Define: "Holding your Breath?"

[FishOutUvH2O]

At first glance this would seem like an easy question to answer, but being from an "Industrialized" nation, I believe it's inherent in me to make even the simplest of things overcomplicated.

With that said. . . Being a long-range rifle shooter I understand that there is a natural pause between exhaling and inhaling (and vice-versa). It's during this pause that we're taught to fire as the body is at it's most relaxed and there's less movement. What does this have to do with holding your breath while diving and hence breaking the Golden Rule?!?! I'm glad you asked.

As I've become more comfortable diving, this "pause" has become longer and longer and my SAC rate has become a lot better. I've never actually timed this "pause" so I can't tell you what the time is, but it does beg the question. . . How long, or by what other definition, would it be considered holding your breath?

 

[ScubaSteve]

Someone please correct me because I am possibly wrong but I believe what you have just described is known as skip breathing. Not recommended from what I have been told however I am not going to call the scuba police on you.

My SAC rate has drastically improved just by breathing normally....and yes breathing normally includes a pause after the exhale but I am not extending that in any way (that I know of). I am simply breathing like I do on land.

So, my recommendation to all reading this thread, do not hold your breath or try to extend the pause after exhaling to try to lower your SAC rate. Get comfortable with your abilities and skill underwater and your SAC rate will improve on its own.

 

[tstormdiver]

The concept of not holding one's breath (AKA breathing) while diving comes from the fact that as you are ascending (going up) the water pressure is reduced allowing the gases inside the lungs to start expanding in volume (Boyle's Law). You have been breathing the gas in your cylinder at the ambient pressure of the water, so there's already considerable pressure there. If you close off your airway (hold the breath), the lungs can only expand so far before an over expansion injury (lung rupture) will occur. The effects of the escaping air from the over expansion injury into the body can range from irritating to life threatening. Even a small amount of air in the lungs can expand considerably if coming from deeper depths & is still a danger. If you are breathing normally as you ascend then the lung pressure will automatically equalize as you ascend. That is also why diving is commonly (but not always) contra- indicated for those with respiratory problems. This can also be true of someone with a cold with chest congestion. Those problems can cause all or part of the airway to close off risking injury. By holding the breath, most people tend to become positively buoyant, thus start to ascend. As said above, skip breathing is not a wise way to go, as you risk injury & problems due to a build up of CO2 in your system. Your breathing should always be steady, slow & deep.

 

[bleeb]

IMO, there are two aspects to the term, and I don't know if you're thinking of one of the specifically.

The most dangerous one is the one risking lung overexpansion injuries, embolisms, etc. Comes from closing the glottis in your throat. Because there are very fundamental reflexes involved (i.e. swallowing), it's hard to train not to close your glottis when you stop breathing. My understanding is that's the rationale behind simplifying things by recommending not holding your breathe.

The other one is 'skip breathing', which can lead to CO2 retention, which has the possibility of causing massive headaches, breathing problems, or panic.

Oops. I see other people managed to post the same things, while I was typing.

 

[SteveAD]

Someone please correct me because I am possibly wrong but I believe what you have just described is known as skip breathing. Not recommended from what I have been told however I am not going to call the scuba police on you.

My SAC rate has drastically improved just by breathing normally....and yes breathing normally includes a pause after the exhale but I am not extending that in any way (that I know of). I am simply breathing like I do on land.

So, my recommendation to all reading this thread, do not hold your breath or try to extend the pause after exhaling to try to lower your SAC rate. Get comfortable with your abilities and skill underwater and your SAC rate will improve on its own.

Your wish is my command. You may stand corrected.

Skip breathing is a long (15-30 sec +)pause between the inhale and the exhale, maintaining full lungs (theoretically) to scavenge more O2 from each breath. Since the drive to breathe is based on CO2 buildup and not O2 depletion, this will ultimately result in ancrease in breathing rate to expel the CO2 that has built up.

The shooters pause is on empty lungs and is usually much shorter (holding your breath for more than a few seconds will cause slight tremors that will throw off the shot) and as such has a much lower impact on gas exchange.

 

[Blackwood]

Holding your breath (from a "don't do this on SCUBA" standpoint) = locking air in your lungs by closing the glottis.

Glottis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I agree with Steve's assessment of skip breathing.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Your wish is my command. You may stand corrected......

Dang I hate it when that happens..... Thanks for correcting me though. The information here needs to be correct for it to be useful.

However, I do stand by the rest of the content in my post. Hoding your breath unnaturally under water should not be done under any circumstances. One may get away with it for a while, but when it catches up, it may not be too pleasant.

 

[Blackwood]

Hoding your breath unnaturally under water should not be done under any circumstances

What does that mean, 'unnaturally'?

Right now, as I type, I inhale, pause, exhale, pause, and repeat about 4 times per minute. I breathe a little more frequently while diving due to the exertion, but I'd submit that not having that pause in the cycle is abnormal.

 

[ScubaSteve]

What does that mean, 'unnaturally'?

Right now, as I type, I inhale, pause, exhale, pause, and repeat about 4 times per minute. I breathe a little more frequently while diving due to the exertion, but I'd submit that not having that pause in the cycle is abnormal.

To answer your question I need to refer you to a previous post of mine (just a couple up).

......and yes breathing normally includes a pause after the exhale but I am not extending that in any way (that I know of). I am simply breathing like I do on land.......

I am aware that the natural act of breathing includes for a brief pause after each inhalation and each exhalation. To me and in this situation, UNNATURALLY would be defined as purposefully extending the pause (which requires closing off your airway and holding it that way. Cleared up?

 

[Charlie99]

As Blackwood noted above, the difference between "pausing your breathing" (OK in moderation) and "holding your breath (a major no-no) is whether or not your glottis is closed.

If pushing in on your gut would force air out of your lungs, then your airway is open. If your glottis is closed, then no air will come out. It is the "glottis closed" condition that puts you at risk for embolism and lung barotrauma.

I have done a practice CESA from 90' in whcih I didn't actively exhale. I merely held my airway open and let the expanding air bubble out. It made doing a 40fpm ascent very easy, and I could easily have made is less than 30fpm. Were I to have actively exhaled, hummed, ahhhhed, etc., there's no way I could have ascended so slowly.

Charlie Allen