It looks like Tom Cruise has some breath-holding competition. As you know, Cruise held his breath for 6 minutes while shooting a scene underwater in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. Sigourney Weaver went 6 and a half minutes for Avatar: The Way of Water! While this is impressive, they don’t come close to athlete Brandon Birchak who stood inside a tank of water and held his breath for 17 minutes!
In the video, while Birchak is holding his breath, Derek Muller of Veritasium explained how extreme breath holding works.
Inside the tank is Brandon Birchak, and he is going to attempt to hold his breath for this entire video. …I’m going to keep this shot going continuously on the right side of the video, and while he’s holding his breath, we will figure out how he does it. And I’m even going to learn how to hold my breath way longer than I ever have before.
Muller explains in the video:
“People actually have a secret weapon when it comes to reducing oxygen consumption by virtue of our evolution. It’s called the mammalian dive reflex. … The trigeminal nerve in our face detects the coolness of the water and triggers a series of responses. The heart beats slower, decreasing the rate at which blood, and hence, oxygen, are circulated around the body. Our blood vessels in our extremities constrict, confining blood to our vital organs and brain, ensuring we have enough oxygen to stay conscious.”
Check out the video below and let us know how long you can hold your breath for!
