The Stillness Between Your Heart Beats

[Julie Daniluk]

Hello Deeper Blue Clan,

I am so excited to find this forum as I have been doing bio-hacks all by myself. To know this level of support exists has light up my brain like a Xmas Tree. I started Scuba Diving at 23 and started Free diving recently. I love the peace of free diving. I love the stillness between my heart beats. It is a type of meditation that can only be understood by doing it. I have unusually low blood pressure - It is 90 over 50 so I wonder if the elevation of blood pressure creates a mental clarity that is additive. I am an anti-inflammatory nutritionist so I hope my interest in anti-aging nutrition will help reduce the impact of breathing compressed air and nitrox.

I do have a question:

My low blood pressure (90 over 50) is fine while I am under water but I notice when I get to the surface, my blood pressure drops suddenly and recently lost my vision for a second. Can anyone advise strategies on preventing black out and is my low pressure is an advantage or a concern? It feels like an advantage will I am down because my personal best is 3 mins and 10 seconds with out formal training.

 

[Finn]

This (and preventing this) is covered in great detail in beginner formal training. I am reluctant to give any advice, other than taking a class, simply because there are many other ways injury can occur.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Bill]

Very good advice from FINN. Let me add that lower blood pressure on surfacing is normal. My numbers were like yours for the first fifty years and now are variable enough to concern my doctor.

 

[cdavis]

Welcome to DB.

Ditto the course. Your physiology is unusual enough that a good instructor would be especially helpful.


When you surface after a dive and take a breath, blood pressure generally drops. When your 02 is low, this can put a diver at risk of BO. Loss of vision is real close to BO. Hook breaths(taught in a good class) help keep blood pressure high and reduce the possibilty of BO.

Sounds like you might be more sensitive to BO than most. Very good reason to take a course, learn the hook breath technique and always dive with a buddy. Also, pushing your time down would be an especially bad idea.

One other thing, diving FRC ( roughly half lung) should be a benefit to a diver like you. Its a technique that requires careful exploration and practice, but works great for those who work on it.

Connor