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Contractions at depth

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
J

Jussi

Well-Known Member
Sep 23, 2003
33
8
48
Has anyone found a good way to delay contractions on constant weight dives? On deep dives I don't get any contractions during the descent, but often I'll get a contraction very soon after I start swimming up. I'm not at all sure that these are CO2 contractions, I think they could be somehow related to the change from rest to work.
The contractions wouldn't really be a problem, except that I think contractions at depth are the main reason I have had a little blood in my spit a couple of times, which is of course something I want to avoid altogether.
I have done lots of FRC-dives that I believe have been more stressful to my lungs than my deepest full-lung dives, except that I have not had contractions during these dives. There has never been any sign of blood after the FRC-dives.


At what stage during your depth dives do you get contractions? What is the best way to delay contractions on constant weight dives? The only things I can think of are hypercapnic training (only tried CO2-tables a couple of times, do they really work at delaying contractions?), a better warm-up, better relaxation and hyperventilation. The last one is not really a very good option!


I would be thankful for any input, as I don't think getting contractions at depth can be good for you. Otherwise the dives feel very good.

Jussi
 
Hi roy and thanks for the link.
That thread seems to be more about static breath holds, I don't think it applies so much to depth diving. I am specifically interested in delaying contraction during depth dives, with static and dynamic I have no problems (well, I wouldn't mind if the contractions started later in those disciplines too, but at least they are harmless in the pool

Jussi
 
I have wondered the same thing from the same reason (I think I got a squeeze from that once). I dove only once since then in the same condition and everything was fine. The change was doing "lung" stretches before the dive session including udayana banda, and in the first few dives (or even most of the session sometimes) to descend slowly, especially in the first 15m and start the glide phase earlier than before (=slower start).

Another thing you can try (which I didn't as I'm lazy) is to simulate your situation by doing an empty lung static and then start walking after X time, as it is similar to the problematic part of your dive profile. Maybe you could delay contractions in that way.

Anyway, whatever you will do, come back to report, I'm curious as well.
 
walking on empty lungs is such a cool feeling deepthought then you get that contraction WOW even cooler that is than a normal contraction. it made me want to jump up in the air! i should use empty lung contractions to keep me jumping at concerts near the end when i just want to stand there and do nothing because i'm tired. ROCK ON!
 
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i feel thinner when walking empty lungs also great self confidence booster! i'll use this around people to feel better about myself
i just got to remember not to fall in the department stores while doing it too long its almost easy to forget because i get used to it. even the contractions: still there but feels like "home" to me. kind of like the moon pandora on the movie avatar felt like home to the main character even though it was a different place.
 
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Mostly I got contractions after about 40-50 meters on the way down, few seconds after mouth fill and than I have troubles to keep my MF and to equalise. i'd be happy to get contractions on the way up .

Question how to dalay contractions. Good divers who has more troubles to equalise can slightly hyperventilate. I know they do so.
 
Michal do you ever have any problems with squeeze?

I get early contractions and I'm trying to work out what I can do to make sure I don't get an injury once I start going a bit deeper.
 
Lateley I have had discussion about this issue with Samo Jeranko and he has problems with squeeze when he gets contactions at depth. I had contractions at 80m, 90+ meters and hadn't troubles with sqeeze. I had some squeeze problems in shallower dives but in 5 Celsius degree water and I think it was because I pushed my dive too much, some meters without equlisation and wasn't relaxed. I don't think it was because of early contractions.

Good luck
 
Reactions: mystiach
I tried to stay at 52 m bottom for 1 minute (4 C deggre celsius water). I had contractions all the time but i didn't have troubles with sqeeze :t.
 

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I haven't read anyone talk about the Vagus nerve reaction. What I've been led to believe is, the contraction (in my case it's not just the diaphragm but also the intercostals) is just the body responding to the nerve registering the fact that the lungs are smaller than their normal volume. This happens too early in the dive for it to be related to CO2 build-up. Some days this happens shallower than others.
I think all this talk about apnea walking and empty lungs is missing the point about early contractions: Vagus nerve, not CO2 contractions.
Solution? Start the dive with no stress/expectation and focus on staying relaxed. Hard sometimes in 5 degree water i suppose.
 
You may be right. However, I think it is rather not the vagus nerve that is involved. When I do dry static after reverse packing I sometimes experience very strong contraction of abdominal muscles (not sure if diaphragm contracts as well) which is definitely not related to CO2. It happens only when the pressure in the chest is very negative as I reach the maximum number of reverse packs.
 
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