Around half of Australian young adults have experimented with choking during sex, believing they can do it safely. That’s like thinking you can safely stick your head in a lion’s mouth if you use the right technique. Spoiler alert: researchers have discovered that stopping blood flow to your brain takes less pressure than opening a can of soda – a sobering fact that should make everyone rethink this increasingly normalized bedroom practice.
A groundbreaking new study reveals many young people mistakenly believe that choking during sex, while risky, can be made safe through moderate pressure and good communication. This dangerous misconception explains why strangulation during intimacy has become alarmingly common, despite carrying serious health risks that range from bruising and vomiting to brain injury and death.
Your Brain Can’t Breathe After the Fizz
The physics of bedroom strangulation paint a disturbing picture. Researchers found that restricting carotid arteries – those vital vessels carrying blood to your brain – requires surprisingly little force. Imagine this: it takes more effort to pop open that tab on your favorite soft drink than it does to cut off someone’s blood supply to their brain.
This isn’t theoretical science – it’s a brutal reality many don’t understand. When blood flow to the brain is restricted, even briefly, oxygen deprivation begins immediately. And unlike in jujitsu classes where choking techniques are taught with strict safety practices by trained instructors, bedroom experimentation typically involves no medical supervision, no emergency protocols, and often alcohol or substances that further impair judgment.
What makes this particularly alarming is how the practice has been normalized through social media and pornography, creating a perception that it’s just another sexual behavior to explore rather than a potentially fatal activity.
The Safety Illusion That’s Actually Deadly
The study identified four key themes in how participants framed choking: they believed it could be safe; they saw pressure control as a safety mechanism; they viewed consent as protective; and they considered trust and communication sufficient safeguards. These beliefs created what researchers call the “risky yet safe” paradox – a cognitive dissonance where people acknowledge danger while simultaneously believing they can neutralize it.
“Should be strictly consensual,” noted one study participant, reflecting the common but misguided belief that proper communication makes the practice safe. Another learned about supposed choking safety from a human sexuality course, highlighting how even educational settings sometimes fail to emphasize the genuine medical risks.
Medical experts are unequivocal: there is no safe way to restrict someone’s breathing or blood flow during sexual activity. The dangers aren’t just theoretical – research documents cases of people who experienced symptoms consistent with traumatic brain injury following sexual strangulation, even when participants believed they were being “careful.”
When Kink Exploration Meets Medical Reality
The demographics tell an important story too. A case-control study involving young adult women (18-30 years) at a large public university compared those who experienced frequent choking during sex (four or more times in 30 days) with those who never had. The findings revealed troubling correlations between choking experiences and other health outcomes.
While many participants described their experiences as initially “scary, but then exciting,” this thrill-seeking comes with medical consequences that no amount of trust or communication can prevent. Researchers found that having been choked was significantly associated with lower likelihood of condom use – suggesting connections between this practice and broader sexual health decision-making.
The normalization has happened with startling speed. What was once considered extreme behavior has become mainstream, with approximately 50% of young adults reporting experiences with choking during intimate encounters. This rapid shift has outpaced public health messaging, leaving many uninformed about the genuine dangers.
Breaking The Breath-Taking Cycle
Understanding why this practice has gained popularity provides insight into addressing it. For some, it represents an attempt at excitement or novelty. For others, it’s the result of seeing it portrayed in media without understanding the careful staging and editing that makes it appear harmless. The influence of pornography cannot be overlooked, as it frequently depicts choking without showing the potential consequences.
Education represents the most promising path forward. Unlike the classroom experiences that some participants referenced – where they learned supposed “safe” techniques – effective education needs to clearly communicate that there is no safe version of cutting off blood or oxygen to the brain.
Rather than moralizing or shaming, the researchers suggest focusing on medical facts: that even mild restriction of blood flow can cause brain damage, that unconsciousness represents a medical emergency rather than a desired state, and that permanent injury can occur without warning.
As one study author noted, discussions about kink, consent, and safe practices must be grounded in actual medical science rather than internet myths or porn scripts. For young people navigating sexuality in an era of information overload, that distinction could literally be life-saving.