Breath control

Breath control (also called breath play) is the intentional restriction of breathing for sexual gratification. When performed specifically to restrict oxygen to the brain, this is called erotic asphyxiation (or when performed alone, autoerotic asphyxiation). Breath control is a high-risk kink and the most common cause of fatalities in solo-play scenes [citation needed].

Background

Humans must breathe to survive. Breathing serves two essential purposes:

• Deliver oxygen to the body
• Remove carbon dioxide from the body

Dysfunction of either can rapidly cause serious injury or death.

Hypoxia

When oxygen is completely restricted to the brain (e.g. when both carotid arteries are occluded or all reserve oxygen in the lungs is depleted):

• Consciousness is lost within seconds
• Permanent brain damage occurs within minutes
• Death is all but certain after 10 minutes