Terrifying simulation shows what happens to the human body when you start to drown
People have got a newfound appreciation for every breath of fresh air they take after watching a terrifying simulation depicting what drowning is really like.
In the eyes of a lot of folks, heading to a watery grave is one of the worst ways to leave this world - and this video seems to have only proved their point further.
This nightmare fuel was shared online by content creator Zack D Films, whose speciality is scaring the living daylights out of social media users with his chilling simulations.
He has previously mocked up visuals of torture devices, being sucked into a black hole and what you would see if you had no eyes - each of which have managed to both frighten and inform his 24 million YouTube subscribers.
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And that's exactly the effect that a video he shared back in May this year has had on people too.
In the short clip, Zack detailed what it is really like to die while submerged in water as your lungs fill up with liquid.
Spoiler alert, it's pretty unpleasant - but strangely, drowning victims do supposedly end up 'feeling at peace' while sinking under the surface.
"If you get trapped underwater, your body will eventually use the last of the oxygen in your blood," Zack explained. "But after about a minute, your chest tightens and the gasp reflex forces you to inhale.
"Water rushes into your lungs, choking you instantly. Your body thrashes, trying to reach the surface.
"But within seconds, your brain starts shutting down. Then, your body stops fighting and you'll feel at peace as you blackout.
"And after just a few minutes without air, your brain suffers severe damage until you eventually dissolve into the deep, your body weightless in the abyss."
He managed to describe that brutal death extremely poetically, as well as getting the science part pretty down pat too.
Diving a bit deeper into the technical side of things, it turns out that it only takes a few seconds to drown under certain conditions, according to experts.
Boffins at the American Academy of CPR and First Aid explain that people typically lose consciousness within one to three minutes of being submerged - but the exact timing of this depends on your age, health, and the water temperature.
Detailing the average experience of a drowning victim, the US organisation explains that the human body begins to respond to the dire circumstances when the brain senses oxygen deprivation, which is also known as hypoxia.
"When water enters the airway, the body instinctively holds its breath to prevent water intake," the academy states. "This initial phase may last seconds to minutes.
"Once oxygen levels drop, the body panics, leading to gasping and inhalation of water. Water fills the lungs, preventing oxygen exchange and reducing oxygen supply to the bloodstream.
"Without oxygen, brain cells, liver cells, and other vital organs begin to fail. Hypoxia is the main cause of death in drowning cases.
"If oxygen deprivation continues, the heart may stop beating, leading to death unless CPR first aid certification measures are applied immediately."
In terms of losing consciousness, the American Academy of CPR and First Aid says that this usually ensues after a person has understandably started hyperventilating.
"Many victims are fully conscious during the initial stages," it adds. "The instinctive breath-holding mechanism can delay water inhalation, but panic eventually causes airway compromise."
Zack's simulation alone was enough to scare a lot of social media users off swimming too far out anyway, as a quick look at the comment section of his video will tell you.
One person wrote: "This is genuinely terrifying to think about. Makes you appreciate every breath."
Another said: "Drowning is my biggest fear. This gave me literal chills."
A third added: "I couldn’t breathe watching this."
A fourth took a more glass half full approach, saying: "On the bright side, at least you feel at peace during your final moments of consciousness."
While a fifth chimed in saying: "This is just what I needed upon first awakening today - a detailed explanation of my worst fear. Thanks."
Others couldn't help but notice that the male star of Zack's drowning simulation appeared to resemble another popular YouTube star, MrBeast.
After being dogged by comments suggesting he had used the US star as his muse, the content creator clarified that any resemblance was merely a coincidence.
"To set the record straight, we genuinely modelled this character as a completely random human man," Zack wrote, before hilariously adding: "But now that you’ve said it, I can’t unsee it either."
Olivia Burke