Dizzy Spells after snorkeling
Robert W. Mattox
instruction manualls. For example, if you are spending a great deal of time
diving into the depths and using the standard swimmers deep breathing
exercise before you dive (i.e., deep inhalation followed by rapid exhalation
several times to extend bottom time) and then diving, then you may be
contributing to problem. I've found that when I hyperventilate before diving
on a regular basis during a snorkeling trip, I return to the boat with
similar symptoms.
Of course, there are may other factors that may contribute to the conditions
that you have described such as physical condition, smoking, drinking,
exertion, and a host of others. You may want to review your "dive profile" to
see if what I described above has an effect.
Good luck on your next snorkelling trip!
Michael James Golden
>
>> I have heard of nitrogen narcossis with SCUBA diving.
>>Is there any term for this occurence with snorkeling ?
> Inert Gas Narcosis (due to nitrogen or otherwise) is a
>pressure-related effect, requiring high partial pressures of the inert gas
>to cause what you're describing. At the surface, even breating 100% N2
>would not do that - of course, NOT breathing oxygen (if you were breathing
>a 100% N2 gas mixture) would not be condusive to survival either. All that
>I'm trying to say here is that nitrogen narcosis is probably not a factor
>at the surface.
> / | Pete St. Onge (pst...@trentu.ca | aka "CMDR Keener")
Nitrogen Narcosis most certainly can set in at the surface if
breathing a gas mix which contains substantially greater than normal
amounts of Nitrogen. An example of this is the effect of Nitrous
Oxide (laughing gas) used in the medical field. Though not normally
referred to that is Nitrogen Narcosis in action. For any who have
never been narced at depth think about the state you're in during
dental work.
Mike Golden
ho...@wpi.wpi.edu
jon...@amc.uva.nl
> >>Is there any term for this occurence with snorkeling ?
> breathing a gas mix which contains substantially greater than normal
> amounts of Nitrogen. An example of this is the effect of Nitrous
> Oxide (laughing gas) used in the medical field. Though not normally
> referred to that is Nitrogen Narcosis in action. For any who have
=== I disagree
Totally lacking any knowledge, I would state the following 'facts' and
reasoning:
"Facts"
-at 60 meter, nitrogen (N2) narcoses has its effect on me.
-at 60 meters, the partial pressure is 7 times that of the surface
-in traffic areas, NOx exhaust (concentration) is at least 100 times bigger
than in fresh air
-NOx is mainly NO1= NO. (nitrogen monoxide)
- (filtered) fresh air is pumped into my cylinder
-I do not suffer from "nitrogen narcosis" when cycling along the highway
-when on a recumbent ("lying") bike, NOx uptake from exhaust is optimal
-A 7 times higer ppNO can be achieved by increasing the pressure 6fold or
by
increasing the concentration 6fold.
Reasoning:
-If I do not suffer from NOx intoxification (narcosis effects, that is)
along the highway, I do not suffer from a 100 times bigger NO
concentration.
-If I am at 60 meters I experience a 7x higher NO concentration.
-If I do not suffer at 100x higher concentrations, it is unlikely I do from
7x concentration.
Conclusion:
- I do not suffer from increased NO because of pp, but I suffer from
increased ppNO2.
Dizzy spells after snorkling however, can be caused by the fact that
submerging for longer period lets the heart and body adapt to the
hydrostatic pressure. The venal blood is helped by the hydrostatic pressure
to return to the heart. If one leaves the water, or partly emerges from the
water, this benefit is removed. The blood will 'sink in the legs', the body
must adapt for a short period and than there will be a short period of
dizzyness. The same is experienced when quickly standing up after having
been seated for a longer time. There is also a pathological case known in
medicine; I forgot the exact word, but it is the inability of the body to
quickly adapt to changing blood pressure. In patients (often found in
elevators!) it suffices to cross the legs while standing, as the body
appears to react to this position of the legs.
This phenomenon is the reason to lift drowning victims or under-cooled
victims vertically from the water, so as not to disrupt the delicate
balance in bloodflow and blood distribution in the victims body.
