The heart rate of breath-hold divers during static apnea: effects of competitive stress

Breath-hold divers compete with regard to depth, time and/or distance. The present observations were carried out on athletes performing static apnea where they perform one breath-hold for as long a duration as possible with the body and face immersed in water. Heart rate was measured on eight competitors participating in the Swedish Championship in static apnea 2001, both during the competition and during a separate training session using the Polar NV system. The duration of apneas during the competition ranged from 3 minutes 27 seconds to 5 minutes 33 seconds. The divers exhibited significantly faster heart rates prior to and during the first 90 seconds of apnea in connection with competition, than during training. One subject experienced a loss of motor control during the competition. We suggest that mental stress in humans, caused here by a competitive situation, leads to an increase in the heart rate during apnea.