Swimming with a cold is typically fine, so long as your symptoms are not accompanied by a sore throat. When you have what feels like a simple cold with chest congestion, you may find that swimming exacerbates your symptoms. By understanding what is making your congestion worse, you can work to prevent the problem for better comfort and better performance while swimming. Your body's reaction and the pool's environment can both affect your congestion level in the water.
Environment
The pool's environment offers the best clue as to whether going swimming will increase your chest congestion or not. Indoor pools are typically hot and humid, with dense air and warm temperatures. This contributes to a thick and mucouslike feeling in your chest. While a humid environment is ideal for asthmatics, if you suffer from congestion as the result of a cold or allergies, you may find your symptoms are worse. Swimming in an outdoor pool or other body of water can help you find relief.
Allergic Reaction
Some swimmers may find that chest congestion is the result of an allergic reaction to the chemicals in the pool. When your body is intolerant of bromine or chlorine, you'll experience an allergic reaction not unlike hay fever or a dander allergy. This often leads to congestion; sneezing; and itchy, watery eyes. Taking an antihistamine can help remedy the problem but it could also leave you sleepy and unaware, dangerous while swimming.
Prevention
Knowing the conditions that tend to exacerbate your chest congestion while in the pool can help you anticipate the problem and prevent congestion before it threatens to derail your time in the water. If you're sensitive to the chemicals in the water, choose a natural body of water with designated swimming areas in which to swim, or look for saltwater pools, which don't contain chemicals. While natural bodies of water may not aggravate allergy symptoms, they can still harbor bacteria, such as e.coli, which can make you sick in other ways. Before swimming in natural water, contact the parks department of the city or county and ask about recent outbreaks and the safety of swimming in a certain body of water.
If your congestion is the result of the hot and humid environment of the pool, choose a well-ventilated indoor pool or switch to outdoor water to keep your chest clear.
Treatment
When you're at the pool and begin to feel congestion, it's the ideal time to take a break outside of the pool area. Since congestion can impede your breathing, take frequent breaks to clear your chest so you can breathe freely. Wearing nose clips can help relieve some of the chest and nasal congestion that can occur as a result of getting water in your nose. If your chemical allergies are disrupting your ability to train, talk to your doctor about prescribing a non-drowsy allergy medication to help stop symptoms so you can exercise comfortably.
