How to Stop Water Going up Your Nose While Swimming

Keep the water out of your nose and have some fun in the water.

If you swim, competitively or otherwise, one downside is getting water up your nose. Not only is it irritating, it has the potential of being dangerous. When water goes into the lungs via the nasal passages, it opens up the chances of chest and lung infections. If you swim, you need a solid way of keeping water out of your nose while underwater or doing your strokes. Luckily, techniques are there that allow water-free breathing.

Things You'll Need

• Large mixing or salad bowl and warm water
• Swimming nose plug

Instructions

1. Place a large mixing or salad bowl full of water on a counter top. Put your face into the water and practice blowing out air bubbles as your nose goes below the surface of the water.

2. Control the flow of air bubbles out of your nose to find the balance between exhalation through the nose and no water entering the nasal cavities in the nose. Get a feel for this, then head to the lake or swimming pool.

3. Go for a swim and slowly move about the water, practicing the technique learned from the bowl-breath process.

4. Go underwater and turn over so your face is facing the surface of the water. As you roll over, begin to blow out harder through your nose. As your position underwater shifts, the water pressure increases on the nose. Blow out harder to keep the water out.

5. Use a set of nose plugs if you are swimming long distances or in heavy waves. These have a neck lanyard and a pinchable bridge that goes over the end of the nose. Pinch it together to prevent water from entering the nose. Downsides with nose plugs are not being able to breathe out the nose at all and a pinched feeling some people don't like.

References

• Relax and Swim: Questions and Answers
• Active: Swimming Breathing Basics; Terry Laughlin