Physiology of static breath holding in elite apneists

Left ventricle changes early after breath-holding in deep water in elite apnea divers.

PURPOSE To study by ultrasounds cardiac morphology and function early after breath-hold diving in deep water in elite athletes. METHODS Fifteen healthy male divers (age 28 +/- 3 years) were studied using Doppler-echocardiography, immediately before (basal condition, BC) and two minutes after breath-hold diving (40 meters, acute post-apnea condition, APAC). Each subject performed a series of t...

Breath-holding spells in infants.

QUESTION I have children in my clinic who experience seizurelike episodes in which they cry and hold their breath to the point of cyanosis and loss of consciousness. Their examination or investigation findings are normal and referral to a pediatric specialist results in no further investigation. Are breath-holding spells common, and what type of investigation is needed? ANSWER A breath-holdin...

The limits of breath holding.

Sourcebook of Laboratory Activites in Physiology The ins and outs of breath holding: simple demonstrations of complex respiratory physiology

Skow RJ, Day TA, Fuller JE, Bruce CD, Steinback CD. The ins and outs of breath holding: simple demonstrations of complex respiratory physiology. Adv Physiol Educ 39: 223–231, 2015; doi:10.1152/advan.00030.2015.—The physiology of breath holding is complex, and voluntary breath-hold duration is affected by many factors, including practice, psychology, respiratory chemoreflexes, and lung stretch. ...

Breath-holding and its breakpoint.

This article reviews the basic properties of breath-holding in humans and the possible causes of the breath at breakpoint. The simplest objective measure of breath-holding is its duration, but even this is highly variable. Breath-holding is a voluntary act, but normal subjects appear unable to breath-hold to unconsciousness. A powerful involuntary mechanism normally overrides voluntary breath-h...