nitrogen narcosis

noun

, Pathology.

1. a semistupor, lightheadedness, or euphoria experienced by deep-sea divers when nitrogen from air enters the blood at higher than atmospheric pressure.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitrogen narcosis¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Part of the reason lies in the challenge, another in how deep dives change the chemistry in the brain, creating nitrogen narcosis or a “rapture of the deep” that freedivers describe in lyrical terms.

From Washington Post

From 40 metres to 60 metres you get nitrogen narcosis and from 80 metres and deeper you get oxygen poisoning.

From The Guardian

At this depth, it’s possible to succumb to a condition known as nitrogen narcosis, in which breathing gases at high pressure causes mental, and sometimes physical, impairment.

From The Guardian

But some have speculated that nitrogen narcosis, or the “martini effect,” may have played a role in the tragedy.

From Time

Even experts risk equipment failures, insufficient decompression, and the dangerous confusion induced by nitrogen narcosis.

From National Geographic