I have been lately thinking of this question. I mostly don’t cover my head entirely but in occasionally I do.
So, does the CO2 disperses into the atmosphere? If so how fast? What does the disperse rate depend on? or is it being stagnated inside the blanket? How much gap do I need to let the CO2?
Sorry for many questions. Attempt to answer even a single question is greatly appreciated.
I don’t think you will suffocate by covering your face with a blanket. To answer the rest of your questions, it’s fairly simple. The blanket is not an impermeable material to block all the CO2 that you exhale.
If so how fast? What does the disperse rate depend on?
It’s a cloth and obviously, the CO2 will disperse at a slower rate, but not at the slowest to suffocate you. However, this depends on the type of sheets you are using. If you use a very thick woolen sheet, you might actually suffocate yourself (Your brain will wake you up anyway!).
Source – I bury my head inside my pillow every night. :)
Your brain will wake you up anyway!
This is okay for adults, but totally different for infants. A baby’s brain would not respond to the CO2 build up.
In addition to infants, this is bad for anyone in a microgravity environment too. At ISS, astronauts usually sleep next to ventilation fans to avoid oxygen starvation. As mentioned here, sleeping in a poorly ventilated space will result in sleeping under the CO2 bubble. Eventually, when they start to gasp for air, they had to wake up.
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