Does Nitrox make you feel better? (split from Nitrox on OW course)

[Sas]

Bull****.
Not everyone feel any difference with nitrox, me included.

I don't notice a difference with nitrox either. My buddy does but I definitely have not so far.

Not everyone works the same.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I notice a difference. My wallet is a lot lighter after diving nitrox. If you're feeling tired after diving air you are ascending way too fast. Try stopping midway and take at least a minute to ascend every ten feet from there, even slower the last twenty feet. You'll feel as if you've found the meaning of life.

 

[Tigerman]

I notice a difference. My wallet is a lot lighter after diving nitrox. If you're feeling tired after diving air you are ascending way too fast. Try stopping midway and take at least a minute to ascend every ten feet from there, even slower the last twenty feet. You'll feel as if you've found the meaning of life.

Mine havent yet with exception of the course. Ive been getting the nitrox for free

 

[AndyNZ]

Personally, I think to really understand this issue you need to break it away from the nitrox vs. air part of the debate and think about tissue loading.

Using the PADI RDP as an example (I can remember the NDLs off the top of my head), if do a 20 minute dive to 30m on air then I have reached my NDL and I have a certain amount of nitrogen in my body.

If I then do exactly the same dive, but using 32% then I have less nitrogen. Decompression stress is fairly well documented and cab be related back to the amount of nitrogen dissolved... so, less nitrogen = lower decompression stress = chance of feeling better after diving nitrox.

But, the problem is that when I dive nitrox I actually extend my bottom time. I would do 30 minutes at 30m on 32%. I then have exactly the same nitrogen dissolved in my body as if I had done the first dive on air. All other things being equal, my body is under the same amount of decompression stress as if I'd done the 30m for 20 mintes on air.

It's that "all other things being equal" that's the gotcha.

For example, I started doing deep stops and graduated ascents on my dives a couple of years ago. Empirically, I feel better doing this dive on air:

30m for 20 minutes
9m/min ascent to 15m
2 minutes at 15m
3m/min ascent to 12m
30s at 12m
3m/min ascent to 9m
30s at 9m
3m/min ascent to 6m
30s at 6m
3m/min to 3m
30s at 3m
3m/min ascent to surface


than I do when doing this dive on nitrox:

30m for 20 minutes
18m/min ascent to 5m
3 mins at 5m
18m/min ascent to surface

The graduated ascent allows me to release nitrogen from solution in a much more controlled way than rushing to the surface to maximise the inert tissue gradient. My "decompression stress" when doing that is quite high.

Throw in other factors, like breathing different percentages of nitrox, these are all changing the inert tissue gradient without changing the ambient pressure. This helps you offgas in a controlled way again.

There are so many personal factors as well, that coming up with any definitive "does nitrox make you feel better or is it a placebo effect?" discussion rather pointless. If it makes you feel better, great! Revel in it, particularly those multiday liveaboards where everyone else sleeps. If you don't feel better, try looking at different ways to control your offgassing - slow your ascent rates, do some reading about recreational deep stops and try that... whatever you need to get you to do the diving you want.

Neither experience is wrong. After all, it is entirely subjective anyway........ :mooner:

 

[Tigerman]

Let me clarify - I dont feel any difference diving a profile on 32% that I also have done on 21%. And I have done that particular profile (and site) several times both on 21% and 32%.

 

[AndyNZ]

Let me clarify - I dont feel any difference diving a profile on 32% that I also have done on 21%. And I have done that particular profile (and site) several times both on 21% and 32%.

For sure. Chances are that you are doing a nice slow ascent and are not physiologically pre-disposed to decompression stress.

Other people are, and may feel feel a difference. Both you, and this hypothetical person are correct - you can't generalise this issue at all, as the individual factors are as (if not more so) significant as the amount of nitrogen you are breathing.

My personal feeling is that ascent rate is the single most significant factor (for me, at least). Others may differ.

 

[Web Monkey]

Yes, and cancer has been cured with sugar tablets and numerous maladies have been effectively treated by sticking needles in a person's body, and by utilizing the services of "gods and spirits".

So are you denying Dalton's and Henry's laws, or do you simply not beleive that dissolved nitrogen or rate of off-gassing and has any effects on humans.

Don't underestimate the placebo effect.

Or physics.

Terry

 

[SurDo2]

A bit outside the borders for the basic scuba discussion thread Mike, but I agree. As long as the PPO2 doesn't collapse the alveoli in my lungs, detach my retina or cause a seizure, I'm up for hypertoxic O2. Makes a guy feel years younger! LOL

I feel old and tired today. I'm going for a chamber dive on O2 after dinner.
Look out world!!!




And yes, Nitrox makes me feel way better.

 

[Walter]

I can tell you personally i know for a fact, and we are not talking a Pacebo effect..

How do you know? Have you done some studies? Have you read any studies? I know of one double blind study on this topic. The results indicate placebo.

 

[ZapDiver]

I came late to this thread, but it seems that neither side is winning, all say: "I [don't] feel good diving nitrox don't matter what you say, I won't change my mind. At least they'll give the rest of us some entertaining reading. Greetings.