Asphyxiation Kink
🔞 ALL INFORMATION CLICK HERE 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻
Asphyxiation Kink
Medically Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on June 29, 2021
Sexual asphyxiation is the act of choking someone for sexual pleasure. It falls under the umbrella of breath play. That’s any sex act that makes it hard for you to breathe.
People may use their hands, plastic wrap or plastic bags, or specialized BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism) devices like hoods for breath play. They may choke someone by placing something around the neck or putting a barrier in front of the mouth and nose.
Sexual asphyxiation is a dangerous activity. Minor health risks include broken blood vessels in the face, a hoarse voice, or trouble swallowing. Severe health risks include death. The risks are greater for people with certain health conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol .
Sexual asphyxiation is also called erotic asphyxiation (EA). Autoerotic asphyxiation is when someone plays with their own air supply, without a partner present. People may refer to sexual asphyxiation more casually as choking.
Choking and breath play during sex is always a risky activity. Even experienced BDSM professionals recommend staying away from this type of play.
Never do this type of play with someone you do not know or trust. Make sure to read about safety information and protocols so you know what to do if something goes wrong.
Erotic asphyxiation is one of the riskiest sexual activities a person can try. The only thing riskier is autoerotic asphyxiation. That is more dangerous because you’re alone, and no one is around to help you if something goes wrong. Experts say somewhere between 250-1,000 people die each year from autoerotic asphyxiation.
Death from erotic and autoerotic asphyxiation usually happens because of pressure on the carotid arter ies (two large blood vessels in your neck that supply your brain with blood). This pressure causes you to pass out, making your body go limp.
Depending on the asphyxiation method used, going limp can tighten a ligature around the neck, causing death. It can also prevent removal of a barrier around the mouth and nose in time to avoid death.
Harm reduction means giving people the tools and knowledge to do something dangerous in a safer manner. Some people do dangerous things regardless. This can help lower the risks and save lives.
Harm reduction techniques for erotic asphyxiation with a partner include:
There are no harm reduction techniques for autoerotic asphyxiation.
Cosmopolitan: "What Is Breath Play and Why Is It So Dangerous?"
Vice: "Erotic Asphyxiation: The Widespread and Potentially Fatal Fetish That Nobody Will Talk About."
Vice: "How Risky Is it to be Choked During Sex?"
ABC News: "Police: Carradine's Death Likely Sex Accident."
National Council for Biotechnology Information: "Sexual Masochism Disorder with Asphyxiophilia: A Deadly yet Underrecognized Disease."
National Council for Biotechnology Information: "Harm reduction: An approach to reducing risky health behaviours in adolescents."
© 2005 - 2022 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Was this page helpful?
Yes
No
Performance & security by Cloudflare
You do not have access to kinkdictionary.com.
The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site. Contact the site owner for access or try loading the page again.
The access policies of a site define which visits are allowed. Your current visit is not allowed according to those policies.
Only the site owner can change site access policies.
Ray ID:
71920de05d73b906
71920de05d73b906 Copy
The Ultimate Guide to Dressing for Any Wedding
Joseph Baena Shows Off His Arms in New Gym Photo
'The Boys' Is Finally Back and Bloodier Than Ever
The 13 Best Travel Bags for Any Type of Vacation
Netflix Is Selling Chris Evans' 'Gray Man' 'Stache
This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
What Does It Mean to Be a 'Switch' in Bed?
The 54 Best Sex Positions Every Couple Should Try
How I Was Put in Charge of a BDSM Chateau at 26
Suzannah Weiss
Suzannah Weiss is a freelance writer, certified sex educator, and sex/love coach whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, and more
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
'Batman' Actor Kevin Conroy Writes Emotional Comic
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13 Masturbation Secrets You Don’t Know About
My GF and I Want a Threesome—but Who Wants Us?
