A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Diane Kaern was most recently a global sales operations finance director. In her free time, Diane Kaern has enjoyed scuba diving, an activity that requires breathing control.

As scuba divers descend into the water, the air in their lungs contracts, with the opposite holding true during an ascent. Continuous breathing ensures that air is able to escape the lungs properly. As such, scuba divers must avoid the natural inclination to hold their breath when they are in the water since doing so can cause major damage to the body.

Holding the breath during scuba diving prevents expanding air from escaping, which can lead to the rupturing of the alveoli that line the lung’s walls. Known as a pulmonary barotrauma, this rupturing can result in air bubbles from the lungs escaping into the diver’s bloodstream and chest cavity. 

In extreme cases, air bubbles in the bloodstream result in an arterial gas embolism, which can lead to death. Divers must stay continually aware that if they do not maintain proper continuous breathing, altitude changes of even a couple of feet can result in injuries related to lung expansion.