Personally, after 45 minutes in one at a medical office, I was within a minute of passing out. When I got out the door into fresh air, I yanked off the godforsaken thing and finally could think and breathe again, and was alert enough to drive. (I had planned on calling DH to come get me.) There’s a lot to be said for breathing. There’s a reason God created us to expel the bad stuff. We’re finely tuned, and messing with that is practically blasphemous.
I hear you!
I wear an N-95 mask when I go into the grocery store (and in this area EVERYONE in the store is wearing a mask - both the customers and employees) and it’s horrible. I have to mouth-breathe through the thing because I can’t get enough air otherwise and I can’t wait to get out of there and rip the thing off my face.
I really can’t comprehend how medical people can wear these things all day and still function. You’re right. Human beings are built to take in air, and when we can’t take enough of it, bad things happen.