Size of lungs, overall lung capacity and breathing question..

[Trance]

Hello! I am beginning my diving education in a week, and super excited! I have been doing a lot of research and I have a question:

A few years ago during a pre-employment physical the doctors said that I have large lungs after looking at my body scans and during a lung capacity test the machine showed that I was 132% above average for lung capacity.

During my polygraph sessions I was asked if I was a swimmer or a sniper because I would slow my breathing down to 6 breaths per minute and told that a typical person generally cannot control their breathing like I can without training.

I have always been able to slow my breathing down when concentrating on something without thinking. Even at night my wife has jabbed me to make sure that I am alive because I just don't breath as often as others because my lung capacity is large.

My concern is this something that can hurt me? That my breathing is slow and long. I don't want to hold my breath and injure or kill myself. Or, is this a good thing as I may be able to manage my air supply better?

Thanks in advance!

-Trance

 

[spectrum]

Heck you're a natural! Enjoy your classes.

All of the nitrogen loading is based on exposure to the pressure, not the volume processed so that's a non issue.

Aside for that as long as your relaxed breathing does not lead to a headache you may naturally have what many strive to realize.

Pete

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, it seems you are blessed. There is a thread on the New Divers forum asking how to improve air consumption. There are the usual answers- breathe slowly and don't over-exert, etc. But a lot has to do with your lung capacity/physiology. Ask any trumpet player.

 

[Trance]

What constitutes "holding breath" as opposed to stalling between breaths? While going on with my daily activities I have been practicing my breathing and trying to work on a steady cycle rather than maybe my typical breathing.

 

[TSandM]

The amount of air that needs to pass through your lungs in a given period of time is determined by the CO2 production from the metabolically active tissues in your body, and is entirely independent of your lung size. Having very large lungs means that you can use your breathing to control larger buoyancy swings than somebody like me, with small ones -- but it also means that you will need to learn to control your breathing pattern to cycle around a mid-position in volume, so that you can avoid buoyancy swings related to lung volume.

You'll figure all this out when you start working on neutral buoyancy and breath control.

 

[Kitty_Kat]

What I've been told is that the big difference between breath holding and having a long breath cycle (stalling between breaths) is whether or not the airway (glottis?) is actually open. When you hold your breath, you actually shut it off, so the lungs cannot adjust to changes in pressure. If you have a long and slow breathing cycle naturally, chances are your airway is remaining open throughout (relaxed position) even if it seems that you are not breathing in between. If that is how you breathe naturally (and don't have a history of passing out), it shouldn't be a problem because we don't naturally hold our breath, it's a forced response.

Feel free to correct me if there's a better explanation! That was how someone explained it to me, but I don't pretend to be a medical expert. Actually I would make a very bad medical expert...

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I agree with kit_kat, keeping your airway open is the key. Nothing wrong with long breath cycles so long as they are constant and continuing. I would add that you may experience more dramatic buoyancy swings than smaller lunged divers as you inhale and exhale, but you will adjust to that with time. Enjoy diving!
Divemasterdennis

 

[drbill]

Lungs? What are those? I use gills. Tee hee.

I was a high school swimmer and also have large lungs and a slow breathing pattern (until I see a large shark or a skimpy bikini). I believe it has certainly helped with my bottom time, although as Lynne said large lungs also mean the possibility of swings in buoyancy. I appreciate them as I can maneuver vertically more easily than some due to these swings (and, of course, during my early days of diving we did not have BCDs to assist in that endeavor).

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Hello! I am beginning my diving education in a week, and super excited! I have been doing a lot of research and I have a question:

A few years ago during a pre-employment physical the doctors said that I have large lungs after looking at my body scans and during a lung capacity test the machine showed that I was 132% above average for lung capacity.

During my polygraph sessions I was asked if I was a swimmer or a sniper because I would slow my breathing down to 6 breaths per minute and told that a typical person generally cannot control their breathing like I can without training.

I have always been able to slow my breathing down when concentrating on something without thinking. Even at night my wife has jabbed me to make sure that I am alive because I just don't breath as often as others because my lung capacity is large.

My concern is this something that can hurt me? That my breathing is slow and long. I don't want to hold my breath and injure or kill myself. Or, is this a good thing as I may be able to manage my air supply better?

Thanks in advance!

-Trance

136% here and diving hasn't killed me yet!