The Valsalva Maneuver is any attempt to exhale with the mouth and nose closed.
The maneuver is commonly used during some activities.
-Straining to have a bowel movement.
-Blowing a stuffy nose.
-Certain medical tests or exams.
-As a pressure equalization technique by scuba divers, sky divers, and airplane passengers.
The effect of the Valsalva maneuver is a drastic increase in the pressure within the thoracic cavity.
The place where the Valsalva maneuver is carried out the most is the sitting toilet.
The Valsalva maneuver is dangerous for two reasons. The increased pressure in the thoracic cavity reduces the amount of blood flowing into the thoracic cavity, especially in the veins leading to the right atriumof the heart. The maneuver can also cause blood clots to detach, bleeding, irregular heart rhythums and cardiac arrest.
Many of the heart attacks which occur in bathrooms have been linked to the Valsalva maneuver, which in turn, is closely associated with sitting toilets.