Does sucking helium make you sleepy?
My friend is sucking helium balloons and she thinks they're making her sleepy. Is she just tired or could this be a real sleepiness from helium?
My friend is sucking helium balloons and she thinks they're making her sleepy. Is she just tired or could this be a real sleepiness from helium?
Temperance
Favorite Answer
It's probably from a lack of oxygen. Helium binds to the haemoglobin in blood preferentially over oxygen which means that her brain and body are not getting enough oxygen to survive and that is making her feel sleepy. Your body will naturally cause you to pass out if you go without oxygen for long enough. Sucking helium can be very dangerous and a large enough volume at once can actually cause spontaneous suffocation. So tell your friend to stop sucking back the helium and take some deep breaths of real air.
?
Helium kills brain cells.