What is Nitrogen Narcosis: signs, symptoms and treatment (according to a scuba instructor)
Feeling a little tipsy while diving, kinda like you’ve had one too many. Well my friend, you most likely are experiencing nitrogen narcosis! Read on for what exactly that condition is, cause, signs and symptoms and how to treat it.

What is Nitrogen Narcosis
To put it plain and simple, nitrogen narcosis is the disorienting effect nitrogen has on the brain at increased pressure. It has been known by many other names including “narced,” “the martini effect” and, to those old school divers, “the rapture of the deep.”

Cause
As mentioned above, nitrogen is the culprit causing nitrogen narcosis. The air that we breath is made up of 78% nitrogen, which is of no issue when we are at the surface. Once we start to descend, and add pressure to our bodies, we are absorbing and storing more nitrogen in our bodies. See Henry’s Law. This is called “ingassing,” which will continue until the pressure of nitrogen is balanced between the nitrogen in the air we are breathing and the nitrogen in our bodies.

At what Depth Does Nitrogen Narcosis occur
Ok, this one is not so easy to answer. Generally speaking, people may start to feel the effects of nitrogen narcosis around 60ft to 70ft. Now this is not written in stone. The fact of the matter is that as soon as we are descending, we are starting to store up nitrogen. every diver and every dive is different. Effects can occur at different depths, for different divers, on different days. It comes down to how your body is reacting to the nitrogen build up for that particular dive.

It is important to note that if you feel the effects of nitrogen narcosis and continue to go deeper, the symptoms can increase in severity.
Signs and Symptoms
Ever been drunk or buzzed? well that’s what it is like to have nitrogen narcosis. Remember it is the “disorienting” effect nitrogen has on the brain at increased pressure. This is akin to being intoxicated, hence the name “the martini effect.” According to the martini effect, being at 2 atmospheres (at 33ft of sea water) is the equivalent of drinking 1 martini, 3 atmospheres (at 66ft sea water) is the equivalent of drinking 2 martinis and 4 atmospheres (at 99ft of sea water) is the equivalent of drinking 3 martinis and so on.

As the effects of nitrogen narcosis mimic intoxication, symptoms may include Impaired mental abilities (acting silly like trying to give a fish your regulator), poor judgment (bad decision making like going into a cave when not certified to cave dive) and difficulty concentrating (lack of focus like forgetting to check your air supply or stay by your dive buddy).

Treatment
Now for the good news…there is no hangover with nitrogen narcosis. When you are feeling its effects, simply ascend, safely, to a shallower depth and the effects will wear off rather quickly.

Wrapping Things Up
So there you have it. Just like we don’t want drunk drivers, we also don’t want any drunk divers that can make bad decisions and put themselves, or others, at risk. Be on the look out for nitrogen narcosis and remember that it can strike at any time when diving. Just because you didn’t feel its effects at a certain depth yesterday, does not mean you won’t feel them today at the same depth. If you do feel the effects, safely ascend to get relief. If you keep descending, the effects can get stronger and that could lead to some poor judgment, which can be fatal underwater.

If You’re Looking For other Scuba Diving Tips, Check Out The Below.
“How boring would the world be if everywhere and everyone were the same. Safe travels and good adventures.” Scuba Jay