A condition of disorientation, intoxication and stupor caused by increased levels of dissolved nitrogen in the blood; occurs in divers breathing air under pressure; the "rapture of the deep"
confused or stuporous state caused by high levels of dissolved nitrogen in the blood; "deep-sea divers can suffer nitrogen narcosis from breathing air under high pressure
A condition of confusion or stupor resulting from increased levels of dissolved nitrogen in the blood, as that occurring in deep-sea divers breathing air under high pressure. or nitrogen euphoria or raptures of the deep Effects of breathing nitrogen under increased pressure. In divers breathing compressed air, nitrogen saturates the nervous system, causing an intoxicating light-headed, numb feeling, then slowed reasoning and dexterity, and then emotional instability and irrationality. Severe cases progress to convulsions and blackout. Susceptibility varies, and severity increases with depth, but there are no aftereffects. Physical function remains normal, and divers may be unaware of the growing irrationality that can cause them to rise too fast (see decompression sickness) or let their air supply run out. Helium, which dissolves less easily in body tissues, is substituted for nitrogen for deep dives