• Question: Would it be easier to hold your breath in cold, warm or hot water? Why?

    Asked by to Ben on 19 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Ben Butler

      Ben Butler answered on 19 Jun 2014:

      Hi Maggiev6, that’s a brilliant question.

      I’m not very good at holding my breath, but I know that I can hold it for longer when I’m in warm water.

      I’m not too sure about what would happen in hot water, but I can explain the difference between cold and warm.

      When you try and hold your breath in cold water, your body goes into a little bit of shock, this is called the ‘cold shock response’. What happens during this is your body tries to keep you warm by increasing your heart rate, which uses lots more energy so you feel the need to breath more.

      The average person can hold their breath for about 1 minute in warm water, but in cold water this is reduced to just 20 seconds!

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