The Effect of Breath-Hold Diving on Selected Adaptive Mechanisms in the Circulatory-Respiratory System in Simulated Static and Dynamic Apnoea

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The Effect of Breath-Hold Diving on Selected Adaptive Mechanisms in the Circulatory-Respiratory System in Simulated Static and Dynamic Apnoea Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity 2019; 11(1): 7-17 Journal of Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport ORIGINAL e-ISSN 2080-9999 doi: 10.29359/BJHPA.11.1.01 The effect of breath-hold diving on selected adaptive mechanisms in the circulatory-respiratory system in simulated static and dynamic apnoea 1 ABDF 1 D 2 C Authors’ Contribution: Magdalena Solich-Talanda , Rafał Mikołajczyk , Robert Roczniok , Aleksandra A Study Design Żebrowska1 ADEF B Data Collection C Statistical Analysis 1 D Data Interpretation Department of Physiological and Medical Sciences, E Manuscript Preparation The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland F Literature Search G Funds Collection 2 Department of Sports Theory, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland abstract Background: ‪Current research results indicate high adaptation of an organism to long-term apnoea. Breathing techniques allow increasing the volume of the inhaled air and thus prolong the breath-hold time at rest and during physical effort. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of breath-hold on adaptations of the respiratory and circulatory systems and cardiopulmonary-respiratory reactions at rest and during physical effort in persons practising freediving. Material and methods: ‪The study involved 17 athletes practising breath-hold diving, at the mean age of 38.4 ±8.4 years. Spirometry tests to evaluate static and dynamic lung indicators were conducted. The heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation (SpO2), and the apnoea time in three breath-hold trials were measured: static dry STA-D, static with face immersed in water STA-I and dynamic (DYN-D). Results: ‪The values of spirometry indicators were higher than the normal values at the appropriate peak expiratory flow (91.6 ± 27.2%). A significant effect of breath-hold on the HR was demonstrated in the STA-D test (W = 0.43, at p < 0.05) and STA-I (W = 0.51, at p < 0.05). The mean breath-hold time was significantly lower in the dynamic trial DYN-D vs STA-D (p < 0.001) and in STA-D Ex vs STA-I (P < 0.001). Higher mean values of SpO2 were shown in DYN-D in comparison to STA-D (p < 0.05). Conclusions: ‪The results of this study indicate that breath-hold training beneficially affects adaptation of the circulatory system, causing strong bradycardia and lower tolerance in response to prolonged apnoea during physical effort. Key words: freediving, spirometry, heart rate, apnoea, exercise. article details Article statistics: Word count: 3,131; Tables: 3; Figures: 6; References: 38 Received: November 2018; Accepted: March 2019; Published: March 2019 Full-text PDF: http://www.balticsportscience.com Copyright © Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Poland Indexation: Celdes, Clarivate Analytics Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), CNKI Scholar (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), CNPIEC, De Gruyter - IBR (International Bibliography of Reviews of Scholarly Literature in the Humanities and Social Sciences), De Gruyter - IBZ (International Bibliography of Periodical Literature in the Humanities and Social Sciences), DOAJ, EBSCO - Central & Eastern European Academic Source, EBSCO - SPORTDiscus, EBSCO Discovery Service, Google Scholar, Index Copernicus, J-Gate, Naviga (Softweco, Primo Central (ExLibris), ProQuest - Family Health, ProQuest - Health & Medical Complete, ProQuest - Illustrata: Health Sciences, ProQuest - Nursing & Allied Health Source, Summon (Serials Solutions/ProQuest, TDOne (TDNet), Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory/ulrichsweb, WorldCat (OCLC) Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Conflict of interests: Authors have declared that no competing interest exists. Corresponding author: Corresponding author: Aleksandra Zebrowska, Department of Physiological and Medical Sciences, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, Mikolowska Street 72 A, 40-065 Katowice, Poland; E-mail: [email protected] ; phone no.: +48608418581. Open Access License: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and is otherwise in compliance www.balticsportscience.com 7 Solich-Talanda M, Mikołajczyk R, Roczniok R, Żebrowska A. Szczesna-Kaczmarek A Adaptive mechanisms in freedivers Blood K+ concentration balance after prolonged submaximal exercise... Balt J Health Phys Act. 2019;11(1):7-17 Balt J Health Phys Act 2014; 1(1): 233-244 INTRODUCTION Freediving is a sports discipline in which athletes compete in various diving events with their breath withheld. The first group of events includes the depth ones: fixed ballast, free immersion, variable ballast and no limits. The second group comprises three pool events in which the athlete has to swim the longest distance underwater using fins or a monofin (dynamics in fins), swim the longest distance underwater without fins (dynamics without fins) or hold their breath under water for as long as possible (statics) [1, 2]. The trends in improving world records in this sport indicate high adaptation of an organism to long-term apnoea [2, 3, 4]. The applied breathing techniques allow increasing the volume of the inhaled air and thus prolong the breath-hold time at rest and during physical effort [5, 6, 7]. Physiological response to regular, repeatable manoeuver of breath-hold in divers relies on increasing lung vital capacity (VC) through greater utilisation of residual volume (RV) and triggering adaptive mechanisms which protect against hypercapnia and hypoxemia developed during apnoea [8, 9, 10, 11]. The evidence-based protective mechanisms in the cardiovascular system that allow few minutes’ breath-hold include: cerebral vasodilation due to increased CO2 levels, increased oxygen dissociation from haemoglobin and the use of oxygen reserves [12, 13, 14]. It has been proven that in well-trained freedivers, an increase in the apnoea time results from a decrease in partial pressure in the lungs, a decrease in blood saturation (SpO2) [15], a reduction of the heart rate (HR) with a simultaneous increase in the stroke volume (SV) [16, 17, 18]. The described adaptive reactions are defined as a “diving reflex”. Increased secretion of adrenal catecholamine, which worsens the spleen effect, is the main response to the diving reflex [18, 19 20]. The function of the diving reflex is to reduce the consumption of oxygen by organs and tissues to ensure adequate supply of oxygen to the brain and the heart [21]. An additional factor that affects the response of the cardiovascular system during breath-hold diving is the immersion of the body in water. As a result of water immersion, there is further centralization of circulation and bradycardia by stimulation of the trigeminal nerve [20, 21, 22]. The above-mentioned mechanisms and adaptive reactions protect against hypoxia and at the same time allow for longer breath-hold in static competition [3, 12] and apnoea tolerance in dynamic tests [10, 13]. Previous studies did not explain what significance the ability to increase ventilation and perfusion in the airways has for the adaptation to static and dynamic breath-hold and whether there are protective mechanisms in the cardiovascular system in trained athletes – representatives of the national team, medallists and finalists of the World Championship in pool freediving. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the impact of specific breath-hold diving training on cardiopulmonary reactions at rest and during physical effort in trained athletes – representatives of the national team, medallists and finalists of the World Championship in pool freediving. MATERIAL AND METHODS SUBJECTS The study involved 17 athletes (4 women and 13 men) aged 38.4 ±8.4 years. The mean training experience was 8.3 ±7.7 years (Table 1). Figure 1 presents the best results in breath-hold diving without fins (DNF) and with fins (DYN), and Fig. 2 www.balticsportscience.com 8 BalticBaltic Journal Journal of of Health Health and and Physical Physical Activity Activity 2019; 2014; 11(1): 1(1): 1-47-17 JournalJournal of of Gdansk Gdansk University University of of Physical Physical Education Education and and Sport Sport e-ISSNe-ISSN 2080-9999 2080-9999 in static breath-hold (STA). Prior to the cardiopulmonary stress tests in the subjects, somatic indicators were evaluated in the study group (Inbody 570, Sweden) and their written consent to participate in the study was obtained. The research project was approved of by University Bioethics Committee for Scientific Research at Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education – Opinion No 3/2018 of 19 April 2018. Table 1. Subjects’ characteristics Variables n=17 Mean, SD Age (year) 38.4 ± 8.4 Height (cm) 178.6 ± 8.2 Weight (kg) 76.2 ± 12.3 BMI (kg/m2) 24.5 ± 4.1 FFM [kg] 62.3 ± 11.1 Training status (years) 8.3 ± 7.7 BMI – body mass index, FFM – free fat mass Fig. 1. The best distance in breath-hold diving Fig. 2. The best time in the static breath-hold without fins (DNF) and with fins (DYN) (STA). RESEARCH PROTOCOL Spirometry control In the spirometry test, the following parameters of the lungs were measured: vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second of forced vital capacity (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF). The ratio of FEV1/FVC, the maximal expiratory flow (MEF 75%, 50%, 25%) and the maximal voluntary ventilation, (MVV) were calculated. The study was conducted in accordance with recommendations for spirometry tests [23] using a portable spirometer (Pony-FX from the Cosmed company, Italy). Protocol of the static test and dynamic breath-hold An assessment of the heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation in haemoglobin (SpO2) was performed during three trials of breath-hold at room temperature (23oC). Breath-hold tests during effort were conducted in consistence with the previously described test protocol [24].
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