Nasonex "tunnel vision" effects on deeper dives?

[Bennno]

I have noticed that everytime on descent, when I do a deep dive I breath heavily, most likely by anxiety, after I reach the target depth I calm down and lower my breathing rate.

The dive from yesterday, I got tunnel vision, knowing that I was in a dangeruos situation and it was due to the CO2 buildup by the abnormal breathing rate, I exhaled deep to clear the CO2 from my lungs and breath again and things cleared up more, and my breathing rate reduced and I got better, but we started going from 56m to 45m and thing were back to normal.

Did I took the right decision to empty my lungs to eliminate the CO2 from my lungs and get new clean air in, or I just needed to control my breathing ?

You were narced and it was not due to CO2 build up. 'Emptying your lungs to eliminate CO2' is not how it works... why would you even think it was due to CO2.

When you have 'anxiety' and breath heavy on every decent, don't do deep air dives, seriously. Or any deep dives. You shoud feel calm and relaxed.

IMHO, at less than 100 dives you really shouldn't dive below 50m! Psychological factors increase the intensity of narcosis and experienced diver are usually able to handle it better. Don't do deep air dives, it's not for newish divers. What's the point?
It also sounds like you should read up on narcosis some more.

 

[Remy B.]

Bennno, the Anxiety comes from fast descents, it is not every dive, it is triggered when I don't see the bottom or when I'm uneasy at the start of the dive, normally Boat dives, as well for some reason I don't like to descent in horizontal position at a fast rate, if I do it vertically no problems, I have not figured out that one yet.

I started to heavy breath at the very beginning of the dive, that is anxiety, it is not narcosis, I remember all the dive, I was very aware of my self and my equipment, didn't have the feeling of drunkenness or over relaxed to a point of unawareness or careless.

I was thinking it was CO2 because of how I breath and I thought that the way I breathing I accumulate CO2 in my lungs as I don't exhale empty my lungs, I keep what I think a lot of volume in my lungs, ones I empty my lungs and breathed again things cleared up, but like the previous Poster mention it was more likely hyperventilation.

 

[Storker]

it is not narcosis, I remember all the dive, I was very aware of my self and my equipment, didn't have the feeling of drunkenness or over relaxed to a point of unawareness or careless.

I think you're on the right track WRT the origin of your anxiety feeling (and I also believe that the hyperventilation caused by that anxiety may be the reason for some of the issues you were experiencing).

OTOH, I'd be very, very careful about dismissing narcosis just because you don't feel "drunk" or "over relaxed to a point of unawareness or careless". My - and AFAIK also other divers' - first indication of narcosis is just that we're thinking a bit slower. In easy and/or familiar conditions and if I'm not particularly task-loaded, I don't feel a thing. Throw in some task loading or try to do something that I have to think a bit about, and it starts to manifest. I think more slowly, and the ability to solve complex and/or unfamiliar problems start to deteriorate. In short, I become stupid. And as we all know, if you're stupid, you don't necessarily realize it yourself...

Narcosis -- insidious and subtle

 

[Remy B.]

Not this dive Storker, my heavy breathing started in the very beginning, diving sidemount it makes it a little more multi-tasking, switching regulators, looking at each tank gauge to keep them in the 20Bar difference, checking your DC, checking and interacting signals with your buddy, taken pictures, etc, etc, did all that at that depth, once at depth my breathing went to normal, it is just the descents that make me uneasy our nervous I guess, maybe because I was not using He and was actually afraid of getting narked made me more anxious.

 

[Bennno]

You're anxious when decending, you get tunnel vision and you have no prior experience diving deep on air... and you're diving to 55m/180'! It is narcosis!

when I'm uneasy at the start of the dive, normally Boat dives, as well for some reason I don't like to descent in horizontal position at a fast rate, if I do it vertically no problems, I have not figured out that one yet.

Deep diving on air is not optimal anyway and should only be done by divers who have all their stuff down to a tee. If you're not feeling 100% comfortable, don't dive deep on air... if you start the dive like this, you're much less likely to be able to handle it when you encounter issues.

