Some signs that you should stop immediately include coughing, numbness, pain, blurry vision, and muscles going limp, says Harrison. “The giver should be exquisitely sensitive to the nuances and subtleties of the receiver's responses and feedback,” says Lozano. If you do end up dabbling in the territory of physically restricting anyone’s breathing, you need to pay attention to any signs that the other person could be in danger. And even if they do not, she recommends avoiding physically cutting off someone’s air supply.
“The release of these hormones can contribute to heightened sexual stimulation.” In partnered sex, some people are turned on by the power dynamics involved in breath play or enjoy that it’s an exercise in trust.īefore getting involved in any kind of breath play, it’s important to ask a partner if they have asthma, allergies, COVID-19, or other breathing problems, says Queen. “The body's natural response to lack of breath-signaling danger to the body-is to release hormones such as adrenaline and endorphins,” she explains. What’s the connection between suffocation and sexual arousal? Breath play may be arousing to some because cutting off the brain’s oxygen supply can cause feelings of lightheadedness, says Lozano. This act, by the way, has a long and peculiar history: In the 1700s, onlookers observed hanging victims getting erections, and some doctors began using asphyxiation as a solution to impotence. (As you might suspect, this is dangerous-more on that below.) Some might even consider submerging in water during sex a type of breath play.īreath play is sometimes known as erotic asphyxiation autoerotic asphyxiation is when someone cuts off their own air supply during masturbation. It could also mean covering someone’s mouth and/or nose with your hand or a tool like a gas mask or hood. Breath play may simply involve someone telling a partner to hold their breath. Perhaps the most well known form of breath play is choking, but there are actually many forms, says Good Vibrations staff sexologist Carol Queen. Often, in a BDSM relationship, a dominant will be restricting the breath of a submissive, though you don’t need to have a dom-sub dynamic to engage in it. The term “breath play” refers to any sexual activity that involves the restriction of breath, says licensed marriage and family therapist Christene Lozano.
Here’s what you should know about breath play before bringing it up with a partner or engaging in it. It carries some real risks, especially if people do it without thoughtful discussion of consent, health, and safety. This Men's Health story on choking, specifically, has been viewed nearly half a million times.īut, as you might guess when you read the word “choking,” erotic asphyxiation (to use the scientific term) is not an activity to jump into casually or take lightly. If you’ve been curious about playing with breath restriction in sexual contexts, you’re not alone.