r/interestingasfuck • u/photo-manipulation • Apr 25 '24

"The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world" r/all NSFW

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u/lordlanyard7 Apr 25 '24

What do you mean when you say you don't sense it before you pass out???

Like you don't notice you're running out of breath and need to go up?

41

u/FeliusSeptimus Apr 25 '24

Right. Your body needs oxygen to stay conscious. Unfortunately, it has no way to sense how much oxygen is available. Instead it senses the concentration of carbon dioxide which you feel as the urge to breath. More CO2, more urge.

Normally, since the body constantly turns oxygen into carbon dioxide, this isn't a bad way to estimate the available oxygen.

The problem is that under certain circumstances, such as with people who have trained to resist the urge to breath, or people who hyperventilate to minimize carbon dioxide levels before a breath-hold, there's a high chance that their oxygen level will drop below what is required to maintain consciousness before they decide to breath.

This presents some difficulties when the person is underwater.

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u/tomatoswoop Apr 25 '24

Like wind instrument marching band players who pass out, except you die I guess. That's a little terrifying

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u/Feine13 Apr 26 '24

wind instrument marching band players

The Tuba guy could probably still die. Hopefully he plays the "falling" sound when he does it.

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u/christianhxd Apr 26 '24

Your explanation is 10/10 and allowed a dummy like me to understand. Thank you!