Swimming in Cold Water
Swimming in cold water is a healthful, low-impact exercise. It is a form a cryotherapy, a treatment using near-freezing temperatures. Cryotherapy is commonly used to treat diseased bodily tissues by reducing blood flow towards area of cold application. It has been shown to be an effective treatment for many different conditions, including certain cancers, skin conditions, arthritis and many more (source). It has also been shown to temporarily ease symptoms of asthma and can decrease symptoms associated with exercise-induced asthma (source).
Beside the astounding benefits for your physical health, it can also be helpful in managing mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety (source).
The cold water stimulates and boosts endorphin levels within your body. It does so by inducing certain hormonal responses, as well as inhibiting pain signals (source).
Personally, I have been a certified swim coach for the past six years and a competitive swimmer for the past 10 years. I am familiar with the benefits aquatics has to offer, and am confident they can help improve mental and physical health.
Whether you want to boost your mood, decrease your pain or improve your immune system. A short swim in cold water may be just what you need!
Read further to find out more about the benefits that cryotherapy has to offer for your mental health, as well as practical tips on how to stimulate these effects for yourself.
How the Cold Boosts Endorphin Levels
Endorphins are hormones released by your brain gland called your hypothalamus (source). Once released, they provide you with a sense of happiness, relaxation and general mental well-being (source). Let us go into how swimming in cold water can be an effective way to release these mood-boosting endorphins.
Whether you are splashing into a cold pool or take part in an advantageous “polar bear dip”, entering a body of cold water triggers the body’s “fight or flight” response. This response spikes your blood pressure levels and floods the body with cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone released during periods of anxiety and stress (source).
Subsequently, the body prepares itself for what it senses requires a life-saving escape. Your body’s innate reflex increases heat production in order to maintain your body temperature. Simultaneously, the cold water shock prompts your brain glands to release endorphins (primarily the beta-endorphin subgroup).
Beta-endorphins function as your body’s natural opioids, responsible for inhibiting pain. Unlike synthetic opioids like morphine, beta-endorphins are natural, binding to opioid receptors to dull localized or general pain and inflammation.
This influx of endorphins activates our reward pathways and make us experience feelings of euphoria, a feeling of bliss or happiness. This effect is enhanced after the cold immersion experience after the levels of stress hormones within your blood decrease.
In summary, the cold water stimulates and boosts endorphin levels within your body. It does so by inducing certain hormonal responses, as well as inhibiting pain signals (source).
The Benefits of Cryotherapy
A momentary endorphin high can have significant positive effects on your physical and mental health. Summarized below are the three main benefits that leave you feeling refreshed, recharged and ready to take on any challenge!
Pain and Inflammation
A cold water swim can be an excellent way to reduce inflammation and pain. When you swim in cold water, the amount of oxygen that reaches your muscles becomes reduced. The construction of the vessels decreases blood flow to the muscle. This can decrease the build-up of swelling, inflammation, as well as decrease your risk of tissue damage (source).
Furthermore, cold water decreases the conduction of your pain signals towards your brain. This is also the reason for the feelings of numbness after being exposed to the cold (source).
These mechanisms combined are primarily responsible for decreases in inflammation and perceived pain.
Stress
It goes without question that we all experience stress on the daily. Submerging your body in cold water trains your body to cope with high stress environments.
Despite a significant influx of stress hormones when submerged in cold water, they are rapidly cleared following your cold water swim.
Scientists believe that cold water therapy can build on a person’s stress tolerance in the long-term (source). In turn, your body will be more resilient when faced with stress-inducing situations.
Mental Health
Cold water swimming is a great way to boost your mood. When submerged in cold water, your body releases more endorphins due to the previously described mechanisms. This can alleviate signs and symptoms of depression or anxiety-related conditions (source).
A 2008 study examining the effects of cold showers on the treatment of depression showed that daily 7-8 minute cold showers over the period of “several months” resulted in significant reductions in depressive symptoms. Researchers concluded, however, that more research is needed to claim cold water therapy to be an effective treatment of depression (source).
Going for a Cold Water Swim
Cold water swimming is good for our health in various ways. Beside boosting your mood, cold water can also improve circulation and oxygenation (source). Finally, cold water swimming can help reduce stress levels by relaxing the body and mind and calming the nervous system (source).
I advise you to treat a cold water swim as a way to get in shape or as an intense workout. If you are not used to swimming in cold water, it will be difficult at first. Therefore, it is important that you gradually adjust to the cold temperature.
You can do so by gradually exposing more body parts to the cold water. Once your full body has adjusted to the temperature, try swimming for a few minutes.
If you are outdoors, or in another uncontrolled environment, I advise that you should be accompanied by another person, wear proper footwear and have warm clothing available for the period following your swim.
Practical Tips
Whether your about to splash into a lake, the shower or take part in a polar bear swim its important to consider the following tips.
- Warm up by engaging in light aerobic activity prior to your swim. Increasing your blood flow prior to entering the water will prepare your body for what is about to come.
- Gradually expose your body to the cold water to avoid an extreme and sudden shock.
- Try to stay near the surface of the water and make sure you are ready to get out quickly if needed.
- Consider your environment. If you are outside, consider taking warmer clothing to walk back in and have someone accompany you. Remember, following cold exposure, it is important to warm your body back up.
- Think positively. If you’re feeling uneasy about swimming in the cold, just think about how good it will feel after your swim. Your mentality is a crucial aspect of your success with cold water swimming.
- Keep your exposure to a minimum when you are outdoors. In this case, I advise you to keep your exposure to under 10 minutes to eliminate the potential for acquiring hypothermia or frost bite.
Conclusion
Cold water swimming has shown to offer numerous benefits for your mental health. It has shown to be able to rapidly decrease pain, eliminate inflammation and decreasing overall stress levels (source). Additionally, it can generate significant states of euphoria through the release of endorphins by your hypothalamus. Despite more research being required, recurring expose to cold water has been suggested to be effective in reducing signs and symptoms associated with depressive and anxiety-related disorders (source).
When going for a cold water swim, ensure to warm up before you do so, have someone else with you, limit your exposure to a minimum. In addition, it is recommended to bring equipment to warm yourself up quickly to avoid a significant drop in your core body temperature.
In summary, cold water swimming can be an effective tool when it comes to improving your mood rapidly, as well as decrease local pain levels and stress.
Are you ready to immerse yourself in cold water?
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