How Do You Not Inhale Water when Swimming?
Does water go into your nose when you swim?
In the article on does water go inside you when you swim, we saw that water does not get inside your uterus or your genitals.
But it is different for the nose!
If you want to swim underwater without holding your nose, first you need to know whether water can get inside it when you swim.
The straight answer here is that water can get inside your nose when you swim if you inhale with your nose inside the water. But the most important thing is to prevent water from going inside the nose when swimming.
You could buy a nose clip for swimming such as Speedo Unisex Nose Clips on Amazon.com. However, most people complain that they still get water inside their noses even when they wear nose clips.
Keep reading to see how to prevent water from getting up the nose.
How to not get water up nose when swimming
Imagine getting inside the water after shocking the swimming pool. The chlorine level will be a bit higher than you get on a normal day. Inhaling chlorine irritates the airways and causes shortness of breath. It is even worse if the same water gets inside your nose.
Even when you are not swimming in a saltwater or chlorine pool, you still need to prevent water from getting inside your lungs.
You can read our article on how to breathe properly when swimming in the open water.
Here are more things you could do to prevent the water from going up your nose when you swim on the surface or underwater.
Practice breathing in the water regularly
Believe it or not, breathing properly while swimming is a skill you must learn on its own. The same way you practice the five main swimming strokes is the same way you should also practice breathing in the water.
This is the only way you’ll be able to ditch the nose clip or stop using your hand to hold your nose every time you go underwater.
For a start, try breathing in quick succession with your nose and your mouth closed. You might think it comes just so normally, but you will be surprised at how many people cannot inhale really fast through the nose.
Practice your bobs
Bobs are the fast movements your head makes in and out of the water when you are swimming. You can time your inhalation to the moment when the head is out of the water.
It will be hard to breathe through the nose alone, so at first, start by timing your mouth breathing, and later, you can try it with the nose alone.
It sounds a bit ridiculous, but trying to extend the upper lip over the lower one when inhaling out of the water keeps the bubbles from getting into your nose. If you cannot do it, don’t sweat it too much.
You can practice swimming without a pool. You can also practice your bobs out of the swimming pool in the bathtub. Working on this skill frequently can help, especially if you would like to become a certified swimming trainer.
What happens if pool water goes up your nose?
Something unpleasant happens when you let pool water go inside your nose. Sure, we have said in other sections that you can swim in the ocean with a yeast infection. We also said it is okay to swim in the ocean with a herpes outbreak.
However, when it comes to water getting inside your nose, you have to prevent it! You need to do this the same way you prevent a toddler from drinking pool water.
So, what really happens if pool water gets up the nose?
First, it hurts! You are going to feel serious pain up your nose once the water hits the delicate sinus passages. These are small pockets of air located behind your cheeks and forehead.
But the water does not really go up to your brain. Rather, it hits the sinus passages, but they too do hurt a lot.
Secondly, another thing that can happen if pool water gets inside the nose is sneezing. Water in the nose could also make you feel dizzy after swimming.
Thirdly, water up your nose can prevent you from breathing properly, and this will force you to shorten your time in the water.
This can affect your swimming goals. If you inhale a large amount of water, it can totally disorient you so you get from the pool altogether.
Why do I have to plug my nose when I swim?
If you try the tips here and you still do not succeed in keeping water out of your nose, you should try the nose clip.
Nose plugs are different from earplugs for swimming, since they are just clips that pinch the nose to prevent the inhalation of water.
When you wear these plugs, you are going to avoid sneezing, which happens when you inhale air that has chlorine.
When the pool water has too much chlorine, it forms tiny bubbles, which cause sneezing when inhaled.
Also, if you are learning to swim by yourself or with a trainer, it will be easier if there is no water getting inside your nose.
The nasal cavities and airways are very delicate, and the pool water irritates them easily. This also happens when you swim in the ocean.
You are going to enjoy faster progress if you wear your swimming cap to protect your hair, nose clips to prevent water from going inside the nose, and indeed, the rest of the important gear.
If you have a child who is afraid of water and you want him or her to learn how to swim, keeping water out of their nose makes them comfortable and confident. You will have faster learning progress.
How to keep water out of my nose while swimming
Now, we have established that we don’t want water going up the nose when we swim. At best, it is irritating and uncomfortable. It can also hinder your swimming progress, especially if you are a beginner.
