Why can't suicide by stopping breathing?

In life, sometimes people become desperate and want to quickly find "eternity" by suicide. However, there is a fact that not everyone knows, it is that we cannot commit suicide by holding our breath.

According to scientists, human respiratory activity has two types: active respiratory and automatic respiration. In it, active respiration is controlled by nerve cells located in the cerebral cortex (you can arbitrarily control the ability to breathe in and out, which is controlled by this neuron). As for respiration, the nerve cells are located in the medulla and the brain is controlled. (When you sleep, you can still breathe. This is because of this neuron.)

When you hold your breath, CO ₂ levels increase, blood levels of O ₂ decrease and the blood pH level also decreases.

On the other hand, because the medulla is located in the spinal cord, humans cannot actively control the nerve cells there. Therefore, nerve cells that control breathing at the medulla are not subject to human control, but only depend on the concentration of carbonic (CO ₂ ), oxygen (O ₂ ) and pH in the blood.

Specifically, when you hold your breath, CO ₂ concentration increases, blood levels of O ₂ decrease and cause blood pH levels to decrease . To a certain point (depending on the condition of each person that this threshold varies), the neurons of the central respiratory tract in the medulla will automatically control the active respiratory organs that you cannot. can resist it.

Therefore, it is not possible for people to commit suicide by abstaining from breathing. However, in the event of an external force impact, or a foreign object that is pinched by respiratory organs that you cannot "destroy" the obstacle, you can die.

Guinness record of fasting

In 2008, Mr. Tom Sietas - a German diver named himself in the Guinness Book of Records when he was able to hold his breath for the longest time with 22 minutes and 22 seconds.