Should you go swimming with a cold?

When the common cold strikes, many of us grapple with the decision of whether to continue with regular exercise or take a break until we recover. It leads swimmers and triathletes to ask, is it safe to go swimming with a cold?

In this article, doctor, Team GB age-group triathlete and Swim England clinical advisor Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi explores the potential effects of swimming with a cold and offer some guidance on making an informed decision.

What is a cold?

Not all colds are created equal and ultimately it depends on the severity of the symptoms and your baseline level of fitness.

A cold is essentially a viral illness that presents with symptoms related to your head and neck, such as headaches, a sore throat, blocked nose and a cough. It can also make you feel generally fatigued and weak.

How to treat a cold

There are no pharmacological treatments for a cold that can accelerate your recovery (see study), but you can use over-the-counter medicines for symptom relief, such as paracetamol and menthol.

A single night-time dose of honey has shown a small effect in reducing the length of the cough (see study).

Studies have also found zinc supplementation can have a small impact to reduce the duration and severity of a cold (see study).

Therefore, the main aim of treatment is supporting the body’s immune system to fight off the virus. This is best done with good hydration, nutrition and rest. Read on to see how to boost your immune system during winter.

Can you go swimming with a cold?

If you’re feeling really under the weather, for example with fever, chest congestion or body aches, then it may be wise to avoid swimming until recovered, as these symptoms suggest your body is under strain, working hard to combat the virus.

However, if your symptoms are mild, such as a runny nose or slight congestion, then it’s likely safe to go swimming.

If you have a high level of cardiovascular fitness, then this endurance will help you tolerate a swim session when not feeling 100% percent. Rather than your standard training, look to do a shorter or less intense session.

However, if you’re new to cardiovascular training, exercise more caution and perhaps avoid swimming until your symptoms improve.

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As with going into public spaces with a cold, take the same general precautions you would normally. These include washing your hands, staying a couple of meters away from others, and covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

Chlorine is a well-known disinfectant. This, along with other water treatments, will not allow viruses to live in the water, so you won’t contaminate the pool.

Air circulation systems used with indoor pools also removes air from above the surface of the pool, which helps to eradicate any viruses.

While swimming can be a great way to maintain your fitness even when you’re feeling under the weather, it’s crucial to be mindful of your body’s signals.

The decision to swim with a cold should be based on your individual circumstances and how you’re feeling.

Remember, listening to your body and prioritising rest and recovery is key to a speedy recuperation.

Does swimming with a cold make it worse?

Swimming won’t affect the natural recovery process for a cold and there’s limited evidence to support claims that exercise can suppress the immune system.

In fact, you may feel better for doing exercise. Research has shown that moderate exercise can improve outcomes following acquiring a cold and it won’t prolong your illness (as shown by this study and this one as well).

This is due to the effects exercise has on your immune system, as it fires up certain hormones that boost the anti-viral properties of the immune system.

However high-intensity exercise when unwell can put too much stress on the body and hinder recovery. Therefore, tempo and interval sessions are best avoided.

The increased humidity in an indoor pool environment can help with nasal congestion.

However, chlorine is a strong chemical, and some may be more sensitive to its effect and find it worsens cold symptoms. If this is the case it might be best to avoid swimming until you recover.

An additional benefit of swimming is that the buoyancy of the water can provide relief for achy muscles and joints.

How will a cold impact my ability to swim?

When you have a cold, your respiratory system may be affected. Congestion, coughing and difficulty breathing can reduce your lung capacity, making it harder to sustain long swims or perform at your usual level.  

An easy way to work out how much you’re exerting yourself is by the talk test. If you can talk and sing comfortably, you’re at low intensity.

If you’re at moderate intensity, you can talk in sentences with some effort but not sing. At high intensity you cannot talk.

You can test this between lengths and if feeling unwell it’s best to keep the intensity at low-to-moderate.

Your heart rate monitor can also reveal exertion. Compare it to a similar swim session, exploring the average heart rate and its variability.

