Why practicing apnea can be beneficial for our health?
Most people who approach freediving without previous knowledge, usually think it is a risky sport, with high doses of adrenaline and danger associated. However, if learned properly and practiced following some guidelines and, above all, knowing our own limits, it is not only a fun sport but also completely safe, and that can bring us benefits also out of the water.
1- Less anxiety and stress.
A notable distinction of freediving from other sports lies in the need to dive in a state of complete relaxation. If the heart beats at a fast pace, the dive will be shallow, brief and unsafe.
From the first freediving lessons, the emphasis is on the importance of learning to relax and control breathing. We guide our students to "imagine that they are so calm that they could fall asleep". By diving into a relaxed state, the heart rate decreases and awareness is heightened, allowing for better body control.
This orientation translates into longer, safer and, most importantly, more enjoyable dives.
2- Increases self-confidence
The benefits of learning to hold your breath go beyond the aquatic environment. Comparative studies on the psychological characteristics of freedivers show lower levels of stress, anxiety and negative emotions compared to people who do not participate in this sport.
Research also indicates that freediving helps to reinforce self-confidence, improve coping strategies and strengthen the belief of being able to control internal events. Therefore, those who immerse themselves in this discipline not only develop specific skills, but also cultivate a stronger confidence in their abilities, learn more effective ways to face challenges and believe they can better control the events in their lives.
3- Strengthens the lungs and improves your breathing
When you start freediving, one of the first principles you learn is to take full breaths, using the diaphragm and not just the upper part of your lungs. This process is often initially uncomfortable, since we are not used to using the full capacity of our lungs. However, with the practice of freediving and breathing training, this feeling of discomfort progressively decreases, allowing the freediver to expand his vital capacity and take full advantage of his lung volume.
The ability to perform a full pre-dive exhalation is not only a common practice in diving, but also plays an essential role in optimizing lung efficiency.
These additional benefits translate into improved competitive performance, more efficient recovery times and noticeable improvements. In short, learning freediving techniques is not just about exploring the depths, but also involves refined breathing mastery, with positive impacts on various aspects of health and physical performance.
4- Improve your fitness and flexibility
You don't need to be an elite athlete or be able to do the pine bridge to freedive, but by training you improve both your fitness and flexibility.
And not only in the water but also outside, with plenty of options for dry training. We can program apnea walking workouts, strength training in the gym with apnea intervals, improving both muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance.
And what happens in the water, and as we descend?
As we descend, the pressure increases, so the lungs, and therefore the rib cage, are compressed. As we get our body used to this new situation, the flexibility of this area will increase.
In the freediving courses we work on flexibility both in and out of the water, achieving greater ranges of movement and a deeper awareness of our whole body.
In this line, the practice of yoga, some meditation in the morning, or just a walking session with freediving intervals, will improve all the factors that come into play, so our freediving will probably improve in a more complete way.
5- Improve your attention and concentration
As we said, we learn to control our breathing, to be aware of the path of air, how our lungs receive it, how oxygen is distributed throughout our body, how that small part of the shoulder slightly tense we are relaxing, etc.. All this leads little by little to a better mental control. A state of mindfulness is created, from the need to concentrate on breathing, the aquatic environment and time management during the dive. This will be transferred to everyday situations that improve our concentration, which is wonderful.
Apnea often requires patience and resilience. By learning to handle the sensation of breathlessness and overcoming new challenges, you develop a calmer and more resilient attitude, which can have its benefits in everyday life. Not that you will become a Buddhist monk, but you will certainly become a somewhat calmer and more mindful person.
In short, freediving not only improves physical skills related to breathing and diving, but can also have positive effects on the mind, improving concentration, patience and attitude towards challenges.
Soon we will talk a little more specifically about the science behind it. How it stimulates our feel-good neurotransmitters, what happens to our body when we activate our "mammalian reflex" when we come in contact with water, or why freedivers who train deeper usually have similar blood compositions to those who live at altitude.