When diving in water, your body is not only exposed to a change in the surrounding environment, but many physiological reactions occur at the level of cells and internal devices from the effects of pressure to the response of the nervous system, and here is what happens to your body cells when you overwhelm yourself in the water.
Pressure on the body
When diving in water, the cells of the body are exposed to pressure resulting from the weight of the water. The more it deepens in the water, the more pressure on the body and this pressure affects the cells in general, and leads to an increase in pressure on the tissues, which may stimulate some vital reactions inside the body.
How does this affect the cells of the body?
When diving in the depth of water, external pressure occurs on the cells, which may affect the size of the cells and pave the way to increase blood flow to the deep tissues in order to maintain the internal balance, and in addition, the effect of pressure is less effective on large cells compared to small cells such as red blood cells.
Nervous response
When you are immersed in the water, the nervous system automatically stimulates the instinct of immersion or what is known as the effect of slow immersion and this causes a rapid physiological reaction that includes reducing the heart rate and increasing blood flow to vital organs such as the brain and heart where scientists believe that this response is a protection mechanism that helps the body to deal with oxygen interruption.
How does this affect cells?
The change in blood flow and slow heart rate leads to a decrease in the consumption of oxygen in the cells, allowing the body to stay underwater for a longer period and in addition, reducing the metabolism rate during immersion in water helps cells reduce energy consumption.
Temperature
When the body enters the water, its cells begin to interact with the water temperature. If the water temperature is cold, the body begins to reduce the blood vessels near the skin to maintain internal heat, which affects the blood circulation, and if the water temperature is warm, on the contrary, the blood vessels expand to increase blood flow, which helps to relax the muscles.
How does this affect cells?
This reaction helps the body cells to maintain a balanced temperature despite the changes in the surrounding environment, and in the case of cold water, some chemical reactions inside the cells may occur to help stimulate the energy production process to maintain the optimum temperature of the body.
Impact on blood cells
Upon dive, increased water pressure leads to changes in the formation of blood where changes in blood distribution occur in the body, and blood is directed more to vital organs such as the heart and brain.
How does this affect blood cells?
Water pressure may help to increase the amount of red blood cells in the deep tissues, which enhances the ability of blood to carry oxygen, and in some cases, red blood cells are stimulated to increase the production of oxygen due to the constant pressure on the body.
Immune response
Water exposure, whether warm or cold, leads to the reinforcement of the immune system in the body. Cold effects, in particular, can stimulate immune cells to work more efficiently to combat infection.
How does this affect cells?
The immune response includes stimulating white blood cells to combat germs and viruses better, and exposure to water helps to enhance blood circulation in the body, which enhances the ability of immune cells to move and interact with areas of infection.
Breathing improvement
When diving in water, the body automatically reduces the movement of breathing and this effect is known as the reflection of immersion that causes slow breathing and increases the efficiency of the body in the use of available oxygen.
How does this affect the cells of the body?
When immersing in water, the cells stop consuming oxygen at a high rate, and the body begins to maintain oxygen more efficiently, which helps the cells use the oxygen available better.
Activating muscle cells
When diving in water, the body is exposed to water resistance, a force that helps to stimulate muscle cells. This resistance stimulates muscle to work more effectively, which enhances the process of strengthening muscles and stimulating blood circulation.
How does this affect muscle cells?
Muscle cells interact with water resistance, which helps in improving physical performance and increasing blood flow to muscle tissue and these reactions stimulate the process of muscle repair faster.
