I swam regularly (3-4 x/week) for approximately 5 years and had laid off for the past 7 months. Thankfully I'm back in the pool again. I am relatively healthy and have missed almost no work. However, whenever I get out of the pool I have cold symptoms--congestion, running nose, sneezing, etc. I know I probably swallow my share of water, and I've learned to live with these nuisances, but are these symptoms common for others?
Parents
Former Member
There is absolutely no purpose for a nose while swimming. It is ineffective to take air in, and unnecessary to let air out -- the only reason to blow air out of it is to prevent water from coming in.
I actually tried to breath in through my nose while swimming freestyle today. The only way to get air in was to limit what I breathed through my mouth, which is not the purpose. Also, I sprayed my sinuses with chlorinated water and sneezed for half a day.
The nose is bad for swimming. It is the reason for the start of this thread, and it prevents goggles from fitting (I know, I have a big nose.) If I did not have a nose I could back dolphin farther from the wall and goggles would be cheaper.
There is *no* downside to wearing a nose plug. The best 55+ backstroker in the world wears a nose plug when he races. You can too.
There is absolutely no purpose for a nose while swimming. It is ineffective to take air in, and unnecessary to let air out -- the only reason to blow air out of it is to prevent water from coming in.
I actually tried to breath in through my nose while swimming freestyle today. The only way to get air in was to limit what I breathed through my mouth, which is not the purpose. Also, I sprayed my sinuses with chlorinated water and sneezed for half a day.
The nose is bad for swimming. It is the reason for the start of this thread, and it prevents goggles from fitting (I know, I have a big nose.) If I did not have a nose I could back dolphin farther from the wall and goggles would be cheaper.
There is *no* downside to wearing a nose plug. The best 55+ backstroker in the world wears a nose plug when he races. You can too.
