It seems Tom Cruise has some breath-holding competition. As you know, Cruise held his breath for 6 minutes while he filmed an underwater scene 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 in a tub full of water and held his breath for 17 minutes!
In the video, while Birchak holds his breath, Veritasium’s Derek Muller explains how extreme freediving works.
Inside the tub is Brandon Birchak and he will try to hold his breath for the entire video. … I’ll continue this shot continuously on the right side of the video, and as he holds his breath, we’ll find out how he does it. And I will also learn to hold my breath much 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 diving reflex. … The trigeminal nerve in our face senses the coolness of the water and triggers a series of responses. The heart beats more slowly, decreasing the speed at which blood, and therefore oxygen, circulates through the body. Our blood vessels at our extremities narrow, confining blood to our vital organs and brain, ensuring we have enough oxygen to remain conscious.”
Watch the video below and let us know how long you can hold your breath!
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
