Breath-holding Time

Louriz Maveric S. Samonte, Victoria Gabrielle P. Samson, Sophia Anne V. Saquilayan, Joshua
Gabriel B. Sibug, Klive Duane S. Sombillo
Group 7 2G-Medical Technology Physiology Anatomy Laboratory
ABSTRACT:
Breathing is a necessity for all living creatures. It is the manner in which they inhale air, for it to be
utilized by the body. How long a person can hold their breath varies from person to person and from one
lung capacity to another. The experiment sought to determine how long a student could hold their breath
at different lung capacities and compare those values. To accomplish this, the student was asked to hold
their breath after breathing normally, after a deep inhalation, after a deep exhalation, and after taking 10
deep breaths. The student was timed based on how long they could last without breathing. The normal
breaking point is somewhere from 23-27 seconds. The student timed lasted 49 seconds after breathing
normally, 57 seconds after inhaling deeply, 52 seconds after exhaling deeply, and 1 minute and 11
seconds after taking 10 deep breaths. The student was able to hold their breath the longest after taking
10 deep breaths, and lasted shortest after normal respiration.

INTRODUCTION:
Breathing is defined as the process of
respiration, during which air is inhaled into the
lungs through the mouth or nose due to muscle
contraction and then exhaled due to muscle
relaxation. It consists of two phases the
inspiration phase and the expiration phase.
Inspiration is when air travels into the lungs, and
expiration is when it is released into the
atmosphere. Persons with larger lung capacities
may be able to hold their breath for an extended
amount of time, but no person can hold their
breath indefinitely and live, because respiration is
necessary for the body to function properly. The
inability to hold ones breath until they die,
however, is not actually due to the need for
oxygen, but because of the buildup of carbon
dioxide. The buildup of carbon dioxide signals the
body of its need to breathe. For this experiment
on breath-holding times, there were 2 main
objectives: (1) determine how long a student can
hold their breath, and (2) compare the breathholding times at different lung volumes and
capacities.

1. The student was asked to inhale and

exhale normally

2. The student was asked to hold his breath for

as long as possible following a normal respiration.
3. The time the student was able to hold his
breath was recorded.
4. The student was let to rest for a few minutes.
5. After resting, the student was asked to inhale
deeply and hold his breath for as long as he can.
6. The time the student was able to hold his
breath was recorded.
7. The student was let to rest again for a few
minutes.
8. After resting, the student was then asked to
exhale forcefully after a normal inhalation.
9. The breath-holding time at expiration was
recorded in seconds.
10. The student was asked to rest again.

EXPERIMENTAL:

11. For the final test, the student was asked to

hold his breath after taking 10 deep breaths.

Procedure:

12. The time the student was able to hold his

breath after 10 deep breaths was recorded in
seconds.
13. After gathering the data, the group
proceeded to completing table 39.1.

Table 1: Breath-holding time under

different conditions
REFERENCES:
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

A person's respiratory rate is the number of

breaths you take per minute. The normal
respiration rate for an adult at rest is 12 to 20
breaths per minute. A respiration rate
under 12 or over 25 breaths per minute while
resting is considered abnormal. In children, the

Hapan, M.F., Domingo, J., Sadang,M.G.(2015)

Human Physiology and Anatomy Laboratory
Manual. Quezon City, Philippines: C & E
Publishing, Inc.
On-line sources:

rates are higher may vary from 20 to 40 per minute.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp
?articlekey=11056

After a normal
respiration

49 seconds

http://epjournal.net/blog/2011/02/why-can
%E2%80%99t-you-hold-your-breath-until-you
%E2%80%99re-dead/

After a deep
inhalation

57 seconds

After a deep
exhalation

52 seconds

After 10 deep
breaths

1:11 mins