Why does the brain need oxygen?

Answer 1

Your brain only makes up roughly 3% of your total body mass and yet it consumes more than 20% of the total oxygen used by your body. A telling fact, indeed, is that your brain's consumption of the oxygen content in your bloodstream sees a noticeable increase during times of mental activities such as studying and sustained concentration.

Essentially, your brain uses oxygen as food!

In order to continue to function effectively your brain must have high enough levels of oxygen delivered via your bloodstream. Whether that oxygen comes from oxygen therapy, supplements, some form of medical treatment, or the atmosphere, your brain needs it to continue effectively ensuring healthy functioning of the body.

Bad memory, lack of concentration, bad balance; these are all side effects of your brain not getting enough oxygen from your bloodstream.

Consider it; whenever you exercise, your breathing rate increases. This is because each and every cell in your body -- your brain included -- requires the elevated level of oxygen from your blood in order to produce the energy levels required to function at peak perfor

Answer 2

The brain uses oxygen in the same way other organs do. Within every cell in the brain, tiny organelles called mitochondria take up oxygen and use it to convert glucose into a usable form of cellular energy - adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Without ATP, neurons would very quickly lose their ability to fire and the whole brain would eventually shut down.

Answer 3

Although the brain constitutes only 2 percent of our body mass, it uses 20 percent of the oxygen.In other words, the brain uses up a fifth of the oxygen we breathe.This leaves the brain highly prone to damage during anoxic reactions or episodes.After approximately four minutes without blood(containing oxygen, I'm sure you know), brain cells begin dying.

Answer 4

The brain consumes 25% of the total required oxygen for a normal functioning of the body.

Answer 5

An average person would need 8 liters of air per minute daily. Depending on the activity that an individual was doing at the time, the amount of oxygen needed could increase.

Answer 6

Yes. Your body, which includes your brain, needs oxygen to live and cannot survive more than a couple minutes (depending) without it.

Answer 7

About 20% of our oxygen is needed to keep it stable and conscious.

Answer 8

20%

Answer 9

The Brain needs to have 20% of Oxygen for it to function properly