The 15 Best Lubes for All Kinds of Sex
24 Bondage Sex Toys for Kinky Couples
The Boys' Wild Sex Scene Happened Thanks to Marvel
A Phone Sex Worker's Tips on Mastering Dirty Talk
I Went Undercover to Catch My Husband Cheating
Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. We may earn a commission through links on our site.
As always, consent, health, and safety are key.
If you’ve been curious about playing with breath restriction in sexual contexts, you’re not alone. This Men's Health story on choking , specifically, has been viewed nearly half a million times.
But, as you might guess when you read the word “choking,” erotic asphyxiation (to use the scientific term) is not an activity to jump into casually or take lightly. It carries some real risks, especially if people do it without thoughtful discussion of consent, health, and safety.
Here’s what you should know about breath play before bringing it up with a partner or engaging in it.
The term “breath play” refers to any sexual activity that involves the restriction of breath, says licensed marriage and family therapist Christene Lozano . Often, in a BDSM relationship , a dominant will be restricting the breath of a submissive, though you don’t need to have a dom-sub dynamic to engage in it.
Perhaps the most well known form of breath play is choking, but there are actually many forms, says Good Vibrations staff sexologist Carol Queen . Breath play may simply involve someone telling a partner to hold their breath. It could also mean covering someone’s mouth and/or nose with your hand or a tool like a gas mask or hood. (As you might suspect, this is dangerous—more on that below.) Some might even consider submerging in water during sex a type of breath play.
Breath play is sometimes known as erotic asphyxiation; autoerotic asphyxiation is when someone cuts off their own air supply during masturbation.
This act, by the way, has a long and peculiar history : In the 1700s, onlookers observed hanging victims getting erections, and some doctors began using asphyxiation as a solution to impotence.
What’s the connection between suffocation and sexual arousal? Breath play may be arousing to some because cutting off the brain’s oxygen supply can cause feelings of lightheadedness, says Lozano.
“The body's natural response to lack of breath—signaling danger to the body—is to release hormones such as adrenaline and endorphins,” she explains. “The release of these hormones can contribute to heightened sexual stimulation.” In partnered sex, some people are turned on by the power dynamics involved in breath play or enjoy that it’s an exercise in trust.
No matter how you slice it, breath play is dangerous stuff. Autoerotic asphyxiation alone is estimated to cause 250 to 1000 deaths per year in the U.S.
“The principal danger with breath play is that a person won't get enough oxygen,” says Queen. “Without enough air, a person gets lightheaded, can pass out, and eventually may not be able to be revived.” Choking is especially dangerous, she adds, because it cuts off blood flow to the brain.
“Erotic asphyxiation risks inflicting permanent damage to areas of the body such as the heart and larynx,” agrees Megan Harrison, relationship therapist and creator of Couples Candy . It’s especially dangerous to engage in by yourself, without anyone there to get help if something goes wrong, she adds.
Before getting involved in any kind of breath play, it’s important to ask a partner if they have asthma, allergies, COVID-19, or other breathing problems, says Queen. And even if they do not, she recommends avoiding physically cutting off someone’s air supply.
If you do end up dabbling in the territory of physically restricting anyone’s breathing, you need to pay attention to any signs that the other person could be in danger. “The giver should be exquisitely sensitive to the nuances and subtleties of the receiver's responses and feedback,” says Lozano. Some signs that you should stop immediately include coughing, numbness, pain, blurry vision, and muscles going limp, says Harrison. (But you shouldn’t reach that point in the first place; there are ways for someone to signal if they need breath play to stop—more on that below.)
Unwanted choking during sex is a serious problem, one that needs to be scrupulously avoided. In one study in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy , seven percent of adult women said they’d felt scared during sex because their partner unexpectedly tried to choke them.
So, as a friendly (but nevertheless crucial) reminder: Just because you see something in porn does not mean any partner of yours will want to try it, or that it’s OK to introduce it into sex without a thorough discussion first.
Before engaging in any kind of breath play, it’s extremely important to ensure not only that both partners are fully wanting it but also that they both understand the health risks involved and know about any health issues that may put them at high risk, says Queen. “This is also a kind of play that really requires you trust your partner, and so it doesn't lend itself especially well to casual play,” she adds.
