Freediving, or diving on held breath, is a popular form of diving with many health benefits, provided we are well prepared for it.
One of the things you need to master before your first dive is learning to hold your breath for a longer period of time. Without proper training, this is not possible, and lack of preparation can even result in unconsciousness.
How to increase the time of holding your breath so that you can enjoy freediving and not harm your health?
How do you learn to hold your breath for longer? What kind of breathing workouts will increase our fitness?
Breath-hold training is an important part of preparing for freediving, but not only. Studies show that divers who hold their breath reap a number of health benefits from doing so.
These include a decrease in blood acidification, a decrease in oxidative stress values, an increase in hematocrit, an increase in erythropoietin, hemoglobin mass and lung volume.
Apnea training is a good alternative to hypobaric or normobaric hypoxia to increase aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
Conscious training of breath holding allows the respiratory centers to become accustomed to the sensation of dyspnea, which consequently reduces the ventilatory response to changing respiratory conditions. This helps to gymnastize the respiratory centers and raise the threshold of tolerance for experiencing shortness of breath.
Hypoventilation is one of the popular breathing exercises. It involves performing strong (maximal or submaximal) breath holds that reduce the respiratory rate. It is based on the use of alternating breath holding with normal breathing.
It can be performed on a reduced tidal volume, when the lungs are filled with air after inhalation, or on a low tidal volume, when the lungs are filled with air only halfway after exhalation.
The best results are obtained by performing air holding after exhalation (hypoxic-hypercapnic training). This causes a significant increase in CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels and reduced O2 (oxygen) levels, which affects the ventilatory response of the respiratory centers in the brainstem.
Breathing “to spare” before diving in to hold your breath for a longer period of time – how dangerous can such hyperventilation be?
Hyperventilation is a practice sometimes used by novice freedivers. It results in the extension of the so-called “long term”. easy going phase, which improves the performance of novices. But it is very dangerous in the long run.
Hyperventilation lowers the initial partial pressure of CO2 in arterial blood (from a normal level of about 40 mm Hg to 30 mm Hg, or even less), thus delaying the onset of the respiratory reflex.
Meanwhile, higher concentrations of CO2 are beneficial for maintaining consciousness. Hyperventilation also raises the pulse rate, which increases oxygen consumption in the blood. All this significantly increases the risk of unconsciousness, called blackout. When it happens in the water, without belay, it can even cause death.
Why is packing better than hyperventilating? What is the Bohr Effect?
The negative effects of hyperventilation led to its replacement by packing (packing). It involves taking in as much air as possible before diving in.
Breathing in is done on a maximum inhalation, using the diaphragm and chest, followed by packing, taking small amounts of air into the mouth and pushing it into the lungs.
Packaging, unlike hyperventilation, does not reduce CO2 concentration, which has its advantages. Respiratory processes are primarily controlled by the partial pressure of CO2, so elevated carbon dioxide levels carry many benefits:
- Increased gas exchange surface area – high levels of CO2 dilate blood vessels, increasing blood supply and thus oxygenation of the brain,
- Increased ease of oxygen donation under the influence of CO2 – Bohr effect – a phenomenon involving a decrease in the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen under conditions of reduced pH (increase in CO2 concentration). Hemoglobin gives up oxygen more easily at lower pH, and an increase in CO2 causes the blood’s pH to drop. This helps maintain the acid-base balance.
Is it healthy to hold your breath while diving?
Holding your breath without prior preparation can be hazardous to your health. Proper preparation under the guidance of an instructor and proper and regular breathing exercises will allow you to reap the maximum benefits of breath-hold diving.
You may be interested in the course of diving without a compressed air cylinder (Freediving)
If you’ve never tried scuba diving without cylinders and want to see if it’s the activity for you, take a Freediving diving course at Deepspot. We offer classes under the guidance of experienced instructors and with the best equipment for both beginners and experienced freedivers.
During such a course, you will learn the rules of safety and healthy breath-holding while diving, and you will be able to try your first dive under safe conditions.
Deepspot is the perfect place to try scuba diving and indulge in this form of activity. We have the largest pool in Poland and Europe simulating diving conditions.
It is as deep as 45.45 meters, with caves, a shipwreck and a special elevator for Freedivers. We encourage you to take a look at our diving course offerings!
