Does enriched air make you less winded?

[D_O_H]

I see people mention from time to time the idea of breathing from your nitrox tank when performing hard work to make you less winded. Is this something enriched air can do?

On one hand, I thought it was CO2 buildup that gives one the urge to breathe (and presumably makes one breathe hard), so having more oxygen in the mix wouldn't make any difference. On the other hand, I've definitely started huffing and puffing when hiking at altitude, presumably due to the leaner air.

I also seem to get less winded when diving enriched air, though the cause may be between my ears.

Sorry if this has been answered before - I didn't see an answer during my cursory search.

 

[sharpenu]

The urge to breathe comes from the change in blood PH caused by the buildup in CO2. However, oxygen can have an analgesic effect and has certain properties which can make you feel better.

When under exertion, muscles do not get the proper amounts of oxygen, and the cells begin to operate in an anaerobic environment. This causes the PH in the muscle tissue to drop as acids build up in the tissue. That is where the "burn" comes from. Breathing higher amounts of oxygen reduces this to a point and would therefore make you feel better. Oxygen, therefore can be performance enhancing.

 

[Diver Dennis]

sharpenu has a good point but for me the Nitrox factor does not kick in until I make 3 or more dives a day. If I'm just doing 2 dives, I usually dive air. That's just me, everyone is different and I don't race around the reef like some divers I see.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello DOH:

In healthy individuals, it is the arterial carbon dioxide levels that cause the sensation of “air hunger,” as you suspected. In general, only individuals with, for example, emphysema or obstructive pulmonary disease actually need supplemental oxygen for exercise. I would not expect that active divers would fall into this group. :sprite10:

Some individuals (e.g., Hollywood movie stars) even advocate drinking “oxygen enriched” beverages. Physiologically, this is basically rubbish [although it might confer a psychological benefit for impressionable individuals]. We now have “oxygen bars” and “oxygen facials.”

When working at altitude, where the inspired oxygen is reduced compared to sea level, there is a definite advantage. Many mountains can be climbed only with extreme difficulty without supplemental oxygen.

Dr Deco :doctor:

Readers, please note the next class in Decompression Physiology is September 10 – 11, 2005 :1book:
http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/advdeco.htm

 

[D_O_H]

Hello DOH:

In healthy individuals, it is the arterial carbon dioxide levels that cause the sensation of “air hunger,” as you suspected. In general, only individuals with, for example, emphysema or obstructive pulmonary disease actually need supplemental oxygen for exercise. I would not expect that active divers would fall into this group. :sprite10:

Some individuals (e.g., Hollywood movie stars) even advocate drinking “oxygen enriched” beverages. Physiologically, this is basically rubbish [although it might confer a psychological benefit for impressionable individuals]. We now have “oxygen bars” and “oxygen facials.”

When working at altitude, where the inspired oxygen is reduced compared to sea level, there is a definite advantage. Many mountains can be climbed only with extreme difficulty without supplemental oxygen.

Dr Deco :doctor:

Readers, please note the next class in Decompression Physiology is September 10 – 11, 2005 :1book:
http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/advdeco.htm

Thanks!

 

[Diver Dennis]

O2 does really help if you have a hang-over.

 

[Azza]

O2 does really help if you have a hang-over.

`

Oh Yeah! Combine that with saline IV and you feel ready to take on the world!!

 

[Bill51]

`

Oh Yeah! Combine that with saline IV and you feel ready to take on the world!!

Sounds like another Air Force pilot.

 

[Azza]

Sounds like another Air Force pilot.

Na. Ex-Army. I was attached to a Field Ambulance for a few years

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Granted that when all goes well, one is lucky enough to dive without having to exhert too much. However, there are occasions, like diving in current, etc., where the diver will have to exhert more.

In those cases, having a higher oxygen content seems to allow me to recover from exercise faster. Have you ever seen professional football players taking oxygen on the sidelines between plays? It helps them recover from the exercise faster. It would seem to me that higher oxygen concentrations would also confer this benefit when using nitrox as well. I seem to notice this when diving higher oxygen concentrations and doing harder work in the water.

Maybe it's in my head, or maybe the good doctor can confirm this for us.