Nitrogen Narcosis

[Karel26]

Hello fellow bubble blowers. .

When i did my AOW course, my instructor asked me and my dive buddy
when does narcisis start. . I gave him my answer and he said i was his
second student in over 10 years who got the qeustion right. .

So my qeustion to you are when does narcosis start? ? :think:

Happy and safe diving Karel. .

 

[captain]

When does being drunk begin, when you drink the first drink. Narcosis begins when you take your first breath underwater, but just like being drunk when you begin to recognize its effects varies.

 

[AfterDark]

When does being drunk begin, when you drink the first drink. Narcosis begins when you take your first breath underwater, but just like being drunk when you begin to recognize its effects varies.

Like he said. The accepted depth where most divers start feel it and begin to have trouble is >100fsw

 

[BDSC]

The captain got it right.

 

[Walter]

He usually does.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

The smart-a$$ answer to your question is...no one really knows.

Being able to answer the question accurately presumes that we have a reliable, reproducible method for measuring narcosis in the first place. A separate but related issue is that we don't even know the precise mechanism responsible for the phenomenon. We know that it's correlated with the increased solubility of inert gas in body tissues at an elevated ambient pressure. We think it might have something to do with inert gas dissolving into neuronal membranes and interfering with electrical signaling from neuron-to-neuron.

I'd say that captain's answer is probably the most conservative answer one could give. It was likely the answer that your instructor was looking for. Hopefully, your instructor went on to discuss the common symptoms of narcosis and the "usual" depths at which it becomes noticeable. It can be observed in some individuals at relatively shallow depths, but it almost always becomes more conspicuous at depths in the range of 100 fsw.

 

[DCBC]

The narcotic effects of nitrogen begin at pressures exceeding atmospheric pressure. In other words, immediately upon descent.

 

[scubamountaingirl]

that is one reason we all feel so good when we dive

i say this tonuge in cheek. I know its a serious problem when out of control.

ww

 

[Bubbletrubble]

The narcotic effects of nitrogen begin at pressures exceeding atmospheric pressure. In other words, immediately upon descent.

@DCBC: Are you sure about this? (This should stimulate some discussion. )

 

[laurin]

@DCBC: Are you sure about this? (This should stimulate some discussion. )

Change in strategy of solving psychological tests:... [Undersea Hyperb Med. 2003] - PubMed result

AFAIK there are multiple studies supporting this along with common sense.

HTH. Narcosis doesn't just appear out of nowhere @4atm, it starts shallow and just gets worse at depth...

//LN