Typically, in BDSM scenarios, partners use a safe word to indicate when they want to cease a sexual activity. Since this is obviously difficult when your breath is restricted, Queen recommends designating an action that serves as a safe word, like dropping a ball or a set of keys. “Also recommended? Being sober—both partners,” she says.
All right, just to drill it home once more, please proceed with caution; there is no completely safe form of breath play.
But if you want to try it, experts say this the least dangerous way is for one partner to verbally tell the other to hold their breath, then say when they can breathe again—though, if you feel the need to breathe before that, please do. “Do not hold your breath for so long that you feel dizzy and faint,” says Harrison.
Queen says you could even combine breath play with another sexual activity: tantric breathing. One way to do this is for one partner (the dom) to order the other (the sub) to breathe in certain patterns, such as very quickly—about three times a second—or very slowly and deeply. They can combine this with other commands, like "don't break eye contact with me until I say you can," or even other forms of kink like collaring. The two partners could also synchronize their breathing.
If you want to introduce a tactile element to the power play, one partner can cup the other’s mouth, still leaving their nose free to breathe if they wish, says Harrison.
This is all to say, when it comes to breath play, less is more. And if you can get creative about keeping the kink element without the added danger, a little bit can go a long way.
Fitness
Health
Healthy Eating
Fashion and Beauty
Lifestyle
Celebrities and News
About SHAPE
Account
Join Now
Your Profile
Newsletters
Email Preferences
Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Help
Log Out
The Best Inner-Thigh Exercises of All Time
The Best Inner-Thigh Exercises of All Time
16 trainer approved thigh exercises
Read More
Why You're Gaining Weight While Working Out and Eating Well
Why You're Gaining Weight While Working Out and Eating Well
Gaining weight while working out is totally normal. Here's what you need to know about that number on the scale post-sweat sesh.
Read More
Ultimate Guide to Strength Training for Beginners
Ultimate Guide to Strength Training for Beginners
This total-body beginner weight lifting routine is the easiest way to ease into strength training as a newbie.
Read More
Fitness
See All Fitness
Here's What a Perfectly Balanced Weekly Workout Schedule Looks Like
Here's What a Perfectly Balanced Weekly Workout Schedule Looks Like
Follow this expert-backed gym regimen to give your results a major boost.
Health
See All Health
The Best Foods for Hair Growth, According to Dietitians
The Best Foods for Hair Growth, According to Dietitians
While your diet is only one factor to determine how fast your hair grows, there are certain foods that experts say can speed up the process. Learn how to support your stands from the inside out.
Healthy Eating
See All Healthy Eating
Is It Better to Drink a Protein Shake Before or After a Workout?
Is It Better to Drink a Protein Shake Before or After a Workout?
Protein is essential for building bigger and stronger muscles, but the timing of your intake depends on your own nutritional needs.
What Happens When You Stop Wearing a Bra?
What Happens When You Stop Wearing a Bra?
There's nothing quite like taking your bra off at the end of the day, but does not wearing a bra altogether cause sagging? Here's what the experts have to say.
Lifestyle
See All Lifestyle
The Complete Guide to Zodiac Signs and Their Meanings
The Complete Guide to Zodiac Signs and Their Meanings
From fiery, competitive Aries to empathic, psychic Pisces, here's your complete guide to all 12 zodiac signs dates and their meanings.
Celebrities and News
See All Celebrities and News
Account
Join Now
Your Profile
Newsletters
Email Preferences
Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Help
Log Out
Fitness
Health
Healthy Eating
Lifestyle
Celebrities and News
About SHAPE
© Copyright Shape . All rights reserved.
Printed from https://www.shape.com
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.
You may have mistyped the address, or the page may
have moved. Try finding it in one of the categories below, or by searching.
Sophie Dee Latest
Eva Lin Videos
Phoenix Marie Public Sex