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You can adjust during your session by comparing your current session to how you feel when you usually swim.

If you find you’re more breathless than usual you may need to adjust by slowing down and taking more breaths.

If you’re feeling fatigued, look to drive less force through the propulsive part of the stroke and accept that you’ll slow down.

Hydration is a key element to minimise the impact of a cold on your daily life, so ensuring you consume 1.5-2 litres in the 24 hours before your swim and taking water with you to drink during it will help reduce the impact of your cold on your session.

A cold can lead to fatigue and a general feeling of malaise. This can result in decreased stamina and endurance in the water.

Pushing yourself too hard while under the weather can lead to burnout and potentially worsen your condition and prolong recovery.

If you’re becoming quickly fatigued with swimming you can break up the sessions with aquatic exercises such as walking in the water, side stepping or arm raises under the water.

What about swimming with a cold in open water?

Cold water can be more taxing on the body, especially when you’re already unwell, as your body needs to use its reserves to fight the infection and keep you warm.

This is something to bear in mind and it may be best to avoid it and opt for a pool swim where the environment is warmer.

If you do decide to swim outdoors, it’s worth checking the water temperature before you head out in case it’s colder than expected for the time of year.

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However, if you have experience in open water and your symptoms are mild it would be reasonable to swim outdoors. Just take additional measures to keep warm.

Most of our body heat is lost in our extremities so if you have a neoprene hat, swimming socks or swimming gloves these will come in handy. 

You also need to make sure you have plenty to warm up afterwards. Layers create insulation so try to take a base layer, sweater and coat (or a swim robe).

Also remember to take gloves, your woolly hat and the best bit, of course – a well-earned hot drink in a flask to have with your slice of cake!

If you’re having any difficulty with breathing, it’d be safest to avoid open-water swimming as there may be delays in acquiring help if you need it.

Where possible, try to use supported open-water swimming venues and if wild swimming always take a tow float in case you need to rest.

I always advise going with a friend when wild swimming in case you run into difficulties.

If this isn’t possible, be aware of how to seek help, as well as letting someone know where you are and when to expect you back.

Can you go swimming if you have a cough but no other symptoms?

A cough is the body’s natural response to irritation or congestion in the respiratory system.

It can be caused by a variety of factors, including allergies, irritants or infections like the common cold or bronchitis.

It’s possible to swim with a cough, but consider the severity and frequency of your cough.

In instances where it’s mild, infrequent and doesn’t worsen with physical activity, swimming might be a viable option.

If you do plan to swim, make sure your cough doesn’t prevent you from breathing comfortably. If it does, you may need to alter your stroke to keep your head above water if swimming breaststroke, or breath more frequently if doing front crawl.

However, if your cough is persistent or intensifies with exertion, it’s best to avoid swimming until you feel better to prevent further strain on your respiratory system.

As we’ve mentioned above, if you do decide to swim with a cough that could be contagious, ensure you take extra precautions to avoid spreading any illness as you would with any other acute contagious illness.

If you have a chronic cough because of a health condition, you can likely go swimming. However, make sure you’re comfortable breathing in the water and ensure you’re in an environment where you can seek help if you begin feeling too unwell to keep swimming.

That being said, if your condition makes you breathless, start with low-intensity sessions and take rest breaks at the end of the pool as needed.

Recap

All in all, the message is to listen to your body. It can be frustrating when we’re ill, and it impacts our activities.

In many cases you’ll be able to continue your training during mild illnesses, but you need to decide whether it would serve you better to rest and recover rather than pushing through and maintaining your training. Often personal experience can help guide you to the right decision.

So, to recap, here are the main points you need to consider:

• Be guided by your body – you know it best
• Ensure you have access to help should you find yourself in need of it
• Adapt your session to a shorter or less intense one to lessen excess strain on your body
• Take precautions to minimise transmission of infection

Want to keep track of your swim workout and make sure you’re not pushing too hard? Check out our lists of the best swimming watches and the best triathlon watches.

Top image credit: Efenzi/Getty Images