5 minutes, while for professional pearl miners, being under water without air for 9 minutes is not the limit. The brain neurons are the first to suffer without oxygen, the functioning of the central nervous system and the person dies.

In the case of pearl miners and professional divers, several factors contribute to such a long breath hold:

• using the technique of yogis, divers can slow down the heartbeat;
• when diving to a considerable depth, thanks to high blood pressure blood from the limbs flows to the internal, vital organs;
• the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood increases, which allows tissues to increase self-saturation with oxygen and its accumulation in organs.

There are other, rather specific factors that allow pearl miners at considerable depths to hold their breath longer.

AT real life the results of holding the breath without consequences for the body are even more modest. Usually, when diving in beach conditions, a bather holds his breath for 35-80 seconds. women divers from South-East Asia(sea maidens or ama) using special technique training during work - pearl mining, hold their breath for up to 5 minutes, while plunging to a depth of up to 30 meters. In addition, there are official statistics that record record holdings of breath under water.

Record of being underwater without air

Beginning in 1934, in the former Soviet Union, any duration diving was prohibited and no official statistics were kept. However, in 1991, enthusiastic stories were circulated in the sports press about how Valery Lavrinenko, a resident of the city of Donetsk, managed to stay under water for about 9 minutes. In 2001, a resident of St. Petersburg A. Zapisetsky officially recorded the longest stay in Russia under water without air, which was 6 minutes 18 seconds.

Official statistics, which reflect every record of being under water without air, conducted since 2001, show:

• the first record for the longest stay under water was recorded in 2001, when the Czech swimmer Martin Stepánek managed to survive without air for 376 seconds;

• in 2002, a women's record was set by Canadian diver Mandy Rekrushank, she managed to survive under water without air for 376 seconds;
• for the first time in the Guinness Book of Records was entered the record dive of the Swiss Peter Kolat (Peter Kolat), who in front of hundreds of visitors to the exhibition in St. Gallen managed to stay under water for 1161 seconds;

• in 2010 freediver and extreme from Denmark Stig Severinsen (Stig Severinsen) spent 1210 seconds in the aquarium in the city of Gren in the "company" with tropical sharks;

• a year later, the Danish extreme sportsman was only 12 seconds ahead of the Brazilian athlete Riccardo Bahe (Riccardo Bahe);

• the latest achievement belongs to the German freediver athlete Tom Sitas, who managed to survive under water for 1342 seconds.

Increased time spent without air

Today developed modern techniques, allowing to increase the time spent by a person under water and in airless conditions. In a cardinal way, breathing before diving is not atmospheric air, but with a special oxygen mixture or pure oxygen. For the first time, such an experience was put on itself in 1959 by the American swimmer Robert Foster. After he "breathed" pure oxygen for half an hour, he managed to stay under water, at the bottom of one of the California pools for 822.5 seconds.

Since the thirties of the last century, the American physiologist E. Schneider has been conducting experiments to increase the duration of a person's stay without air. The first experiments on how many people can live without air, he conducted on volunteer pilots. After preliminary saturation of the blood of the subjects with oxygen, they managed to hold their breath for 842 ... 913 seconds.

Records set by people sometimes amaze the imagination and push the limits of the capabilities of the human body. So, new world was installed in 2012 by an amazing diver named . At the moment it is 22 minutes. 22 sec. The achievement is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Note that records for holding your breath underwater without scuba gear are set with surprising regularity. different people. The previous one belonged to the Swiss Peter Kola and was 19 minutes and 21 seconds. Which is just as colossal for an ordinary and even a trained person.

Then 38-year-old Peter Cola managed to improve the achievement of the Italian Nicola Putignano by 19 seconds, who owned the previous record. Previously, Cola already held the record - then he managed to hold his breath for 16 minutes and 32 seconds, but this record was broken in 2008 by the famous magician and illusionist David Blaine.

But, let's turn our eyes to the current record holder Tom Sitas

For a sane person, such "experiments" on his own body will seem extremely unsafe, and in general he will be right. From the school bench we know that with insufficient oxygen supply to the body, and most importantly to the brain, irreversible changes can begin that can lead to disability and even death. But nevertheless, this does not stop some and records for static apnea updated steadily.

This achievement, first of all, puts before us two questions: How does a person manage to hold his breath for such a long time? And why is it possible, if it is known that our brain cannot maintain its functions without oxygen for more than 4 minutes.

For example, most of us are unlikely to be able to overcome a 25-meter pool underwater. Indeed, we can hold our breath for 30 seconds, and more trained up to 2 minutes. Famous Japanese pearl divers can hold their breath underwater for up to seven minutes. They need this skill to earn a living.

But 35-year-old Tom Sitas set his record just to get into the Guinness Book of Records. How did he prepare himself to hold his breath for more than 10 minutes?

First, it should be noted that it is deadly to humans. According to experts, trying to do this is not recommended at all. This is due to the fact that our brain constantly needs oxygen, without which brain cells die.

When a person is not breathing, carbon dioxide builds up in the body, causing a natural desire to take a sip. fresh air. In order to somehow overcome this desire, you can follow the path of increasing the vital capacity of the lungs, so during training, as, for example, Tom Sitas does, you can increase the vital volume of the lungs by 20%.

He trains once or twice a week for static apnea, dynamic apnea, while swimming in the pool or with fitness exercises. In nutrition, he pays attention high content vegetables and fruits, as well as fish oil.

But this is not the most important thing in breath holding training. To achieve record results, a person must train in a pressure chamber, where, in conditions of lack of oxygen, the body adapts to survive in such conditions. Like mountaineers, people practicing breath-holding must accustom the body to oxygen starvation.

In addition, these people use relaxation exercises from Zen practice to adjust the body to new sensations associated with a lack of oxygen, such as the feeling of constriction that oxygen-deprived lungs experience, which begin to contract when they are under water for minutes.

Physically, this pressure on the lungs is extremely painful, but experienced people are able to put higher strength of mind over the body, using the Eastern yoga technique, which allows them to reduce arterial pressure, reduce the heart rate and go into a state that can be called semi-hibernation.

Tom Sitas usually prepares himself before such sessions. In five hours, he stops eating to slow down his metabolism as much as possible. This allows him to significantly reduce the level of oxygen consumption by the body.

Before immersion in water, it undergoes a special preparation procedure. First, he begins to take slow deep breaths and exhalations through the diaphragm to fully ventilate the lungs.

In preparation for record-breaking breath-holds, Tom Sitas conducts breathing sessions with pure oxygen from a cylinder in order to saturate the body with oxygen to the limit.

The next step is immersion in a container of water, where he will be during a long breath-hold. He hangs an additional load on his legs, which will balance his body, thoroughly saturated with oxygen and the supply of oxygen in his lungs.

Interestingly, people can hold their breath twice as long underwater as they can on land. So the land record is only about ten seconds.

The reason for this is the reflex inherited from mammals, which is called the “diving reflex”, when blood vessels in certain parts of the body are compressed, the pulse is reduced. Trained divers, using this reflex, are able to reduce their heart rate by 50% or more. The vasoconstriction works in such a way as to reduce blood flow to non-vital organs, and leave normal blood flow only to the heart and brain.

One way or another, but a person must breathe in order to survive, and questions remain. The first. Where is the limit of oxygen starvation? At present, no one can give an exact answer to this question, but it is unlikely that a person can not breathe for more than half an hour. Second. What damage is done to the body during these feats?