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What Is Nitrogen Narcosis? The Easy Explanation

Nitrogen causes both inert gas narcosis and decompression sickness. However, the two are not to be confused. Decompression sickness, or ‘the bends‘, is caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in your body tissues in the event of a rapid ascent or overexposure. On the contrary, the chief cause of nitrogen narcosis is nitrogen’s lipophilicity in combination with elevated pressure at its breathing depth.

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Articles of Interest

Diver's Cemetery: The Blue Hole of Dahab

Lipski died at just over 300 feet underwater. At this depth, the body is subject to nitrogen narcosis, which can play havoc on the mind by inducing overconfidence, euphoria, hallucinations, confusion, and impaired judgment. It didn't help that Lipski had just one tank full of air — technical divers are better served by multiple tanks filled with trimix, a combination of oxygen, nitrogen, and helium that reduces narcosis.

Do Freedivers Get Nitrogen Narcosis? (& how to protect yourself against it)

There are countless disturbing stories out there of the effects of nitrogen narcosis on divers. Some stories even tell tales of narcosis-induced divers completely losing their minds, stripping themselves of their scuba tanks and swimming to the depths of the ocean never to be seen again.

I've Spent More Than 300 Hours in the Deep-Sea Twilight Zone

When you're in the Twilight Zone, it's incredible because everything you see is something that has never been seen before. But you have to be careful, because it's very easy to die at that depth.

Nitrogen Narcosis Uncovered

Narcosis is generally associated with a phenomenon related to depth, at 30m (100ft). Many divers are not aware that the symptoms of Nitrogen Narcosis appear in shallow depths, at 2m (6ft). Although is true that the symptoms are not important until reaching the 30 metres (100ft), practically we are under the effects of Nitrogen Narcosis during the whole dive.

Nitrogen Narcosis vs. Decompression Sickness (The Bends)

Thankfully, nitrogen narcosis is completely and quickly reversible in just a few minutes by ascending to a shallow depth. It has no long-term effects and the nitrogen gas causing the narcosis does not form bubbles.

What is Nitrogen Narcosis: Everything You Need to Know

Nitrogen narcosis should not be confused with decompression sickness or the bends, which takes place when inhaled nitrogen forms bubbles in the blood and tissues and were not effectively eliminated through exhalation because the diver stayed underwater too long or ascended too fast. These small bubbles can block blood flow to certain parts of the body, potentially leading to irreversible tissue damage and even death.

What Is Nitrogen Narcosis? Explaining the 'Martini Effect'

Nitrogen is a major part of the air we regularly breathe. But when divers breathe from their air supply underwater, it is much more dense, increasing the quantity of nitrogen in the body. This has an outsized effect on the nervous system, so divers’ functioning can become impaired at a depth of about 100 ft. (depending on the person). The sensation has been dubbed “the martini effect” because divers liken it to drinking one martini on an empty stomach for every additional 50 ft.

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StatPearls

Nitrogen narcosis, also known as depth intoxication or rapture of the deep, is a change in consciousness and neuromuscular function caused by breathing compressed inert gas. Classically, this condition occurs in scuba divers that breathe compressed nitrogen, however, it can also occur when other inert gases, such as neon, argon, krypton, and xenon are inhaled.