7 ms·
A decade or two back, the US Navy used the recruiting slogan "Accelerate Your Life." On submarines, it wasn't uncommon to see men who looked unusually old: ful
by i_am_proteus 7y ago
A decade or two back, the US Navy used the recruiting slogan "Accelerate Your Life."
On submarines, it wasn't uncommon to see men who looked unusually old: full head of grey hair before age 40, perhaps.
I have never been a medical resident, but submarine service can be pretty damn stressful; we jokingly called the service "the life accelerator" because of how fast people seemed to age.
I always chalked it up to natural deviation, but maybe it'll turn out to be a genuine effect of sustained stress.
- nradov 7y agoAre submarines more stressful than surface ships? I was never in the Navy but I've heard surface warfare officers complain that they were constantly sleep deprived. Between standing watches, training, maintenance, and managing subordinates they barely got a few hours of poor quality sleep per day.
- davemp 7y agoSubs keep their air at significantly lower oxygen concentrations for fire safety reasons which may contribute to the stress. I had a teacher tell stories about sailors putting bags over whatever emitted the oxygen and then breathing it directly.
- i_am_proteus 7y agoThis is not strictly true. Shipyard maintenance periods are one of the most stressful times, and the boat is openly ventilated. What's important for fire safety is not letting oxygen get above normal atmospheric concentrations.
- davemp 7y agoAhh my fault. I'll have to let my high school chemistry teacher know to stop using that story lol.
- nradov 7y agoThe average PPO₂ on submarines appears to be no lower than the air in Aspen CO. People living in Aspen don't age faster than normal. Since higher oxygen levels cause oxidative stress in the body it's even possible that lower oxygen might protect against some aging symptoms.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- shrimp_emoji 7y agoIsn't the new meta that aging isn't due to oxidization but to an impairment to the body's anti-oxidization mechanism due to under-oxidization? Because, if that's the case, more oxygen would slow your aging by putting your anti-oxidization system to work. None of this is oversimplified and stupid.
- i_am_proteus 7y agoI was never permanent crew on a surface ship, but that story certainly sounds familiar. For added fun, though, submarine crews are divorced from circadian rhythms: a submarine "day" is 18 hours long rather than 24.