What Happens if I Swim After Eating?
It has happened to all of us; we are on the beach or in the pool, and when we finish eating, our mother tells us that we have to wait some time, usually an hour, to go back to the water. The consequences of not doing so vary from family to family, I was told, for example, that getting into the water without digesting the food would cause me an embolism (!!!), according to others, it caused cramps, and even vomiting. The message was clear, and in retrospective, rather morbid for the children: If we ignored our mother´s advice and returned to the water without waiting, we would sink like a rock and drown. Looking back, our childhood had some traumatizing moments.
But, why are there so many variations as to the effect? What is the pathophysiology of this alleged embolism, or cramps, or vomiting? Would I drown if I ate only a few bites instead of a full meal? is any of this true at all?
Let's start with a few brief explanations. An embolism is basically a sudden blockage of an artery or vein, caused either by a embolus, that is, a blood clot, or by air bubbles in the bloodstream. It has serious consequences, such as tissue death (necrosis), or both cardiac and cerebral infarcts. Its causes vary according to the type of embolus, but it is usually due to heart disease, arteriopathies, or coagulation disorders.
Cramps, on the other hand, are much more common, I daresay we have all suffered one at some point on our lives. They are sudden and painful muscle contractions, commonly caused by muscle overwork, strains ("bad movements"), or lack of sufficient blood supply to the muscle.
Now, it sounds rather unlikely that something as serious as an embolism can occur just by swimming after eating, and while it sounds more likely that it could cause a cramp, even that does not seem to have much to do with the process of digestion, right?
The truth is that while this myth is almost universally known, it has little to no veracity. Contrary to what they have always told us, the fact of getting wet or swimming after eating does not produce any negative effects. There are theories that having food in the stomach makes cramping more likely, because the process of digestion makes the heart pump more blood to the digestive system, leaving the limbs less irrigated, although there are debates about the relationship between these both processes.
However, there are things that are sure. Worldwide, there has never been a drowning attributed to cramps caused by swimming after eating; although there have been deaths from cramps, surely caused by physical overactivity, but they can occur both in the water, and outside it, after or before eating.
In summary, the fact of getting wet after meals will not cause you to drown, nor will it have any kind of negative effect. However, when swimming, it is necessary to take precautions not to make exaggerated muscular efforts, especially during the process of digestion; although it is not proven to cause a greater predisposition to cramps, better to be safe than sorry. In case we get a cramp, whether in the water or on land, just stretch the muscle or massage it gently to relieve the pain, and if it happens while swimming, you can always float until help arrives.
What is completely safe, however, is taking a shower or floating in the pool, or even swimming without making a lot of efforts right after meals, no matter how big they are. Of course, if you do it on the sea with waves, nausea and vomiting are always possible, but they will hardly cause you to drown.