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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.
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 ...
Most human babies demonstrate an innate swimming or diving reflex from birth until the age of approximately six months, which are part of a wider range of primitive reflexes found in infants and babies, but not children, adolescents and adults. Other mammals also demonstrate this phenomenon (see mammalian diving reflex).
Of course, the human body has its own built-in defenses for such a shock called the mammalian diving reflex. “And that’s why you hear these kids that you know, have been submerged in an icy ...
Physiological response to water immersion – Also known as the diving response and mammalian diving reflex; Physiology of decompression – The physiological basis for decompression theory and practice; Physiology of diving adaptations – Adaptations of marine vertebrates to diving
When a person is immersed in water, physiological changes due to the mammalian diving reflex enable somewhat longer tolerance of apnea even in untrained persons as breathing is not possible underwater. Tolerance can in addition be trained.
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]
It achieves this through the activation of the mammalian diving reflex, which has three main properties. Other than bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction, there is a blood shift which occurs only during very deep dives that affects the thoracic cavity (a chamber of the body protected by the thoracic wall .)