Heat and humidity in swimming pools

[Tellingfibs]

Does anyone know if the heat and humidity of a public swimming pool can affect Afib and heart rate - I mean just as a spectator, not hurtling down the tubes !

[CDreamer]

As we all react differently, impossible to say. I loved swimming and never had an AF episodes in the pool - I had to be tad more careful in the steam room & sauna though.

[Tellingfibs in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks for your response CDreamer.

[DianeEM]

I don't have any issues with swimming pools, I swim twice a week, I even manage a short while in steam and sauna, but hot tub a definite no no for me. As Cdreamer says we all react different though.

[Tellingfibs in reply to DianeEM]

I have now developed a full blown cold since then, and feel absolutely rubbish - perhaps it was that coming on…. Thank you for responding Diane.

[DianeEM in reply to Tellingfibs]

Get well soon Tellingfibs

[opal11uk]

Swimming pools here in the UK usually conform to a set standard of water temperature and this in turn reflects the ambient temperature of pool halls. As heating such is very expensive you usually find that responsible managers will maintain that set temperature and therefore the overall temperature should not have an adverse effect on swimmers. I would hazard a guess that with the costs of power rising these temperatures will be turned down a degeee or two lol. As for increasing heart rate, in general heat and humidity increases the blood flow to the skin and therefore the heart will beat faster to circulate the blood around the body making the heart work harder. If, other than A/F, you have no further health issues then gentle exercise is good and that includes swimming, check with your GP first. For your reassurance all pools should have fully qualified lifeguards, all of whom have been fully trained and are qualified to administer first aid. I hope this helps.....I am a retired leisure centre manager with P/A/F.

[Tellingfibs in reply to opal11uk]

As I was reading I realised you knew more than the average person about pool areas ! Thanks for you knowledgeable explanation.

[tunybgur]

I wouldn't think that the temperatures you're talking about would have a huge effect, but caution should be exercised in saunas and steam rooms which can cause a significant drop in blood pressure, esp. if you're already on BP meds.

I often use these facilities at my gym but make sure I sit down an cool off before any exertions as it can lead to dizzy spells.

Good luck

[Tellingfibs in reply to tunybgur]

Thanks for your input tunybgur.

[Redactrice]

I'm not medically trained, but from my own experience I would say YES. Decades before I was diagnosed with AF, I discovered that saunas or even soaking too long in a hot bath made me horribly dizzy and sick. I crawled out of that sauna on my hands and knees while I was still in my 20s. I have never gone into one again. With AF now, I would expect it to be worse.

[Tellingfibs in reply to Redactrice]

That’s interesting. I felt sure the humidity was causing me to feel bad. I have since read that humid climates are often not comfortable for afibbers.

[Redactrice in reply to Tellingfibs]

I had never considered climate as a factor, but I just googled it and there's lots of info on AF and humidity. Thank you. I have had acupuncture for years, and when I told my acupuncturist about my sauna episode, she replied that my physical type (what used to be referred to as one's 'constitution') according to Chinese medicine cannot tolerate 'damp heat' and that I had done well to give up wet saunas, long baths and indoor pools. That was long before I developed AF. On the other hand, my sister has been told that her constitution is so 'dry' that she is recommended to soak in water as much as possible -- and she has had AF since her 30s, much earlier and much worse than mine. She has spent most of her adult life in dry climates, whereas I have spent mine in a humid one (temperate humid rather than tropical humid). All interesting.

[Tellingfibs in reply to Redactrice]

it sounds like you and your sister have been living in the wrong climates and should swap ! ☺️ Interesting that your acupuncturist can identify what suits an individual.

[Redactrice in reply to Tellingfibs]

No chance that my sister and I will swap climates. She has a low opinion of England, where I live, and I would not want to live in California, where she lives.

Acupuncture is amazing. I started going in my 30s because I was always freezing in the winter even though I was very active. I kept going because I had the good luck to find an outstanding practitioner. She was a combination of the old-school family doctor and a psychotherapist, someone who got to know me over time and built up a complete picture. No other medical practitioner has ever known me well enough to have an informed view as to what is normal for me. When I see a cardiologist, it is never the same one twice in a row (partly because I have not needed frequent appointments, of course -- if I needed to see a cardiologist monthly, I might not live long enough to keep going monthly for several years).

All my experience of acupuncture has been with practitioners who trained in Chinese medicine as a second (or third) career. Three of them have been exceptional. My current one, whom I have been seeing for 10yrs, is not someone I would associate with alternative medicine. He was a senior manager in industry when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer in his 40s, 'hung upside down like a hog' for surgery, had bits of his innards removed, and took two years to recover. He started having post-op acupuncture and credited it with helping him to make a full recovery. When he was back on his feet, he enrolled in a degree programme to train as an acupuncturist. I also give acpuncture a lot of credit for my good health in spite of my AF. My goal is to make it to 60 without daily medication or intervention such as ablation.

If you are interested in acupuncture for yourself, find someone who is fully qualified, not someone who does mainly sports medicine (knees, elbows, etc.). Also, if you try it and it feels like being stabbed, find another practitioner with more training and lighter hands. Ditto if you don't feel any rapport. Acupuncture should treat the whole person, not only a bit of digestive grumbling or other minor complaint.

Not sure if I'm allowed to wax evangelical on here like this...

[Tellingfibs in reply to Redactrice]

really useful information here 👍

[Redactrice]

I also noticed a similar though less drastic effect the last time I went to an indoor swimming pool. I don't know if it was the chlorine or the humidity, but again I left feeling dizzy and sick, although not crawling on my hands and knees. I avoid indoor pools now as well.