Please learn more about narcosis, what you're doing is dangerous dude... lot's of people have killed themselves diving deep on air!

 

[Bubblesong]

The guy is fairly new to diving and dives to 55m on air when he is already anxious on decent and you think he is on the right track suspecting CO2 for feeling funny? Really? Have you ever done ANY deep diving on air below 40m?
If not, you should really not comment, you're giving people the impression you know what you're talking about...

Wow, I have a front seat for this brewing broo-ha. But before we go down the vortex of vexation, three questions:

1) does anyone besides me get the Narcosis warning sign of noticing the taste of oysters before noticing the the bubbling are singing? I first noticed this in above sea level nitrous oxide exposure, and then later recognised it while diving.

2) does anyone else ever get any level of agoraphobia from the big open ocean? This gives me anxiety thinking about it safe at home.

3) does anyone pace their breathing to their swim kicks to regulate breathing, to avoid skipping breaths or hyperventalating. I breath in for three kicks and out three kicks.

 

[Storker]

1) does anyone besides me get the Narcosis warning sign of noticing the taste of oysters before noticing the the bubbling are singing?

Not me. Neither the oyster taste nor the singing. I just become bovine stupid.

2) does anyone else ever get any level of agoraphobia from the big open ocean?

Not me. I love the openness of the ocean (or alpine areas above the treeline)

3) does anyone pace their breathing to their swim kicks to regulate breathing, to avoid skipping breaths or hyperventalating. I breath in for three kicks and out three kicks.

Never thought about it that way. But then, I strongly prefer frog kicks over flutter. And the rhythm of frogs is wrong for pacing my breath to it.

 

[northernone]

Woe

Wow, I have a front seat for this brewing broo-ha. But before we go down the vortex of vexation, three questions:

1) does anyone besides me get the Narcosis warning sign of noticing the taste of oysters before noticing the the bubbling are singing? I first noticed this in above sea level nitrous oxide exposure, and then later recognised it while diving.

2) does anyone else ever get any level of agoraphobia from the big open ocean? This gives me anxiety thinking about it safe at home.

3) does anyone pace their breathing to their swim kicks to regulate breathing, to avoid skipping breaths or hyperventalating. I breath in for three kicks and out three kicks.

Woe to anyone who mentions deep air.
1. I taste metal but I'm dumbing before I reach that level (math games)
2. No
3. Yes, but I use a different pattern and modify it depending on workload.

Now about hypercapnia vs hyperventilating. You can study yourself dirt diving. Sit on a couch and intentionally experience both, also the same while doing pushups. Note symptoms over a few dozen sessions. It is of limited use since we aren't adding nitrous oxide but it has been helpful in my own study. (Former freediver)

Regards,
Cameron

 

[Bennno]

Dude, I left three serious questions, and THIS is what you respond to? You have 1,001 dives to my puny record, so take the mantle of SCUBA GURU and frickin' help me out here!

I really don't get what you mean. Are you being ironic?
My answer to all of your questions all is, no.
Gernerally, you should not dive deeper when you feel funny or uncomfortable in any way and you should certainly not do any air dives deeper than 40m, not to mention 180'/55m. It's just not worth the risk.

BTW: Deep ocean/quarry diving is overrated anyways. Deep diving just for the hell of it seems to be an ego thing for lots of people. You don't need to dive deep to be a good diver.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I'd concur with Storker and fmerkel. From what you described, it sounds as if you may have hyperventilated on descent. While you were almost certainly narced on the bottom, narcosis would not explain your symptoms on descent. If you were indeed hyperventilating, then actively controlling your breathing as you did may have alleviated the symptoms, but not for the reason you described; rather, the CO2 level in your body was probably too low and what you did allowed it to increase to normal levels.

Benno's advice to avoid deep diving on air, or at least wait until you have considerably more diving experience, is sound IMO.

Best regards,
DDM

<edit> You didn't mention any other health concerns, so the above is based on the assumption that you're otherwise healthy and not on any medications that could cause similar symptoms.