Funny Viral Craze ‘Vacuum Challenge’ Can Be Seriously Risky, Experts Warn

• The Vacuum Challenge is slowly spreading online.
• The challenge involves getting inside a bin bag and then sucking the air out with a vacuum.
• Experts are warning against it because it can be potentially lethal.

At first look, the latest viral craze called The Vacuum Challenge may seem hilarious. However, experts are already issuing warnings against it as early as now.

The challenge involves a person going inside bin bags and then sucking all the air out of the bag using a vacuum. Videos of young people doing the challenge have been circulating on social media for a few months now and unfortunately, it seems like the world is quickly catching up.

In a recent report by Unilad, we learn that experts are actually worried about the viral trend because it has “the potential to be dangerous as restricting the body in the way seen in the viral videos could lead to cerebral hypoxia.”

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explained that cerebral hypoxia is a condition where there the brain experiences a sudden decrease of oxygen supply, despite having ample blood flow.

The official NINDS website further specified:

“Brain cells are extremely sensitive to oxygen deprivation and can begin to die within five minutes after oxygen supply has been cut off. When hypoxia lasts for longer periods of time, it can cause coma, seizures, and even brain death. In brain death, there is no measurable activity in the brain, although cardiovascular function is preserved. Life support is required for respiration.”

Symptoms of mild cerebral hypoxia, according to the experts, include “inattentiveness, poor judgment, memory loss, and a decrease in motor coordination.”

Of course, another obvious risk of doing the challenge is getting injured as the person loses inability to move. As the videos show, people tend to fall over and this could easily lead to getting physically hurt.