Hypercapnia

Hey kiddo, have you ever seen a balloon when you blow it up? The balloon gets bigger and bigger because you're blowing air into it, right? Now, what happens when you keep blowing more and more air into the balloon without letting any air out? It starts to get really big and might even pop!

Okay, now let's talk about our bodies. When we breathe in air, we take in oxygen which helps us do all the things we need to do, like running and playing. But when we breathe out, we also release something called carbon dioxide.

Now, normally our bodies do a good job of balancing how much oxygen and carbon dioxide we have in our blood. But if we breathe in too much carbon dioxide, it can make us sick. This condition is called hypercapnia. It's like blowing too much air into a balloon and making it pop.

When we have hypercapnia, our bodies can't get enough oxygen to our organs and tissues. This can cause us to feel dizzy or short of breath, and can even lead to more serious health problems.

So, just like we want to make sure we don't blow up a balloon too much, we also want to make sure we're breathing in the right amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide so our bodies can stay healthy and happy.