How do you know if you should swim when you are sick?Every time my son or I get sick, I struggle with the decision over when to swim and when to stay out of the water. After searching online, here is what I have found out.
Spreading a cold in pool water is not likely to be an issue because of the conditions the virus needs in order to survive.
So, if you have a cold or upper respiratory infection, it is a personal decision you will have to make based on your own situation.
Many believe you should allow your body to heal before getting back in the pool, while others think that exercise decreases the duration of a cold. A rule of thumb for runners has been, if the congestion is above the chest, then you should be fine with normal activity - if the congestion is in the lungs, you should take some time off until you're strength is back.
If your head is stuffy - be ready for the possibility that flip-turns and underwater drills might cause pain due to pressure changes.
One MAJOR rule to remember is that you should NOT swim if one of your symptoms is diarrhea - while you may feel like you can stick it out, think about the others who will be swimming in the same pool with you. Even if you can't see anything in the pool, according to the CDC "tiny amounts of fecal matter are rinsed off all swimmers' bottoms as they swim through the water". The germs in fecal matter are much more resistant to the chemicals in the pool and the water takes much longer to be decontaminated.
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