How Long Can Somebody Survive Without Breathing?

Question

How long can somebody survive without breathing? I know that sometime you would start voluntarily breathing if you are like holding your breath but if you have some physical condition and you can't breath how long can you live for? And what about your heart...Can't you live like 10 minutes or how long without it beating? And when do they use those little shock machines. Can you only be declared dead with brain death or ?? what are the limits? I promise im not planning on doing any of this im just kind of curious.

Answer 1

Free diving is an interesting sport pushing the body to many limits, Tanya Streeter being able to hold her breath for over six minutes.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/gener...

While Pippin Ferreras holds the current apneoa (breathholding) freediving record at nine minutes whilst reducing his heartrate to 4 beats a minute.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BDK05...

Answer 2

The brain starts to become irreversibly damaged after four minutes without oxygen.  Assuming you took a big breath and then started holding it, I would say max would be five minutes but I can't imagine even trying to hold my breath that long.  

Answer 3

in the old days they declared people dead when the body petrified.