Lightheaded While Diving

[FloridaMan1974]

Hey all, hope you're doing well.

I'm wondering if anyone else has any experience or ideas as to what could cause lightheadedness during a dive.

It's happened to me 4/5 times now and I'm not totally sure what causes it.

It usually lasts for a few seconds, in the range of 5-15 seconds and at various depths during various types of dives.

I think it might be related to quickly moving my head up/down. Think being in horizontal trim, looking down, then quickly looking up. Although I'm not entirely sure and haven't really had time to experiment with this yet.

Does anyone have any ideas or any experience with this?

Should I be concerned?

Additionally, I have not experienced this out of the water and don't have any medical history w/ light headedness

Thanks,
Max

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi Max, can you provide more detail on the lightheadedness? For example, do you feel as if you're spinning, or maybe like you might pass out? Is it accompanied by any other symptoms? What gas are you breathing? Are you exerting yourself when this happens?
Is it preceded by changing depth?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[FloridaMan1974]

Hi DDM, thanks for your quick reply, I've tried to format my response in order to make your analysis easier. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

Symptoms: I don't feel dizzy or as if I'm spinning. I don't feel as if I'm going to immediately pass out, but I worry that if the sensation got worse passing out would become a concern. In the 4 or 5 times I have experienced it it has gone away within a matter of seconds.

The most similar sensation I can compare it to was one I experienced a day after travelling, drinking, and a lot of time in the heat (I was very dehydrated) and felt very light headed and felt that if I stood up I might pass out( I ended up being fine).

Mix: To my recollection, this has happened on both air and nitrox with fills from 3 different shops (doubt it's contaminated air).

Exertion: I definitely wasn't exerting myself any more than normal; never something like swimming against a strong current.

Depth: It very well could be preceded by a minor change in depth, but not dramatic. IE: does not occur during a fast descent or fast ascent.

I dove for a year prior to experiencing this sensation and feel that two major changes have been weight gain(fat unfortunately) and that I have begun diving in advanced environments, including overhead.

I mention the last part because where normally in open water I am slowing looking around, in overhead I find myself quickly scanning my environment to make sure I don't run into something/silt the area. Perhaps this issue has to do with my rapid head movement.

Thank you again for taking the time to help me with this DDM, I sincerely appreciate it.
Max

 

[Kevrumbo]

Hi DDM, thanks for your quick reply, I've tried to format my response in order to make your analysis easier. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

Symptoms: I don't feel dizzy or as if I'm spinning. I don't feel as if I'm going to immediately pass out, but I worry that if the sensation got worse passing out would become a concern. In the 4 or 5 times I have experienced it it has gone away within a matter of seconds.

The most similar sensation I can compare it to was one I experienced a day after travelling, drinking, and a lot of time in the heat (I was very dehydrated) and felt very light headed and felt that if I stood up I might pass out( I ended up being fine).

Mix: To my recollection, this has happened on both air and nitrox with fills from 3 different shops (doubt it's contaminated air).

Exertion: I definitely wasn't exerting myself any more than normal; never something like swimming against a strong current.

Depth: It very well could be preceded by a minor change in depth, but not dramatic. IE: does not occur during a fast descent or fast ascent.

I dove for a year prior to experiencing this sensation and feel that two major changes have been weight gain(fat unfortunately) and that I have begun diving in advanced environments, including overhead.

I mention the last part because where normally in open water I am slowing looking around, in overhead I find myself quickly scanning my environment to make sure I don't run into something/silt the area. Perhaps this issue has to do with my rapid head movement.

Thank you again for taking the time to help me with this DDM, I sincerely appreciate it.
Max

Rule Out: Vertigo due to Alternobaric vertigo and/or Sensory/Visual deprivation.

 

[FloridaMan1974]

Kevrumbo, thank you.

Does Rule Out mean to exclude that or to look more into it?

Thanks

 

[Kevrumbo]

Kevrumbo, thank you.

Does Rule Out mean to exclude that or to look more into it?

Thanks

Look more into it . . .

Rule out—practically—means use tests and other scientific methods to determine that a candidate condition has a clinically negligible probability of being the cause. (see Differential Diagnosis).

 

[FloridaMan1974]

Thank you, not too familiar w/ medical jargon

 

[Kevrumbo]

Also, please read this account and see if it may be similar -albeit the below is a more acute occurrence:

. . .I have had serious problems with vertigo in midwater since I started diving, and only about a year ago did someone give me the key -- rapid head movement with no visual reference will start me tumbling. Since I got that piece of advice, I haven't had an episode. But on this dive, I was really worried about losing Peter, because we were both on scooters, in fairly poor visibility. If I continued to motor without being able to see him, it was highly likely we'd get separated, as we'd been disagreeing on the heading all along. If I didn't get on the trigger, we were SURE to be separated, because I could hear his scooter motor running, and it would only take seconds to be unable to see one another. So I began looking for him actively, which involved rolling up on my side and turning my head repeatedly . . . and sure enough, after a couple of iterations, the world broke off its moorings and began tumbling and spinning, and I lost all sense of where up was. . .

Vertigo on deco

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Kev, ABV is a good thought, I wondered that too. It seem that if it doesn't happen with depth changes it's less likely but still possible.

Max, FYI, alternobaric vertigo occurs when one ear equalizes before the other does. There is a difference (alterno) of pressures (baric) between the left and right middle ear, which causes the vestibular apparatus in the ears to send different inputs to the brain, which can cause transient vertigo. From your description, this seems unlikely.

I wonder if what you're experiencing could be some sort of transient vasomotor or occlusive event. You might check the neck portion of your wetsuit and/or hood to see if it's too constrictive. How old are you?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[FloridaMan1974]

DDM, I'm 24, I'm going diving tomorrow so I will don the wetsuit and check the tightness around the neck.

Kevrumbo, that definitely sounds similar to the same issue I am having, albeit significantly worse.

I will get back in re: to wetsuit tightness tomorrow evening.