Every time I go swimming in a pool (not open water) i spend 3-4 hours after sneezing and with a really runny nose. I assume it’s some kind of allergy / reaction to the chemicals in the water. I just wondered if any one else experiences anything similar and if anyone has any tips to help stop or reduce it?
Yup, I get this every time they over-chlorinate the pool. Noseplugs help.
Yup, I get this every time they over-chlorinate the pool. Noseplugs help.
x2 on that.
I started having similar symptoms to you which I initially put down to having a cold but then became continuous. The penny-dropped after hearing that others in the same pool had experienced similar. The nose-clip cleared it all up.
Yup, I get this every time they over-chlorinate the pool. Noseplugs help.
x2 on that.
I started having similar symptoms to you which I initially put down to having a cold but then became continuous. The penny-dropped after hearing that others in the same pool had experienced similar. The nose-clip cleared it all up.
Only problem with nose clip is how do you exhale from your nose? As swimmers we were all taught to exhale from nose and inhale from mouth but how do I do that with nose Clip?
Yup, I get this every time they over-chlorinate the pool. Noseplugs help.
x2 on that.
I started having similar symptoms to you which I initially put down to having a cold but then became continuous. The penny-dropped after hearing that others in the same pool had experienced similar. The nose-clip cleared it all up.
Only problem with nose clip is how do you exhale from your nose? As swimmers we were all taught to exhale from nose and inhale from mouth but how do I do that with nose Clip?
Doesn’t seem to be a problem, I suspect that air does pass thru’ the nostrils regardless but not as much as without a clip obviously. For me, it was use a nose clip or quit the pool - it was like having a hay-fever type reaction, running nose, sneezing & sore throat.
Maybe i’ve adapted to breathing in/out mouth only, doesn’t appear to have slowed me down.
Happens to me also, it’s definitely the chlorine.
X2 on exhalation through nose. Possible with nose plug but is a bit more of a forced effort and exhailing instead through the mouth is the easier alternative.
I also found that I could change the exhalation resistance depending on where I put the nose plug: more toward the tip of my nose squeezes my nostrils closed more firmly while higher up on my bridge - less so, making nose exhalation a bit easier. But in this latter position it didn’t feel as secure in flip turns.
x4 on the nose clips, just started using them a month ago and they are a game changer – I can swim in the evening now and get to sleep without that horrible blocked nose.
x4 on the nose clips, just started using them a month ago and they are a game changer – I can swim in the evening now and get to sleep without that horrible blocked nose.
X5 on nose clips. A little Vaseline inside the nostrils also helps in a pinch. Try a couple different clips til you find a style you like then stock up…I lose at least a pair a month
could try a nasal spray before swimming to line the nasal passages.
not sure what you get in the US but in the UK something like beconase.
X6 on nose clip. There is nothing magic about exhaling through your nose – your mouth works even better. For me, it took a couple of workouts to feel comfortable with my nose closed off (the nose clip does not make a complete hermetic seal for me – I still exhale a few bubbles through my nose – but it felt very wrong at first). On the other hand, it did cure the problem starting with the first swim. BTW, I had the problem in both open water and the pool. HINT FROM HELOISE: I have an oily/greasy nose. To keep the nose clip from sliding off, I wash my nose with soap before each swim.
I beg to offer different opinion. Its just water caught in your sinuses post swim. Blowing your nose hard actually irritates it more. (Or causes chlorine caught up there to irritate it more)
Trial a nasal irrigation post swim. Nasty and over the top, but worth it.
May seem counter-intuitive, but if you swim more (as in more days per week) it probably will stop happening. You’ll get used to it.
…water in the sinuses, and yes, blowing hard afterwards can aggravate it.
A nose clip, as suggested, will work best. Absent of that, however, just make sure that as you flip turn you close your mouth and hum so that air is exiting your nose as you flip upside down. Flip turns are the most likely time you will get water up into your sinuses.
May seem counter-intuitive, but if you swim more (as in more days per week) it probably will stop happening. You’ll get used to it.
Not for me Nick, in fact this all happened during a swim block I was doing (for me, that’s 25-30k’s a week x 3mths) - if anything, the opposite may have worked better, like no swimming for a while to break the cycle. My pool at the time was a too hot, over-used leisure pool, think they perhaps shouldve adjusted the chemical dose according to the temp (not sure so that could be load of BS!) - some other guys developed hacking coughs during sessions, perhaps due to sucking in too much chloromine vapour. Definitely the pool hall lacked ventilation.
Of course, your advice may (or have) worked elsewhere so could be the solution for the OP.
At our pool they sometimes substituted bromine (?) instead of chlorine because it was cheaper. I think thats what it was. That really bothered me but now the chlorine is not as bad. I know some people who get it really bad like the worst head cold you ever had. Thats miserable. I just sneeze and sniffle a little. But more time in the pool = worse symptoms for me.
May seem counter-intuitive, but if you swim more (as in more days per week) it probably will stop happening. You’ll get used to it.
Not for me Nick, in fact this all happened during a swim block I was doing (for me, that’s 25-30k’s a week x 3mths) - if anything, the opposite may have worked better, like no swimming for a while to break the cycle. My pool at the time was a too hot, over-used leisure pool, think they perhaps shouldve adjusted the chemical dose according to the temp (not sure so that could be load of BS!) - some other guys developed hacking coughs during sessions, perhaps due to sucking in too much chloromine vapour. Definitely the pool hall lacked ventilation.
Of course, your advice may (or have) worked elsewhere so could be the solution for the OP.
At my pool, they write the chlorine levels on the whiteboard every time it gets tested. I wonder if the chemicals plus the heat plus lack of ventilation is a recipe for getting sick?
I have the same problem. For me it’s definitely a sensitivity to the chlorine. Adding more days swimming (as a plan to sort of acclimate to the conditions) didn’t help in my situation. For me the lingering problems are somewhat connected to the time spent in the pool. What I mean by that is I can swim 1600-2000 yards and the sensitivity is minimal, 2500+ yards and it’s much more noticeable, 4000+ yards and I’m looking at a very sneeze-filled and irritable day. I found it better to keep my yardage down and swim more days per week as opposed to heavy yardage fewer times a week. I guess it’s a trade-off. It just came down to finding my tolerance level and knowing that when I exceed it I’ll expect more issues.
I tried the nose plug but it was awkward and didn’t feel right. I just couldn’t get used to it. My wife uses a nose plug and has good luck with it. I’ve tried a “netti-pot” (whatever they’re called) and it didn’t really improve things for me.
I’ve used an allergy type nose spray prior to swimming. It doesn’t negate the reaction but does up my tolerance and extends my time in the pool a bit. So that has been a bit of success.
Just my 2 cents.
could try a nasal spray before swimming to line the nasal passages.
not sure what you get in the US but in the UK something like beconase.
Rhinaris (the nozoil one) helps a bit. I tried, doesn’t solve it completely, but it’s less severe.
Huge contributing factor to me quitting swimming. I couldn’t get permanent relief and was miserable.
I’m now a duathlete. And happy.