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The body will stop breathing, and falling oxygen levels will cause unconsciousness.

The breathing reflex is driven by detected CO2 levels in the blood. If the level is too high, breathing rate will increase - as far as gasping for breath.

If the CO2 level falls too low, the breathing reflex is satisfied and stops. This does not mean the person is unable to breathe, but they just feel no need to.

This is a cause of drowning; people who hyperventilate to "flood the lungs with oxygen" are actually dropping their CO2 level, and can fall unconscious while underwater. By the time metabolism raises the CO2 level far enough to engage the breathing reflex, the person is deeply unconscious and cannot surface.

In actuality, normal O2 levels in the blood are only a few percent under saturation, and extended heavy breathing does not increase this amount significantly. The lowered CO2 levels do make it more comfortable to hold the breath, at least initially.

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