I Hold My Breath When…

I Hold My Breath

Holding your breath can be purposeful. During moments when fight, flight, or freeze kicks in, if you find yourself not exhaling fully, you are increasing oxygen and depleting carbon dioxide.

If you are not at risk of losing life or limb, this change in breath can actually cause irritability, dizziness, nausea, and more. Holding your breath to increase the carbon dioxide in your system can support organ function. When your cells have no more carbon dioxide to trade for the oxygen the absorption of the oxygen into your cells also decreases.

When you hold your breath, you give your cells more time to both absorb oxygen and produce carbon dioxide.