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Diving reflex in a human baby The diving reflex , also known as the diving response and mammalian diving reflex , is a set of physiological responses to immersion that overrides the basic homeostatic reflexes , and is found in all air-breathing vertebrates studied to date.
There’s such a thing as a mammalian diving reflex, which slows the mammalian pulse—i.e., our pulses—if we believe we’re underwater, an instinct that allows us to conserve as much heat as ...
During the diving reflex, the infant's heart rate decreases by an average of 20%. [1] The glottis is spontaneously sealed off and the water entering the upper respiratory tract is diverted down the esophagus into the stomach. [6] The diving response has been shown to have an oxygen-conserving effect
The diving reflex is more pronounced in aquatic mammals and is thought to have originated as a way to conserve oxygen and enhance the ability to stay underwater for longer periods. Key components of the diving reflex include: Bradycardia: The heart rate decreases significantly when the face is exposed to cold water. This helps to conserve ...
Other mammals also demonstrate this phenomenon (see mammalian diving reflex). The diving response involves apnea, reflex bradycardia, and peripheral vasoconstriction; in other words, babies immersed in water spontaneously hold their breath, slow their heart rate, and reduce blood circulation to the extremities (fingers and toes). [9]
Our Mammalian diving reflex article says this explicitly: "Every animal's diving reflex is triggered specifically by cold water contacting the face – water that is warmer than 21 °C (70 °F) does not cause the reflex, and neither does submersion of body parts other than the face.
Reflex syncope can occur in otherwise healthy individuals, and has many possible causes, often trivial ones such as prolonged standing with the legs locked. [ citation needed ] The main danger of vasovagal syncope (or dizzy spells from vertigo) is the risk of injury by falling while unconscious.
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