Breath Holding tricks?

[Mermaid Marissa]

Anyone know any good tricks for holding your breath for a while?

[Bellasea]

Do you blow air out of your nose when you swim? If, humming will have the same affect but uses less air. Also, when I now I am trying stay under for longer time I take deep breaths that get more rapid until I go down.

[Mermaid Momo]

i sugggest first learning to hold you breathe for a long time while sitting still because you don't use up as much air. I've read that first you hyperventalate after getting comfortable and relaxed then you just sit on the bottom for as long as you can and the more relaxed you are, the longer you can hold your breath. then try moving while holding you breath.

[Blondie]

Personally, hyperventilating doesn't work for me...

I take REALLY deep breaths before going under. I try to move fluidly and in a relaxed matter. Relaxing is the key to holding your breath longer. Try thinking of something else when holding your breath. If you distract yourself from the pain of not breathing, time will move faster. Staring at the clock or timer just makes it worse.

[ShyMer]

I guess this is probably different from what you meant, but I used to practice when I was in the car. My mom would have to shuttle me and my brothers around to our various activities, and it gave me something to do when I was going back and forth between stuff. I'd try holding my breath to pass as many street signs as I could. It was cool for me because I could measure it in a way and I was a little distracted from thinking about it. Now that I drive myself most everywhere though, I tend to forget to practice :P

[Kanti]

I don't think you're necessarially supposed to hyperventalate before you go in, but it depends on
the person I suppose. I was always taught you're supposed to take a few DEEP breaths before going
under, majorly breathing out very deeply. This will help you get rid of any carbon dioxide buildup in
your lungs which is the cause of the uncomfortable feeling that you get when you're under and you feel
like you need a breath.
Once you've exhaled a couple times as much as you can and you're ready to go under, you should take
a deep breath, but don't fill your lungs to full capacity or you'll have a harder time staying underwater and
the fullness of your lungs will be uncomfortable to you.

Besides that I think the hardest part is trying to ignore the fact that you're trying to hold your breath.
Everytime I think about it, I always get a bit excited and it prevents my heart rate from slowing down.
I hold my breath best when I daydream and relax :')

[Mermaid Lorelei]

^Agreed Kanti.
Making sure you get the carbon dioxide out of your lungs is one of the most important parts. It's what makes your lungs burn and hurt the most, hence why your body panics. The more you can relax and the more you can keep your mind on something else the better your breath hold should be. Basically a slower heart rate causes less oxygen to be pulled into your blood, hence conserving your air capacity.

[Mermaid Marissa]

Thank you guys :D