Drowns Syndrome
Term used in referring to an urban myth according to which you may drown if you swim too soon after a meal; apparently you get a cramp and promptly go kerplunk to the bottom. The safe time after the meal, when you can safely swim again, is said to be one hour in Northern Europe, while in Hispanic culture it is often said to be three hours, which is longer than most people spend at the beach. Thought up way back when by some lazy mom who wanted to take a nap in the sun and couldn't bother her ass to look out for the kids; unfortunately it has entered the folk wisdom and some adults end up believing it. Cramps can actually afflict a person at any time and do not adversely affect one's buoyancy in the water. Neither do they do too much damage to your swimming skills, unless perhaps you are participating in an Olympic event. They are more likely to happen as a reaction to exposure to cold water. If you are in an environment where, perhaps due to currents, a cramp could be the difference between life and death, you shouldn't be there, cramps or no cramps. Just ask yourself; have you ever heard a pathologist or coroner announce that the cause of someone's death was "swimming on a full stomach"? No, I didn't think so.
Jimmy was running and screaming along the shore and his mommy was feeling lazy and couldn't be bothered looking out for him, so she invoked Drowns Syndrome.
Drowns Syndrome by Fearman September 27, 2007
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