So, how do you keep the water out of your nose while swimming? It is not too hard.
Keeping water out of the nose for beginners and children
Beginner swimmers and children can learn faster when they keep water out of their noses. The best way to do this is to wear a nose clip!
When you are comfortable getting your nose underwater, you can learn to swim faster. You can also swim 3 times a week to enjoy the health benefits.
Children feel more comfortable, and they will not be afraid of the water. Also, when they jump into the pool, they are confident because the water won’t get inside their nose.
The nose clip is not for all time though. As soon as you have gained some experience and skill, you will want to ditch it and practice how to keep water out of your nose naturally.
Hold the nose with your hand
Holding the nose with your hand can prevent water from getting in. However, when you make this a habit, it can be hard for you to break.
When you are training your child how to swim and hold their face underwater, you have to start somewhere.
Start by showing them how to pinch their nose as they duck underwater in the bathtub or in the swimming pool.
Learn how to breathe while swimming
It is important to learn how to swim without holding your nose and without wearing a nose clip. One of the best ways to do this is to time your breathing to your “bob” moments.
To bob is to lift your head out of the water in quick succession without raising the shoulders. It is vital to know how to breathe fast when the nose is out of the water and hold your breath when the head is in the water.
Learning how to inhale while swimming without holding your nose or using a nose plug takes time. As we said at the beginning of this post, practice how to breathe while swimming as a skill on its own.
FAQ: Does Water Enter Your Nose While Swimming?
If you still need more clarification regarding this topic, here are some of the frequently asked questions and their answers:
What will happen if some water goes into my nose, and where does it go?
If some water enters your nose while you are swimming, try hard to blow it out before it goes down. But what will happen? A few things…
1. You will sneeze hard as the chlorine in the water irritates your nasal membranes. The reaction will be to sneeze hard.
2. Some of the water will go down your throat to your stomach, where it can be absorbed, and the rest will be excreted.
3. Some of the water will go down your airways. This can cause dry drowning. It can also cause the rupturing of your lung sacs.
If this happens, a few to several hours later, you will experience severe coughing and breathlessness. If you check your sputum, it might have spots of blood. See a doctor.
Is it common for beginner swimmers to accidentally take water through their nostrils?
It is common for beginner swimmers to inhale water through the nostrils, especially in the first few days of learning how to swim.
Learning how to breathe inside the water is a skill on its own, and without it, you cannot swim faster in water, which you should master carefully before you become a swimming pro.
It is all about timing your head movements, also called bobs. Your inhalation should coincide with the moment when the nose is out of the water.
Also, some people ask whether the water you inhale can get deeply into the nasal cavities and whether it is possible to prevent it.
Actually, some of the water getting in your nose goes to the stomach. Swimming pool water has microbes, so it can make you sick. If someone peed in the pool, it is really dirty.
Worse, some of the water goes down your airways to the lungs. It can cause the rupture of your sacs and dry drowning.
When you are a beginner, please wear a nose plug for swimming.
Is it bad to hold your nose while swimming underwater?
It is not bad to hold your nose while swimming underwater. It saves you from inhaling water into your lungs.
However, this is going to interfere with your swimming activity. First, it will break your streamlined form, and this affects your speed for swimming.
Secondly, you will lose your balance in the water because you need both arms. Overall, if you cannot prevent water from rushing into your nostrils, just wear a nose plug.
What keeps water from rushing up your nostrils when you put your head underwater?
The main reason is the presence of air pressure in the nostrils. However, this alone is not going to keep water out of your nose.
You still need to learn the skill of pushing a little air out of the nose immediately before diving. That way, water will not go all the way up when you get your head underwater.
Another thing is that inhaling immediately before you swim further pressurizes the air inside the nose. This keeps water out of your nose.
The pressure of the water further pressurizes the air inside the nose. This also contributes to keeping water out of the nose.
Final Thoughts
Does water go inside your nose when you swim, and how can you prevent it? You have seen the most practical tips to avoid this!
When you are swimming in the inflatable pool, or anything else, the last thing you want on your mind is water getting inside the mouth, the nose, and the ears.
It can discourage you from swimming, and if you are learning how to swim, your progress will be very slow.
To prevent this, practice how to time your breathing moments to times when the nose is out of the water. If you are finding it hard, wear a nose clip.