[torben-friis]

In the Mediterranean, people think if you swim just after eating you’ll get a “digestion shock”, fall unconscious, and drown. You need to wait two hours after lunch.

I strongly suspect the rumor was started by parents wanting kids to leave them alone for a nap, but it’s extremely extended. Somehow showers don’t count.

[Titan2189]

Hey my German mom told me that as well. Are you saying that's not true? Brb - I have some googling to do

[torben-friis]

Nope. The shock is a medical possibility if you accidentally fall in Arctic water or something like that, but it’s not something that will come up in a swimming pool scenario unless you’re doing one of those influencer ice baths or something of the sort.

It’s mainly caused by extreme sudden temperature change, not much to do with the stomach.

Funnily enough, even medical pages in Spain will talk at length about the medical phenomenon without mentioning that little detail.

[hermitcrab]

That was also widely believed in the UK when I was a kid (60s/70s).

[bondarchuk]

"Digestion shock"? I have heard similar advice but it was always just cramp.

[torben-friis]

Hard to translate. “Corte de digestion” (literally “digestion cut”) is how it’s called in Spanish.