Nonbreathing

Nonbreathing refers to the state or condition of not breathing or lacking respiration. Used as an adjective, it describes a situation in which ventilation has ceased or is suspended. It is not a medical diagnosis by itself, but a descriptor of respiration being interrupted.

In medical and physiological usage, the standard term for a cessation of breathing is apnea. Nonbreathing may be used in nontechnical language or as a compound adjective (nonbreathing environment, nonbreathing patient) but is less common in formal clinical writing. Causally, episodes can be voluntary (breath-holding) or result from obstructive or central processes, including obstructive apnea, central apnea, or mixed forms, as well as respiratory arrest due to airway obstruction, neurological injury, toxins, or cardiopulmonary failure.

Clinical consequences of nonbreathing depend on duration and context. Brief, isolated pauses can occur during certain activities, but prolonged or recurrent cessation of breathing leads to hypoxia (low oxygen), hypercapnia (high carbon dioxide), and may cause loss of consciousness, brain injury, or death if not corrected in time.

Contextual examples include sleep medicine, where conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea involve recurrent nonbreathing during sleep; neonatal care, where apnea of prematurity can occur; anesthesia and critical care, where temporary apneic periods may arise during procedures; and diving or free-diving, where breath-holding is practiced under controlled conditions.

Diagnosis and management depend on the underlying cause. Evaluation by medical professionals, monitoring of respiratory function, and appropriate treatment are used to restore ventilation. Treatments vary from airway support and oxygen therapy in acute cases to long-term interventions such as positive airway pressure devices for sleep apnea or addressing reversible causes in others. See also apnea.