THE BAN ON BATHING UNTIL TWO OR THREE HOURS AFTER EATING IS MEANINGLESS, PEDIATRICIANS SAY

It is one of the most entrenched traditions for years in families. It is believed that taking a bath in the pool or at sea without waiting at least two hours after eating could cause a "digestion cut." How many hours will we have been waiting for children without bathing, however the pediatricians of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics themselves deny it.

This is explained by Dr. María Jesús Esparza, spokesman for the Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics (AEPap):

Dr. Esparza comments that this term “is very confusing, since in reality it is a 'hydrocution', a temperature shock between the body (hot) and water (cold). ” If this shock occurs it can slow down reflectively the heart rate and there may be loss of consciousness and even cardiac arrest and, therefore, drowning. "This has nothing to do with digestion, but after very copious meals, it is more likely to occur."
However, “it is rare for a child to make copious meals in summer, so the ban on the bathroom in two or three hours after eating makes no sense. Above all, if the water is not especially cold. It could be worse, if in that wait the child is playing in the sun and then throws himself into the water. ”

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What is the syncope of hydrocution?

It is produced by an extreme immersion reflex, when there is an abrupt alteration of the reflections on contact with water, which can cause a loss of consciousness or a cardiac arrest.

When it enters the water abruptly, the body reacts by decreasing the heart rate and peripheral vasoconstriction to ensure that the brain has a preferential supply of blood and therefore oxygen.

Children, like the elderly, are more prone to these decompensations, since their reflex mechanisms are slower.

Keep in mind that we talk about summer, when the body has a high temperature for having been in the sun or performing a physical activity, against the contrast of the cold water of the sea or the pool. The lower the water temperature and the higher the body temperature, the more pronounced this reflex will be.

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How to avoid the syncope of hydrocution (wrongly called a digestion cut)

To avoid the occurrence of this extreme reflex, what needs to be done is to minimize the causes that produce it and put common sense into practice.

If the child has been exposed to the sun and we notice his very hot skin, the body temperature must be lowered little by little. You should not get into the water of the sea or the pool abruptly, but first refresh arms and legs, head, neck and get in little by little. First play where the water does not cover before getting completely.

If you have had a very copious meal and have been in the sun, it is not advisable to immediately throw yourself in the pool. Logically, it is better to wait a while and lower the body temperature little by little. But come on, that in summer meals are not recommended to be very copious and we are also talking about young children. Better to give him several frugal meals a day than few of a lot.

It can be counterproductive to wait for the two rigorous hours imposed by the parents (in some cases even more), if the child has been doing time while playing football in the sun and then gets into the head water.

The important thing, regardless of how long you have eaten, is to enter the water wisely without having to suffer the punishment of waiting to do the digestion.

Anyway, before the slightest symptom of dizziness, vomiting, if the child becomes pale, has blurred vision or begins to shiver, you have to get them out of the water as soon as possible.