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The diving reflex is a set of physiological responses that occur in response to cold water immersion, particularly when the face or body is exposed to cold water. It is an evolutionary adaptation that helps mammals, including humans, manage the challenges of being submerged in cold water.
Hypothermia does not easily occur in a diver with reasonable passive thermal insulation over a moderate exposure period, even in very cold water. [ 1 ] Body heat is lost by respiratory heat loss, by heating and humidifying ( latent heat ) inspired gas, and by body surface heat loss, by radiation, conduction, and convection, to the atmosphere ...
The cold water can also cause heart attack due to vasoconstriction; [4] the heart has to work harder to pump the same volume of blood throughout the body, and for people with heart disease, this additional workload can cause the heart to go into arrest. A person who survives the initial minute of trauma after falling into icy water can survive ...
Slowing the heart rate reduces the cardiac oxygen consumption, and compensates for the hypertension due to vasoconstriction. However, breath-hold time is reduced when the whole body is exposed to cold water as the metabolic rate increases to compensate for accelerated heat loss even when the heart rate is significantly slowed. [2]
The physiology of underwater diving is the physiological adaptations to diving of air-breathing vertebrates that have returned to the ocean from terrestrial lineages. They are a diverse group that include sea snakes, sea turtles, the marine iguana, saltwater crocodiles, penguins, pinnipeds, cetaceans, sea otters, manatees and dugongs.
[17] [35] Decompression sickness risk can be reduced by increased ambient temperature during decompression following dives in cold water, [48] though risk is also increased by ingassing while the diver is warm and peripherally well-perfused, and decompressing when the diver is cold. [49] body type – typically, a person who has a high body fat ...
The hunting reaction or hunting response is a process of alternating vasoconstriction and vasodilation in extremities exposed to cold. The term Lewis reaction is used too, named after Thomas Lewis, who first described the effect in 1930. [1] Vasoconstriction occurs first to reduce heat loss, but also results in strong cooling of the extremities.
Hypothermia has two main types of causes. It classically occurs from exposure to cold weather and cold water immersion. It may also occur from any condition that decreases heat production or increases heat loss. [1] Commonly, this includes alcohol intoxication but may also include low blood sugar, anorexia and advanced age.