Here's what lack of oxygen does to your body and it's terrifying

Unless you have a respiratory or heart condition, filling your lungs with oxygen is surely the most mundane and trivial thing you do every day, every minute. But in certain situations, the air can start to run out. The body then begins to show symptoms, and the lack of oxygen can eventually lead to the death of the person in a state of hypoxemia.

This is probably the case for the passengers of the missing Titan submarine, which disappeared while heading to the Titanic shipwreck at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. The oxygen supply was limited to 96 hours, which means they have now run out of air.

Here is what happens to your body when you lack oxygen.

The Titan passengers are likely hypoxemic

With the Titan submarine, which set out for the wreck of the Titanic last Saturday, still missing, a race against time is underway. It is estimated that the submarine's oxygen reserves will run out early this afternoon, Thursday June 22.

Trapped in a submarine they can't open from the inside (even if the submarine automatically rises to the surface of the ocean), the Titan's passengers are condemned to breathing increasingly thinning air, and must already be suffering from hypoxemia at the time of writing.

According to Mayo Clinic, hypoxemia comes with an array of symptoms, before eventually leading to death.

Hypoxemia is a low level of oxygen in the blood.

Read more:Titanic submarine: This is how long you can survive in a locked submarine

Symptoms include blue skin, coughing, and headaches

When the oxygen supply is inadequate, several symptoms may appear, including :

• headaches
• exacerbated fatigue
• increased cardiac output
• shortness of breath
• a change in skin colour (bluish tint)

Oxygen is absolutely vital to the body, and if it runs out, the body's cells start to die. This is known as hypoxia. The consequences are serious: the risk of heart attack is increased, and if hypoxemia is too severe, coma and death can occur.

Read more:Titanic submarine: Channel 5 to release documentary mere hours after passengers run out of air

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

Mayo Clinic: Hypoxemia