Gag reflex and cold?

[Simos]

Does anyone know if getting cold while diving might cause a strong gag reflex?

I went snorkelling today without having a suit on and the water was a bit fresh - after approx 30 mins or so I started having a strong gag reflex while on the surface, I really felt like I was going to throw up but I didn't and after a few minutes in this state I managed to control it and made my way to the shore. By this point I think I must have had done about 10-15 shallow dives (3m-10m).

It wasn't anything I was unfamiliar with or that worried me because I usually get a gag reflex when I dive in my suit but I've always assumed it was because the hood was pushing against my neck and it was evoking a gag reflex (I get the same if I wear a tight tie etc sometimes).

However, today I had no suit on and nothing pressing against my neck so I started thinking that this might have more to do with getting cold (I often get cold while diving). Any other theories on what it could be?

 

[Simos]

As a I got a PM about this already, thought I'd update the thread and mention that I have not been using a snorkel... (interestingly snorkels sometimes do give me the same reflex but I am sure that's a different story, in any case it's party why I don't use them)

 

[Ms Mer]

Would have thought this might possibly happen from swallowing a bit of sea water but I assume conditions were ok and you weren't taking in any small amounts of water when on the surface? You don't have a cold or any recent congestion? I sometimes gag if I am still recovering from a cold and have some congestion in my chest still that I can;t seem to get rid of. Very strange, have never heard of this before.

 

[Mr. X]

I'm quite prone to sea sickness. Rough seas (swell and/or chop) can do it for me, especially when diving over kelp, which sways about in front of your eyes - I think it is the frequency of the chop as well as the size that can be critical factors. Swallowing a lot of salt water can do it. I don't associate it with temperature but I'll look out for that in future.

Tiredness/exertion & hydration (after a long dive) might also contribute. I tend to avoid eating for an hour before entering the sea. I often drink water shortly before entering but am careful not to overdo it. Milk seems to make it worse, so I tend to follow the old sailors advice of a (small) fried breakfast before diving. If I remember, I'll take a mult-vitamin & mineral tablet - mainly for the electrolytes. Best to avoid excessive boozing the night before too.

Often it can be brushed off but I tend to head for shore at first sign now, just in case. I had one particularly bad experience.

 

[efattah]

The first time I ever dove in 8C water without a wetsuit, my jaw clenched uncontrollably for over 2 minutes (on the snorkel). Then it went away. It has never happened again since.

 

[FreeRestriction]

Yesterday i did the open water portion of my level 1 FII course. On the first or second dive one of the classmates got very ill and felt like he was going to throw up. He may have puked a little i didnt pay close attention. He clung to the float for about an hour looking like death and then finally went in with the aid of another guy with sinus pain. Nobody instructor included knew the cause.

I tend to feel a tad sea sick after a while in the water myself but never felt an urge to throw up.

 

[Simos]

Thanks everyone.

It was a bit choppy but I am pretty sure it was not sea sickness. I've swam in the past in choppy water, also looking at kelp etc and did get sea sickness as a result and it was definitely a different feeling. Usually when I get that, the sea sickness is still there when I get out of the water (or even appears as soon as I get out of the water!) but this was a different feeling.

I did have a big breakfast around 2 hours before diving but again, I doubt this is the case as all the other times I got this I had dived with just some porridge for breakfast.

I am almost convinced it must be somehow related to cold one way or another but I don't understand the mechanism - I got this multiple times in the pool too, always at the end of a training session when I start being really cold and have been shivering for some time.

I wonder if apnea has something to do with this and somehow makes things worse in combination with being cold...

 

[Ms Mer]

Just did a quick google search and wonder that given that the gag reflex is generally triggered by something touching the soft palate, and is designed to prevent humans from choking, then your comment about apnea may well be right. Are you packing?

Normal Gag Reflex
1.Response to posterior pharynx tactile stimulation
2.Signal transmitted to reflex center in Medulla
3.Results in gag - Pharyngeal wall contraction - Velar Contraction