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13-08-2020
Column: Nature Notes - ONE BREATH
Column: Nature Notes - ONE BREATH
People rarely think about breathing until they hold their breath. On average, people can hold their breath approximately 30 seconds to two minutes after which time the urge to take a breath becomes overwhelming.
Breathing is part of the process of respiration. We require oxygen to create energy and we produce carbon dioxide (CO2) as a waste product, so basically with every breathe we must renew our supply of oxygen and remove our waste of CO2. Breathing is controlled, consciously, as in breath holding, and unconsciously, as in normal breathing.
When we hold our breath, the level of CO2 in our blood increases, more carbonic and lactic acid is produced, and this changes the pH of our bloodstream. The sudden drop in pH stimulates chemical receptors in the blood system, which in turn sends nerve impulses to the respiration centre in the medulla oblongata and pons in the brain, which in turn sends impulses through the phrenic and thoracic nerves to the diaphragm.

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