why do atheletes sleep or spend time in hyperbaric chambers?

Question

I need to know this for a chemistry class. it would be really helpful to know! thanks

Answer 1

Because, the pressure of atmospheres compress not only the circulating air but also the air inside the red blood cells which is detected by chemiorecepetors as a lack of oxigen in the body... So they send a nervous signal to the kidney so it can produce substance named Eritropoyetin, which travels to the organs that are in charge of producing blood cells to make more red blood cells, so tissues can receive proper oxigenation...

In athletes, this help, because once they are out of the chamber, they have more room to have oxigen as a reservoir, making their tissues be propertly oxigenated for more time than if they had a normal count of red cells...

Hope it helps... It is very simple, body just add make some extra space, for saving extra oxigen when preassure is increased

Answer 2

under regular atmospheric conditions, the RBC's (red blood cells) are saturated with oxygen for transport around the body. This is the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood. The blood plasma however transports very little oxygen, and so under hyperbaric (high pressure) conditions, the partial pressure of oxygen is increased because more oxygen is allowed to saturate the blood plasma. This is a treatment method for people with carbon monoxide poisoning, or pathological conditions where body tissue degenerates due to lack of oxygen.

As for athletes, you could say that the hyperbaric chamber conditions the body for strenuous exercise by increasing the body's ability to transport oxygen around the body. Another method of improving the body's capacity to work is high altitude training. Training in these conditions allows the body to adapt to low oxygen levels whilst maintaining the same muscle output. So when the athlete goes back down to lower altitudes where oxygen is plentiful, they experience a boost in performance.
It's all about pressure and how to get the most out of it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Zero, unless they are divers coming up from the "bends", a nitrogen problem form in the joints of the body, a painful affliction, but for the most part, treatable. It is quite painful and the de-comp time seems like an eternity.