There is nothing worse than feeling all blocked up. When your nose and chest is congested, it can be tempting to want to spend the entire day in bed. Nevertheless, this is something most of us will experience during the winter months, and we will need to get on with our day – go to work and continue the normal day-to-day activities. But, what about our workout? Will we be able to continue swimming, or will nasal and chest congestion get even worse?
If you are feeling very unwell, then you certainly should not be engaging in any type of activity, instead, you should focus on feeling better. However, if you have been suffering from a respiratory illness of any kind, once you do start to feel better, the congestion can move to your chest. Thus, you are essentially on the road to recovery, and you may want to start going swimming again. It’s a difficult decision, as you don’t want to make your illness worse or pass it on to others – after all, you are not completely rid of it yet. Nevertheless, there are instances when you may be able to swim rather than wait for the congestion to pass, and this relates to those of you who are experiencing chest congestion because you are suffering from something other than an infection or cold. Consulting with a naturopathy expert is a good way to know what’s best for you. The ANP is a good resource for this.
One of the main reasons why you should not go swimming if you are experiencing nasal or chest congestion is because you could spread the infection and make other people ill. Needless to say, swimming pools are filled with chlorinated water, and this does stop germs from being spread to a certain degree. However, there is always the risk that you are going to pass on your infection to someone else, or you may pick up a secondary infection, which is likely to make you even sicker than you were in the first place. Aside from this, you also need to consider the fact that the water chemicals may make your congestion even worse. Of course, the chemicals that are used in swimming pools are safe because they are used in the correct amount. However, when you are suffering from nasal and chest congestion, it is not advisable to go swimming because the chemicals may irritate your bronchial tubes and nasal passages.
So, if water chemicals and the risk of the infection spreading are two of the main problems, can you simply engage in another form of exercise instead? It’s not advised. In fact, the main risk associated with swimming in terms of making your illness worse is that you may find yourself gasping for air when working out because you are already congested. This is not something that will only happen during swimming; it can occur when you engage in any type of cardiovascular exercise because your heart rate and breathing will increase. You also need to consider the fact that the energy you are expending on working out, is energy you could probably do with using to fight the infection instead. You are taking valuable energy away from your immune system, and thus you could potentially fight the illness a lot sooner if you avoid any cardiovascular exercises.
Nevertheless, as you may have picked up on in the introduction, we did note that there are instances when you can swim if you are experiencing chest and nasal congestion for a different reason. A lot of people suffer from this because they have asthma or another type of allergy, and thus swimming is a great choice because regular exercise can actually help those who suffer from chest congestion because of this. However, if you do have any type of medical condition, it is always better to talk to your doctor first. Everyone is different, and your doctor will be able to advise you on the best exercise based on what they know about you and your condition.