i dont get contractions, is this normal?

[Marwan]

Marwan,

You are not alone, I don't get contractions either. In fact I have met a couple of people who don't get them.

Short trivial story for ya: "The one and only time I ever experienced contractions was about 18 years ago in college but there was a good reason for it. I was a student instructor for the scuba program, and one day after a class a few of us instructors decided to take an O2 bottle into the pool's shallow end and do a controlled experiment complete with rehearsed safety signals. We took turns breathing pure oxygen while laying in static for about 5 minutes to purge our bodies of nitrogen, then we went for our max breath holds. During my turn I experienced two series of contractions but don't remember at what times they hit, and I was able to get control of myself after each set. I finally came up after 7:42 and heard everyone say, "Wow, you were really convulsing at one point!" This was back when my PB with air was a meager 2 minutes.......... Ah, good times!"

Jim

cool story, that must have been a wrold record at the time man

 

[fcallagy]

Marwan,
for whats it worth i find contractions come on earlier if i have eaten before hand i know you aint supposed to eat before static but there you go sometimes its hard to fit it all in. the static training i mean not the food....
unless you mean christmas food in which case i did fit it all in.

 

[SpeerO]

Hi Marwan... ya i never got contractions either... i reached my PB of 4:41 with no contractions.. and what i was told at the courses i took is that usually this means that i have reached my limits mentally but not physically.. so if train ur mind more and relax more ud be able to have a much better apnea time. I think its true.. its all in the mind!

Zane...

 

[naiad]

It could be for several reasons:
-Hyperventilation
-Not going near the limit
-Not having the contraction reflex for some reason

If it is because of not going near the limit, and you are doing a good static time, then you are lucky!

If it is because of hyperventilation, there is a high chance of blacking out.

If you don't have the contraction reflex, it can be hard to know the limit. When I do a long static without contractions, it can be hard to know when to stop! The urge to breathe is still there, but it is usually more bearable without the contractions.

Of course, during pool training, you must always have a buddy, as contractions are never a reliable way of knowing if you are near the limit.

Lucia

 

[trux]

I saw already many freedivers in our club claiming that they get no contractions, but it always turned out that they just did not understand what they exactly feel like. And also they did not understand that contractions may vary at different individuals, but also at the same person over the time. Sometimes, contractions are purely diaphragmatic or abdominal, sometimes they impact especially the rib cage musculature, and sometimes you can experience only laryngospasms (contractions of the muscles in your throat). Usually though it is a combination, but you may only percept those muscles that are more under stress. Often when you watch the person claiming not to feel any contractions, you see them spasming pretty well anyway.

That told, it does not mean I deny that there exist people not getting any contractions. I do not exclude such possibility, but think that big part of it is just a mistake (or hyperventilation, or not pushing far enough as already written).

 

[naiad]

When I say I don't get contractions, what I feel when this happens is that during the 'struggle phase' there is a slight tension in my diaphragm, but it is constant and not broken up into contractions.

 

[wet]

"Sometimes, contractions are purely diaphragmatic or abdominal, sometimes they impact especially the rib cage musculature, and sometimes you can experience only laryngospasms (contractions of the muscles in your throat)."

Wouldn't you say that a laryngospasm is only due to foreign object (mosquito, very hot or cold air or water) in contact with the sensitive tissue of the larynx?
Do you think excess airway CO2 might trigger this? AKA a sour taste in the throat?
Or perhaps the diaphragm contractions might stimulate an over-response or perhaps the "swallowing" feeling that some people have right before contractions start?

I always considered laryngospasms as separate from any rhythmic diaphragm contractions, since SBO laryngospasms are On-Off, rather than rhythmic AFAIK.
What you think?
DDeden

 

[trux]

I always considered laryngospasms as separate from any rhythmic diaphragm contractions, since SBO laryngospasms are On-Off, rather than rhythmic AFAIK.

Yes, I think these are probably two different things, although same groups of muscles may be involved. Perhaps, I should not have used the term laryngospasm which is a medical term for describing an uncontrolled muscular contraction of the laryngeal cords, and causes a partial blocking of inhaling (and possibly partially exhaling too).

What I meant were spasms in the larynx area - contractions many freedivers feel inside or at the bottom of their throat, instead of diaphragmatic contractions. I believe that in fact they are caused by contraction of the diaphragm or possibly rib cage musculature anyway too. It is possible that he impression of spasming in the throat is in fact just the transfered pressure change created by the diaphragm, and the freediver feels them more in the throat, because the diaphragm is less sensitive to pain, more relaxed, the contraction are gentler, or whatever else.

It happens to me often too (and I am not alone): I never know in advance what type of contraction I am going to have. Sometimes they are quite violent in the diaphragm area; so much that afterward I feel like doing hours of abdominal exercises, other time I feel them exclusively in the throat, and sometimes I just feel the ribcage convulsing. As I wrote, in reality the mechanism may be always about the same, and it is just the perception or sensitivity in the specific area that makes the difference.

