ABSTRACT
Research documenting changes in cortisol concentration following hyperbaric exposures has been contradictory, possibly due to the inclusion of many confounding factors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to document short- and long-term cortisol responses following repeated water immersions arid/or exposure to raised partial pressure of oxygen under controlled conditions. Thirty-two Navy divers (31 ± 7 [19-44] years; mean ± SD) were exposed to one of three resting thermoneutral experimental conditions at a pressure of 1.35 atmospheres absolute (atm abs) for six hours on five consecutive days: (1) breathing air while immersed (air; n = 10); (2) breathing 100% oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber (dry; n = 12); or (3) breathing 100% oxygen while immersed (oxygen; n = 10). Divers were at rest for all conditions. Serum cortisol concentrations were measured one hour before and after each dive. The change in cortisol (ug/dL) after diving was similar for air (3.63 ± 5.56), dry (4.91 ± 3.68) and oxygen (3.50 ± 3.48) phases (p > 0.05). There were no differences in preor post-dive cortisol concentrations across dive days for any of the experimental conditions. This study provides evidence that repeated long-duration, thermoneutral immersions and/or hyperbaric oxygen exposures at 1.35 atm abs, under ideal conditions per se do not abnormally alter cortisol concentrations. Observed changes are likely the result of the natural circadian rhythm of cortisol.
