Your body needs oxygen to move and function. The less you move, the less oxygen your body will need. First, practice holding your breath without moving. Then, add in simple, slow movements like walking to train your body to conserve oxygen. This will prepare your body to dive and swim with less air.
Start inhaling for 5 seconds at a time. Then, increase by a few seconds every time you inhale. You will be stretching out your lungs and increasing their ability to hold more air. Practicing deep breathing on land can help improve how long you can hold your breath underwater. Puffing up your cheeks does not mean that you have enough oxygen. It makes you use face muscles that spend oxygen instead of conserving it.
Push out as much air as possible when you’ve finished to get rid of any extra carbon dioxide. As you hold your breath, your body turns oxygen into carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is toxic to your body and can cause you to pass out. Once you get past the convulsions, your spleen releases more oxygen-filled blood into your bloodstream. Hold your breath past this point to be able to hold it even longer. [5] X Research source
Use your fingers to hold your nose shut if you need. Staying relaxed is important since there is more risk in holding your breath underwater than on land.
Before diving again, take another two to five minutes to do a few breath cycles to get your body back to normal oxygen levels. If you begin to panic at any moment, relax and surface. Panicking can lead to accidental inhalation underwater, which can cause drowning.
When diving, you want to remain as relaxed and calm as possible, keeping your pulse low. Swimming is the complete opposite. Your pulse will be high and your muscles moving quickly. [6] X Research source
If you want to keep track of your time, have a friend time you instead.
