Why do we need to breathe air all the time?
Your Trillion Tiny Fires
Why do we need to breathe air all the time?
You can hold your breath if you really try. Count the seconds. Feel the pressure build. And then — gasp — your body simply takes over and breathes for you. It's almost rude how badly your body wants air. So what's the rush? Why can't we just breathe now and then, like sipping a milkshake?
Here's the secret: your body is not really after "air." It's after one tiny ingredient hidden inside the air, called oxygen. About one part in five of every breath is oxygen — the rest is mostly a gas your body just borrows and breathes right back out. Oxygen is the part you came for.
