CO2 & CONTRACTIONS

You know that desperate feeling, that insane urge to breathe during a breath-hold isn’t actually caused by a lack of oxygen?

That’s right, it has nothing to do with your oxygen levels at all.

Instead those crazy contractions in the body, and that need to breathe is from excessive CO2 build up instead.

CO2 BUILD UP, AND ITS EFFECTS

As CO2 builds up in the body it sends indicators to the brain triggering the impulse to breathe.

These impulses result in contractions of the diaphragm.

Contractions are autonomic responses from the body when it realises something is wrong and stimulates itself to breathe.

That’s what diaphragm contractions are.

They can be subtle, almost like a little flutter, and they can also be severe, shifting the entire upper body.

They're uncomfortable as hell, and something nobody enjoys.

CO2 ISN’T THE ONLY CAUSE

Although CO2 is the primary cause of diaphragm contractions, it’s not the only factor.

Fear, stress, and anxiety can trigger them too.

Everything we’ve learned in Module 1 has been built to minimise the impact of these triggering factors, so with side of things out the way, we’ll just be focusing on the CO2 side of things here.

HOW TO INCREASE CO2 TOLERANCE

Now that we know how important increasing our CO2 intolerance is, here are a few practical things you can do to help:

NASAL BREATHING

Nasal breathing helps to adapt the body to increased levels of CO2, and operate effectively with lower amounts of oxygen.

INTERMITTENT HYPOXIC TRAINING (IHT)

Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT) is a type of interval training done under low levels of oxygen.

Training the body in these situations helps the body to become accustomed to higher levels of CO2, and better absorb and retain oxygen too.

Surfing - with its high intensity, and periods underwater without breathing - is a form of IHT in itself.

CO2 TABLES

Used by free-divers the world over, CO2 tables are a series of exercises you can do to increase the body’s tolerance to CO2 over time.

When practiced regularly, the body will adapt to higher CO2 levels causing contractions to happen later.

There are free apps for your phone that can track your progress too: Freedive Apnea Training

WRAPPING IT UP

Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done to avoid diaphragm contractions.

The best we can do is delay when they arrive, be prepared, and understand what’s happening when they do.

CO2

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MODULE 1: UNDERSTANDING FEAR

CHAPTER 1: UNPACKING THE FEAR

CHAPTER 2: MANAGING TRAUMA

MODULE 2: PACIFYING THE FEAR

CHAPTER 1: MASTERING YOUR MIND

CHAPTER 2: BREATHE

BONUS: TRADIES TOOL BOX

MODULE 3: PRACTICAL

CHAPTER 1: EFFICIENCY

CHAPTER 2: FRONT LOADING

CHAPTER 3: THE PILOTS ROUTINE