 

[DeepThought]

I experienced rythmic laryngospasm on a dive once. Atleast I think it was laryngospasm. I dove to 10 meters (where I had a place to hang on to) and took off my mask. The second the cold water hit my face I started feeling rythmic autonomous contractions inside my throat. I thought to myself "laryngospasm, cool" and went back up just to make sure I won't discover why I shouldn't stay under when it happens. The second I hit the surface exhaled a little and took a breath in it stopped. Maybe I should've kept holding my breath for another second to see if the feeling of air on my face stopped it or me wanting to breath out/in.
I have experienced contractions that also "pulled" my throat a few times during static, I don't recall at the moment if they were solo or if other ribcage muscles were involved, it's been years since I did static. Those throat contractions didn't feel as pronounced, autonomous and with such an exact rythme as the laryngospasm I've experienced.
Of course this proves nothing of our speculations, just another case for the database.
O, and by cold water I mean 20-25c (I don't recall what season it was at the moment). Those are cold water for me, especially as my face were dry under the mask.

 

[naiad]

I experienced rythmic laryngospasm on a dive once. Atleast I think it was laryngospasm. I dove to 10 meters (where I had a place to hang on to) and took off my mask. The second the cold water hit my face I started feeling rythmic autonomous contractions inside my throat. I thought to myself "laryngospasm, cool" and went back up just to make sure I won't discover why I shouldn't stay under when it happens. The second I hit the surface exhaled a little and took a breath in it stopped. Maybe I should've kept holding my breath for another second to see if the feeling of air on my face stopped it or me wanting to breath out/in.

I have experienced something similar in cold water. That is one of the reasons I don't like it. When I get normal contractions they are trying to 'push' air out. The cold water contractions are trying to 'pull' air in. That is scary because it feels like I might lose control and breathe in water. This has never actually happened, but it puts me off cold water. The same happens when I do passive exhale or forced exhale dives.

O, and by cold water I mean 20-25c (I don't recall what season it was at the moment). Those are cold water for me, especially as my face were dry under the mask.

Same for me, anything less than 30c is cold.

 

[wet]

I experienced rythmic laryngospasm on a dive once. At least I think it was laryngospasm. I dove to 10 meters (where I had a place to hang on to) and took off my mask. The second the cold water hit my face I started feeling rythmic autonomous contractions inside my throat.

That sounds like thermosensory reaction of trigeminal or facial nerve to temperature differential stimulation, different than CO2-induced diaphragmatic contractions. Would you say that at the point of removing your mask that you were hypercapneic or hypocapneic (hyperventilated?)?

I thought to myself "laryngospasm, cool" and went back up just to make sure I won't discover why I shouldn't stay under when it happens. The second I hit the surface exhaled a little and took a breath in it stopped. Maybe I should've kept holding my breath for another second to see if the feeling of air on my face stopped it or me wanting to breath out/in.
I have experienced contractions that also "pulled" my throat a few times during static, I don't recall at the moment if they were solo or if other ribcage muscles were involved, it's been years since I did static. Those throat contractions didn't feel as pronounced, autonomous and with such an exact rythme as the laryngospasm I've experienced.
Of course this proves nothing of our speculations, just another case for the database.
O, and by cold water I mean 20-25c (I don't recall what season it was at the moment). Those are cold water for me, especially as my face were dry under the mask.

I'm ok with cool-cold water at depth as long as the surface is warm-hot, but if not, I tend to get real shivery and uncomfortable.
DDeden

 

[DeepThought]

That sounds like thermosensory reaction of trigeminal or facial nerve to temperature differential stimulation, different than CO2-induced diaphragmatic contractions. Would you say that at the point of removing your mask that you were hypercapneic or hypocapneic (hyperventilated?)?

My breathup was probably normal breathing with one peak inhale/exhale about a minute before the dive, more normal braething again and then a peak inhale. So I would guess normal CO2. It doesn't take me much effort to get to 10m and the dive was short, probably less than a minute.

 

[Lehmann108]

I don't get them either. I'm up to a 4 minute static and I'm still waiting for the first contraction....nada...:head

 

[trux]

As I already mentioned, one of possible reasons is that you hyperventilate (most people do not even realize they do it). Try doing a series of shorter breath-holds with only one single expiration and inhalation between them during 8 or 10 minutes. Try making all breath holds always same long as the previous one (or slightly longer if you feel you can, but not shorter). Let us know if you get contractions then.

 

[Lehmann108]

As I already mentioned, one of possible reasons is that you hyperventilate (most people do not even realize they do it). Try doing a series of shorter breath-holds with only one single expiration and inhalation between them during 8 or 10 minutes. Try making all breath holds always same long as the previous one (or slightly longer if you feel you can, but not shorter). Let us know if you get contractions then.

I'll do it and get back to you.