Champion diver holds his breath for 22 minutes

The next time you watch an episode of The Simpsons or Friends, think about this: one man recently held his breath for nearly the entire duration of that programme.

Stig Severinsen, a world champion freediver and breathing expert, captured the Guinness World Record with this amazing feat as he held his breath under water for 22 minutes.

Severinsen, from Denmark, himself held the previous record of 20 minutes and 10 seconds.

Granted, Severinsen did have some assistance -- before going underwater, he inhaled pure oxygen so as to saturate his body with oxygen. That said, this is still incredibly impressive.

The Discovery Channel filmed him achieving the feat and you can watch it here – although be forewarned that 'holding your breath' is not exactly the world's greatest spectator sport (even when just watching edited highlights).

For the past decade Severinsen has experimented with different methods of breath-hold to examine their effects on the mind and body. He even wrote a book titled Breatheology: The Art of Conscious Breathing.

This man has spent his entire life in and around water, so if you're waiting for someone to top his record, don't hold your breath.

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