Bathing rules
There are two types of factor which need to be taken into account to enter the water.
- Internal factors concerning the body and that are as follows.
- Digestion: 3 hours must pass between food ingestion and water entry. This time should be increased if the meal has been particularly heavy, in order to avoid congestion;
- Alcohol and drugs intake: you have to categorically avoid these substances before entering the water, as they decrease the perception of risk, they cause dulled reflexes and sudden fatigue;
- Tiredness and indisposition: these are weakening conditions that expose you to probable danger; cold sensations, chills, headache are useful symptoms that warn you not to go into the water or to leave it.
- External factors, which depend on the environment and that are as follows.
- Water, environment and body temperature: before entering the water you need to lower your body temperature (standing in the shade for a while, taking a shower or gradually entering into water) to prevent a thermal shock called «hydrocution», or to avoid the loss of consciousness associated with cardiac and respiratory arrest following the entry into water.
- Sudden weather changes: sudden storms involve the risk of being struck by lightning in the water or in its vicinity.
- Pollution: pollution can cause skin, stomach and intestinal distress.
