This is how people can hold their breath for tens of minutes. Check out our sponsor: https://betterhelp.com/veritasium to get matched with a professional therapist who will listen and help.

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A huge thanks to Brandon Birchak for all his help with this video. To learn how to hold your breath for 5 minutes, or see one of Brandon’s performances, visit https://eliteperformancedesign.com and https://Sixfootcreations.com

A special thanks to Juan Valdivia for his expert advice on the science of extreme breath holding.

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References:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). How your body controls breathing. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. - https://ve42.co/BodyBreathing

Anatomy, autonomic nervous system - statpearls - NCBI bookshelf. (n.d.-a). - https://ve42.co/ANS

Biochemistry, oxidative phosphorylation - statpearls - NCBI bookshelf. (n.d.-c). - https://ve42.co/ncbiATP

Acidosis. Acidosis - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). - https://ve42.co/Acidosis

Evaluation of respiratory alkalosis. Evaluation of respiratory alkalosis - Differential diagnosis of symptoms | BMJ Best Practice US. (n.d.). - https://ve42.co/Alkalosis

Wilmshurst, P. (1998, October 10). Diving and Oxygen. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). - https://ve42.co/DivingO

López-Barneo, J., Ortega-Sáenz, P., Pardal, R., Pascual, A., & Piruat, J. I. (2008). Carotid body oxygen sensing. European Respiratory Journal, 32(5), 1386-1398. - https://ve42.co/Barneo2008

Jeff, & Huffy. (2022, November 17). The Bolt score test: Measure your breathing volume capacity. Marathon Handbook. - https://ve42.co/BOLT

Lindholm, P., & Lundgren, C. E. (2009). The physiology and pathophysiology of human breath-hold diving. Journal of Applied Physiology, 106(1), 284-292. - https://ve42.co/Lindholm2009

Physiology, lung capacity - statpearls - NCBI bookshelf. (n.d.-c). - https://ve42.co/LungCapacity

Panneton, W. M., & Gan, Q. (2020). The mammalian diving response: inroads to its neural control. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14, 524. - https://ve42.co/Panneton2020

Baković, D., Eterović, D., Saratlija‐Novaković, X., Palada, I., Valic, Z., Bilopavlović, N., & Dujić, X. (2005). Effect of human splenic contraction on variation in circulating blood cell counts. Clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology, 32(11), 944-951. https://ve42.co/Bakovic2005

Gooden, B. (1971). The diving response in man, rat and echidna (Doctoral dissertation). - https://ve42.co/Gooden1971

Longest duration breath hold - freediving static apnea (male). Guinness World Records. (n.d.). - https://ve42.co/DivingRecord

What’s the longest a human can hold their breath underwater? BBC Science Focus Magazine. (n.d.). - https://ve42.co/Southwell2023

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Directed by Derek Muller
Written by Felicity Nelson and Derek Muller
Edited by Trenton Oliver
Animated by Ivy Tello
Filmed by Derek Muller
Produced by Derek Muller and Han Evans
Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images and Pond5
Music from Epidemic Sound