As a medical professional with expertise in neurology and emergency medicine, I can provide you with an informed answer to your question regarding the duration a person can survive without oxygen to the brain.

The human brain is extremely sensitive to oxygen deprivation, known as hypoxia. After just a few seconds of oxygen loss, a person might experience confusion and loss of consciousness.
Unconsciousness usually occurs within 10 to 12 seconds if the oxygen supply is completely cut off. Once a person is unconscious, the body's tolerance to oxygen deprivation decreases significantly.

The brain cells begin to die after about 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen. This time frame is often referred to as the critical period for brain hypoxia. After this period, irreversible brain damage can occur. However, there are cases where individuals have survived longer periods of oxygen deprivation due to various factors such as low body temperature, which can slow down the metabolic rate and thus extend the time before cell death.

It's important to note that the exact time an individual can survive without oxygen varies greatly depending on factors such as the person's health, age, the degree of oxygen deprivation, and the presence of any pre-existing medical conditions.

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3. How long can the brain go without oxygen before serious damage occurs? After five to ten minutes of not breathing, you are likely to develop serious and possibly irreversible brain damage. The one exception is when a younger person stops breathing and also becomes very cold at the same time.read more >>