to nap or not to nap?

[Dr Deco]

The truth is, some divers have been found unconscious when their buddies thought that they were simply sleeping.

Not hypothetical!

 

[Chaseh]

What about warming up under the blanket too? I thought raising the body temp was a nono as well.

You may have trouble keeping me out of the hammock on a 5 dive day, but I can do without the blanket, and certainly without the hottub that some dive resorts have featured.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Chaseh,

For off-gassing purposes, it generally is desirable that one be warm rather than cool following a dive and therefore warming under a blanket is fine.

What is to be avoided is becoming overheated or overactive, or engaging in strenuous physical activities that punish joints and muscles.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[fallcreek196]

Hi donnad, The SI's we had at the Flower Gardens were at least 2 hours if that helps. A little light activity bewtween dives and maybe a rest of 40 winks or so?
Have fun.

 

[lowwall]

Spend more time on the ascent (add a deep stop or two, play around around for a few minutes above 30', take the final 10' very slowly) and you may find the urge to nap decreases substantially.

 

[capt GBI]

The Better Dives Are Usally In The Mornings --take The Nap

 

[Midnight Star]

For me, being fresh and alert, especially when diving is a must. If taking a nap helps when on a long dive trip, then by all means nap - your body knows better than me or anyone else if it's tired. I'm sure you'd recognize the difference between needing rest and a possible embolism somewhere in the CNS's main computer that could cause unexpected drowsiness (or a bad mix or gas - CO in the mix).

But ... i'd rather have a good night's sleep before a dive, instead of a quick cat nap inbetween them.

-----

Mike.

 

[WesTexDiver]

Henry's Law clealy states that the ammount of gas that is forced into solution is directly proportianal to the partial pressure of that gas.....which is how we get the nitrogen into our system quite simply. HOWEVER it also states that the ammount of gas in solution is INVERSLELY proportional to the absolute TEMPERATURE. Simply the lower the temperature the more gas in solution. SO the higher the temperature the more gas coming out of solution. We should all know that water lowers the body temperature 25X faster than air. Any water that you are diving in less than your body temperature will in fact lower your body temperature.

You don't want to get hypothermic and not warm up after a dive, because the total sum of lost temperature from repetative diving can cause hypothermia even in "tropical" water.

My best suggestion is dry off and stay warm, but if you are sweating from being wrapped in a blanket then you are in fact increasing your risk of DCI due to increased amount of nitrogen being forced from solution by heat.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello readers:

While it is true that more inert gas will dissolve in cold water than in warm water, the body does not actually change its internal temperature in normal dive conditions. We are warm-blooded creatures [homiotherms]. While it is possible that the skin can cool in cold water, the core temperature of the body will essentially remain constant.

Probably the greatest influence that cold water will have on gas exchange is the moments the diver might make in an attempt to stay warm. This will increase the flow of blood to active tissues.

The Henry’s law constant for solubility is not very sensitive to small changes in temperature. By small, I refer to the normal diver. Certainly one who has become cold to the point of uncontrolled shivering is in a different category,

Dr Deco :doctor: