There are people who wear mask with a snorkel so they don't have to come up for air. Other people wear things on their hands and/or fins to increase their speed. Some wear the whole works. At first I swam as far as I could and came up gasping for air. Eventually I figured out it to switch my stroke so as not to have to stop, which of course one shouldn't do.
I can, finally, turn my head to breathe but the pain isn't worth it since it continues even after I'm done swimming. Constantly changing my strokes, and not going too fast, seems to work the best for me.