drinking water question

[sudoer541]

I have always wondered.... why do we have to take a big breath before we drink water or any other liquids? Are there any conversions being done in our bodies or something?

[CJ Master]

I have always wondered.... why do we have to take a big breath before we drink water or any other liquids? Are there any conversions being done in our bodies or something?

You can't breath while you drink.

[sailthesea]

You can't breath while you drink.

Not past the age of 6 months or so any way;)

[LightB]

Maybe because you know the koolaid is poison.

[sudoer541]

You can't breath while you drink.

I was not clear it seems. My question was, why do we have to take a breath right before we drink water?

[CJ Master]

I was not clear it seems. My question was, why do we have to take a breath right before we drink water?

...because you need oxygen even while your drinking, and you can't breath while you're drinking.

[sudoer541]

...because you need oxygen even while your drinking, and you can't breath while you're drinking.

Now this makes sense and I have thought of it but I was never sure.
.btw I have tried not to breath before drinking water and I cant drink it lol.
thanks

[sandyd]

Now this makes sense and I have thought of it but I was never sure.
.btw I have tried not to breath before drinking water and I cant drink it lol.
thanks

I can. I tried it just now.
But it was an iced cappuccino, so that doesnt count right?:p

[Sporkman]

I can. I tried it just now.
But it was an iced cappuccino, so that doesnt count right?:p

No - the oxygen in the foam will sustain you.

[sandyd]

No - the oxygen in the foam will sustain you.

always wondered what was in the foam. Now i know better ;)

[sudoer541]

I can. I tried it just now.
But it was an iced cappuccino, so that doesnt count right?:p
ya it counts, but ya I can drink a little bit without taking a breath.
or try this:
breath out (leave no air in your lungs if you can) and drink. I have tried it and I couldn't drink a lot.
btw I think I found the solution to clean you carpet go here (http://www.ehow.com/how_10702_clean-ink-carpet.html) and here (http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/8-26-2005-75540.asp).

[sandyd]

ya it counts, but ya I can drink a little bit without taking a breath.
or try this:
breath out (leave no air in your lungs if you can) and drink. I have tried it and I couldn't drink a lot.
btw I think I found the solution to clean you carpet go here (http://www.ehow.com/how_10702_clean-ink-carpet.html) and here (http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/8-26-2005-75540.asp).

ooh great!. Ill try those since I actually dont have much to lose. (dolphinaura had already neutralized the ink with milk right after I spilled it).

p.s. already know why I can still drink if I dont have air in my lungs.
Im a singer for my band, and as a result, I have the ability to store air in my stomach.
When the drink goes down, air comes back up. :D. it aparently works that way too!

[sudoer541]

ooh great!. Ill try those since I actually dont have much to lose. (dolphinaura had already neutralized the ink with milk right after I spilled it).

p.s. already know why I can still drink if I dont have air in my lungs.
Im a singer for my band, and as a result, I have the ability to store air in my stomach.
When the drink goes down, air comes back up. :D. it aparently works that way too!

wow cool! I would like to learn how to sing as well, could you please give me some links to tutorials or even youtube videos to teach me how to sing?

[juancarlospaco]

But you can drink water if you are underwater,
but you cant breath underwater so its not true.

[HappinessNow]

I was not clear it seems. My question was, why do we have to take a breath right before we drink water?

Actually I don't take this big breath you speak of, I just breath through my nose while I drink.

[Barrucadu]

Actually I don't take this big breath you speak of, I just breath through my nose while I drink.

Yes, so do I.

[Grenage]

You can drink water whilst breathing? Do you have two throats or something?

[MaxIBoy]

It turns out that the painful reflex to inhale is not caused by lack of oxygen, but by buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood. (Which is why people drown after a while, even though carbon dioxide poisoning might be medically preferable.) So the trick is to have some air in your lungs, into which you can still dump CO2 for 30 seconds or so without getting uncomfortable. Otherwise, the inhale reflex comes sooner and you breathe in your coffee and drown. However, much more importantly, the inhale reflex can get suppressed if you already have full lungs. The difference between holding your breath with full lungs, and doing the same with empty lungs, is huge.

For extended chugging, you can alternately inhale and exhale between each swallow. The overall ability to eliminate CO2 this way is still not enough to keep you going forever, but it can prolong the experience.

[sudoer541]

Actually I don't take this big breath you speak of, I just breath through my nose while I drink.

yes thats what I am talking about, I breath through my nose before I drink. I am not sure if people can drink water without breathing through their nose. I know I cant!

[blueshiftoverwatch]

Random semi-related comment: I remember reading somewhere that you don't need to breathe when skydiving because at the speed your traveling at all the oxygen you need is absorbed through your skin. That seems kind of far fetched and I'm calling BS.

[user1397]

Random semi-related comment: I remember reading somewhere that you don't need to breathe when skydiving because at the speed your traveling at all the oxygen you need is absorbed through your skin. That seems kind of far fetched and I'm calling BS.
well I can tell you that I've skydived and I sure as hell was breathing through my mouth

[Barrucadu]

You can drink water whilst breathing? Do you have two throats or something?

No, but when ‘drinking’, water isn't travelling down my throat constantly, it goes down in small gulps—leaving plenty of time for breathing.

[Grenage]

Ah, now that's different. :)

[lykwydchykyn]

Actually I don't take this big breath you speak of, I just breath through my nose while I drink.

yes thats what I am talking about, I breath through my nose before I drink. I am not sure if people can drink water without breathing through their nose. I know I cant!

You just have to be careful not to blow any bogeys into your drink on the exhale.

[chriswyatt]

I just tried and it does feel uncomfortable taking a gulp when I've exhaled and not inhaled. My assumption would be it's because your wind-pipe opens up when you breathe in, so maybe your body wants you to breathe in before drinking so it's less likely to go down the wrong tube.

Good question by the way.

[Maheriano]

I just tried drinking after exhaling all the air out of my lungs. If I had to guess why it's harder I'd say it's because your epiglottis which closed your windpipe while drinking is under more pressure and you don't have the sufficient surrounding muscle to lift it up under that pressure. With lungs full of air, you change the air pressure pushing up on your epiglottis, aiding it in covering your windpipe and allowing the drink to flow down your throat.

[Post Monkeh]

i just breathed out then drank pretty much a full pint of water.

i hope you're happy, i'll probably wake up in the middle of the night to pee now.

[sudoer541]

I just tried and it does feel uncomfortable taking a gulp when I've exhaled and not inhaled. My assumption would be it's because your wind-pipe opens up when you breathe in, so maybe your body wants you to breathe in before drinking so it's less likely to go down the wrong tube.

Good question by the way.


I just tried drinking after exhaling all the air out of my lungs. If I had to guess why it's harder I'd say it's because your epiglottis which closed your windpipe while drinking is under more pressure and you don't have the sufficient surrounding muscle to lift it up under that pressure. With lungs full of air, you change the air pressure pushing up on your epiglottis, aiding it in covering your windpipe and allowing the drink to flow down your throat.

I think I am kinda getting it.

[alexfish]

I think I am kinda getting it.

Scientists have long asserted the vital importance of a truth we all know on some level to be common sense: without water, there is no life. With water, there is at least the possibility of life -- both here on Earth, and perhaps, as some now speculate, elsewhere in the cosmos.


A timely forum for deliberation on the important new task of developing an environmental ethic for How to how drink water.