What are the precautions after swimming?

Many people like to go swimming at the beach in the summer. Swimming is a sport that can exercise the body and relieve stress. When you are tired, you will feel relaxed when you go swimming. Of course, swimming regularly can help you lose weight and get rid of excess fat. You can also get fitness effects while swimming and make your body stronger. However, water is also a very dangerous thing. Before swimming, you must pay attention to some related matters in time. So let’s take a look at the precautions after swimming.

Things to note after swimming:

When we are swimming, playing, taking a bath or washing our hair, water can easily get into our ears. Chemicals such as shampoo and shower gel will enter our ears along with water. After water enters the ear, the water enters the narrow external auditory canal and forms a barrier due to tension, dividing the external auditory canal into two sections. In addition, the gravity of water creates a secondary pressure between the water barrier and the eardrum. Water does not flow out easily because the secondary pressure maintains the pressure balance on both sides of the barrier. If there is a large earwax blockage, it will be more difficult for water to flow out after entering the ear.

When water enters the ears, symptoms such as hearing loss and dizziness will occur, which makes people very uncomfortable. In order to drain the water as quickly as possible, some people ignore hygiene and use unclean tools such as clips, matchsticks, small keys, etc. to clean their ears. This can easily damage the ears and eardrums for naturally fragile ears, causing external otitis, otitis media, cerumen blockage, myringitis, suppurative otitis media, etc.

1. Single-leg hopping

Tilt your head toward the side of your ear that has water in it, use one foot as support, jump on one foot, and at the same time pull the ear with your hand, using gravity to make the water flow out.

This method is simple and easy to do, and it works quickly.

2. Active external auditory canal method

By pulling the auricle with your hands, or continuously pressing the tragus with your palms and opening your mouth repeatedly to keep the temporomandibular joint moving, you can make the skin of the external auditory canal move up and down and left and right or change the stability of the water barrier and the stability of pressure. Water can then flow out of the external auditory canal.

This method mainly achieves the purpose of allowing water to flow out by changing the stability of the water barrier and the stability of pressure. This method is relatively scientific and well-founded. You can try it if you encounter the problem of water getting into your ears.

3. External auditory canal cleaning method

Gently insert the sterilized cotton wool or thin cotton swab into the ear. When the cotton swab touches the water, it will absorb the water.

I would like to remind everyone to pay attention to hygiene when using cotton swabs, try to use those with wooden handles, and avoid using those with plastic handles. Because the plastic rod is easy to fall off, if it gets stuck in the ear, the consequences will be serious.

4. Lying down to sleep

Lie on your side in the bed in your usual side sleeping position, then lean your head sideways against the pillow. The water in your ears will flow out due to inertia.

Be careful and aware of the force when you slam your head against the pillow. I would like to remind you that it is best to use a soft pillow, which will greatly reduce the damage to the head and ears.

Prevent ear inflammation after water enters the ear

If water gets into the ear and is not handled properly, it can easily cause inflammation. To prevent inflammation, we can put equal amounts of alcohol and distilled white vinegar into a dropper, and then drop a few drops on the affected area of ​​the ear. To make it reach the center of the ear, gently pull the ear back and forth a few times to straighten the ear canal.

Note: This method is not suitable for patients with perforated tympanic membrane.

If your ears become inflamed after water enters them, you should go to the hospital for medical treatment immediately. Do not use cotton swabs to clean your ears, otherwise if the infection is serious, it will cause many complications. If the bacteria damage the nerves, it can easily cause facial paralysis; if they invade the inner ear, it can cause dizziness; once they enter the skull, they may cause brain abscess, meningitis, and even be life-threatening.

The above is an introduction to precautions after swimming. We should also pay attention to our ears. If water gets into the ears when swimming, we must get the water out and keep the ears dry, otherwise it will cause great damage to the ears. At the same time, we should also remember to wear eye masks and remember to wear a swimsuit, so that swimming will be more convenient, freer and more relaxed.