dry mouth and drinking water

[KuwaitiDiver]

Hi all of you divers out there..

i have couple questions:

1- I get dry throut very fast when i dive which sometimes makes me feel sick and want to throgh up..also it makes my throut kind of itchy, what can be the cuse of that and how to prevent it?

2- does drinking lots of water before diving a good thing?


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He who has a WHY to live can bear with any HOW!:mean:

 

[Scubaroo]

To answer your questions...

1. Dry mouth, or "cotton mouth", is the result of breathing the hyper-dry compressed gas in your cylinder, which has very little or no moisture content. There are some products like the Apollo Bio Filter which claim to counteract it, and underwater drinking devices like the "SCUDA". It is also supposed to be possible to drink water from a bottle underwater if it's really a problem for you, but I've never tried it. 99% of open circuit divers put up with it. It is not an issue for rebreather divers.

2. Is drinking lots of water before diving good? Of course, but it won't help much with cotton mouth. Your mouth is going to dry out anyway because of the dry gas you're breathing, drinking beforehand doesn't help. It will help a LOT though with preventing DCI! And for some people (like me) proper hydration helps prevent seasickness. Proper hydration is important!!!

 

[KuwaitiDiver]

FIRST, thanks for your reply, i appreciate it..

so Scubaroo, do you think those small bottles, you know with small hoses with them to drink from them, that usually people carry when they ride byscles, do you think carrying one of those with me while am diving and drinking water from it when i feel COTTON MOUTH will help?

see, the problem here in Kuwait, we dont have those much access to all the scuba gears we need..STUPID i guess.

 

[Scubaroo]

Might be worth a try if you have one. Never done it myself though.

 

[DocVikingo]

It is always a good idea to stay well hydrated while diving, and this will help reduce , albeit not eliminate, dry mouth.

Some other things you may wish to consider:

1. Purchase a reg with "moisturizing fins" in the second stage, such as the Oasis & Blizzard made by Sherwood.

2. Purchase the Apollo reg which has a "moisturizing chamber" into which you place a small, damp sponge. Or get one of Apollo's new in-line mositurizers (Biofilter).

3. Purchase a "Scuda," or a "Camel-back," nifty little diver's canteens which allow you a squirt of fresh water when you want it.

4. Periodically tickle the roof of your mouth with your tongue, or run it along your teeth, as this will trigger salivation.

5. Rub a very small bit of toothpaste in your mouthpiece prior to entry.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[Doppler]

KuwaitiDiver once bubbled...
Hi all of you divers out there..

i have couple questions:

1- I get dry throut very fast when i dive which sometimes makes me feel sick and want to throgh up..also it makes my throut kind of itchy, what can be the cuse of that and how to prevent it?

2- does drinking lots of water before diving a good thing?


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He who has a WHY to live can bear with any HOW!:mean:

Not sure how long you spend in the water, but pre-dive water is ALWAYS a good thing!

Here in the Great Lakes when we are doing longish hangs, we use camel backs filled with highly diluted gatorade... I used to carry freezies but have graduated to the "sac o' suds" which are more convenient. The drinking straw apparatus in a camel back works very well underwater and learning how to drink (and eat) while underwater is a useful skill!

Doppler