Bradycardia: lower than normal heart rate

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Diver-Sixx

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Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
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Location
Beaver Lake Arkansas
# of dives
500 - 999
I know they have studied Dive Bradycardia, What I want to know is if you dive alot will it train your heart to be slow? I have a resting heart rate in the mid to upper 40`s but everything else is normal, If you know, What is your heart rate.
 
Hi Diver-Sixx,

Not to the best of my knowledge.

The bardycardia that occurs during scuba typically reaches its maximum within ~5 minutes of immersion and returns towards pre-immmersion levels after ~30 minutes. The initial heart rate decrease likely is a vagus nerve-mediated reflex in response to immersion, while increased return of venous blood to the heart secondary to change in ambient pressure seems to cause the longer term effect. Physiological adaptation eventually ensues and the bradycardia gradually subsides.

This is very much different than training bradycardia, which is long-lasting and seems to be a function of changes in electrical activity at the right atrial sinus node, heart size and stroke volume capacity.

Regards,

DocVikingo
 

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