Ard Jonker (a33...@diamond.sara.nl)
pr09027
Hello,
It has been my experience that if you experience dizzy spells after
snorkeling, then you aren't getting enough O2 into your system and you are
working too hard. My advice is buy a bigger (in diameter) snorkel. If
you have ever tried to blow up an inflatable raft or something similar,
you can get similar dizzy spells.
--
Brian Collins
pr0...@austin.lockheed.com
bc0...@academia.swt.edu
Eli Brandt
>Conclusion:
>- I do not suffer from increased NO because of pp, but I suffer from
>increased ppNO2.
Problem with this whole line of reasoning: nitrogen narcosis results
from a high partial pressure of N2, not of NOx. The latter will kill
you long before they narc you -- they're lethal in the hundreds of ppm.
Eli ebr...@hmc.edu
finger for PGP key.
The above text is worth
precisely its weight in gold.
Alan Tait (0013 ptfe)
I haven't been following this thread at all (this article was the first that my
reader found today) so please bin this comment if it's already been made:
Headaches after snorkeling can be the result of having a snorkel that you can't
purge efficiently; the barrel diameter should be large enough to permit easy
inhalation but not so large that you can't expell all the expired air (with its
approx 4% CO2) with a normal breath. Being able to get the water out helps too.
Sorry if this is old news, I won't stick my nose in this thread again.
Bye,
Alan.
Not the views of my employer, fortunately.
Kevin-Neil Klop
Don't forget the opposite of hypoxia (lack of oxygen). Hyperventilation
(fast, deep, breaths) can also lead to dizziness and something known as
"shallow water blackout" as well. Check to see if your breathing rate has
quickened during your snorkeling trips.
-- Kevin OWSI 66410 --
I'll get around to it today kev...@apple.com
-- for sufficiently large values of "today"
All opinions and statements are mine unless expressly quoted from Apple
Evan Roche
From: Kevin-Neil Klop, kev...@apple.com
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 17:04:04 GMT
In article <kevink-28...@cyklops.apple.com> Kevin-Neil Klop,
kev...@apple.com writes:
>In article <2msaag$e...@antares.Austin.Lockheed.COM>,
>pr0...@austin.lockheed.com (pr09027) wrote:
>>
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> It has been my experience that if you experience dizzy spells after
>> snorkeling, then you aren't getting enough O2 into your system and you
are
>> working too hard. My advice is buy a bigger (in diameter) snorkel. If
>> you have ever tried to blow up an inflatable raft or something similar,
>> you can get similar dizzy spells.
>> --
Buying a bigger diameter snorkel is probbaly not the answer. Sure a
larger diameter will allow you to suck more air in, but it will be harder
to to blow the water out at the end of a dive if the diameter is too
wide. When buying a snorkel it is best to get one with a volume which
suits the divers lung capacity and fitness.
When snorkelling the best way to avoid breathing related problems is to
get fit and breathe as naturally as possible when on the surface, both
before and during the dive.
And if you want to improve your lung fitness and breathhold capacity for
snorkelling and diving, try Underwater Hockey as a complimentary sporting
activity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Name: Evan Roche
Email: ero...@candelo.dpie.gov.au
Address: Department of Primary Industries & Energy
GPO BOX 858
Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Phone: 61 +6 272 4103
Fax: 61 +6 272 3010
Kevin-Neil Klop
[ In answer to my article ]
> Buying a bigger diameter snorkel is probbaly not the answer. Sure a
> larger diameter will allow you to suck more air in, but it will be harder
> to to blow the water out at the end of a dive if the diameter is too
> wide. When buying a snorkel it is best to get one with a volume which
> suits the divers lung capacity and fitness.
>
You're quite right. I was thinking that his snorkel was too small and
so he was having problems getting enough air, but the opposite can be
true as well - too large a dead air space in the snorkel relative to the
capacity for his lungs and, therefor, rebreathing too much CO2.
Thanks for waking me up ::grin::
-- Kevin --