Holding your breath?

Question

How do you increase the length of time you can hold your breath while swimming underwater?

Answer 1

exercise.  it is basically a measure of how conditioned you are. you can also condition your respiratory system just by practicing holding your breath a lot.

Answer 2

Practice.

Efficiency of motion (in shape and conditioned).. Being warmed up and breathing hard is bad for hold times, but being in shape and using good form, using less effort to move, will greatly decrease your oxygen needs.

Breath Control.. Deep, controlled breaths.  Slow your heartrate.  The Oxygen needs of your body from the last 5-15 minutes  is typically what you are replacing by breathing (harder breathing is a predictive measure by the brain), so being rested is another key.  Pre-run Deep Breathing will oxygenate your body, but be very cautious of hyper-ventilation, especially during swims.  Dizziness/fuzziness means you need a time out and a new method.

Oxygen Rich.. Cold air is more dense than hot, packing more of the stuff you need per lung.

Mind Control.. Your brain wants to keep breathing, and it will give you signals that make you want to breath.  It's dangerous to override these signals, but with practice you can.  You Can survive with much less breathing than your brain wants you to do.  You can suffer damage from induced pressure and lack of oxygen, so be very careful.  DO NOT use aide's to restrict breath while practicing, such as face masks, plugs, etc.  If you pass out from overdoing it, you'll naturally start breathing again, and you don't want air restrictions in this case.

Practice.