Freediving Apnea for life improvement, diet, longevity & health — Part II. Breathing.

Learn the physiology of Apnea, the mammalian reflex and how to do a proper static dry and in the water apnea.

Freediving Apnea can be applied to more than just holding breath. Using apnea principles you can live an Apnea life style, which will benefit you beyond diving. This lifestyle can benefit you from diet and losing weight to live longer. These goals can be achieved by applying relaxation techniques, diet, a light workout, stretching and an Apnea mind-set.

In case you landed on this page, I suggest you start from the first article.

Figure 1: Photo credit: oceanoid.com

Breathing Theory

The physiology of apnea — the body

I’m not going into theory related to diving and underwater, but let’s talk about what happens when we hold our breath. Specially, how our body’s cardiopulmonary system deliver oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.

Cardiopulmonary system — is a combination of your cardiovascular system (heart, arteries, veins and capillaries) and your pulmonary system (lungs, airways, diaphragm and other muscles).

When we inhale the air reaches alveoli (small air sacs in the lung). There, gas…