It's Unsafe to Swim Within an Hour of Eating: Fact or Myth?

Swimming, a great way to exercise and cool off simultaneously, is an activity that many people like to participate in, children, teens and adults alike. There are various rules when it comes to swimming in order to ensure safety, and there are many warnings about swimming that people aren't sure if they're fact or myths. For years people have been warned not to swim within an hour of eating, but others question the validity of this claim. According to the claim, having a full stomach makes a person more likely to suffer from severe muscle cramps that can result in possibly drowning. Despite this claim, which moms have been warning their children about for several years, the necessity to wait any length of time before swimming due to a full stomach is a myth.

Neither the American Academy of Pediatric nor the American Red Cross give any type of warnings regarding swimming after a large meal because it's highly unlikely for someone to drown from simply swimming following a large meal. Studies show that although people have not drowned from swimming following a meal, in the few cases where people did there was almost always the consumption of alcohol involved. Just like regular exercise, there is an increased chance of developing cramps upon swimming following a meal, but it's highly unlikely for someone to drown in such a situation. Sure, it's smarter to wait a while before swimming simply because it may be uncomfortable, especially after an unusually large meal, but if a person eats a light meal there's no reason to postpone swimming until the food has digested.

Like other old wives' tales, the myth that swimming after eating a full meal originated following a few overprotective mothers, which was simply passed along to other mothers over the years and has surprisingly stuck. So, whether you have just eaten a large barbecue dinner with all the trimming or a turkey sandwich, if you desire to go swimming it's perfectly okay not to listen to your mother this time, because even though mothers are right a majority of the time, in this case they simply aren't.

References

Medicine Net - http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=47368

New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/health/28real.html