Coldwater swimming has some fantastic benefits, including but not limited to benefits for the nervous system -read on to find out more!
It boosts your immune system
The effects of cold water exposure on the immune system have been widely studied. Believe it or not, cold water helps to boost your white blood cell count tanks to your body having to adapt to the changing weather conditions. Over time, however, your body becomes much better at activating its defences.
The cold water exposure also gives you a natural high – it activates your endorphins. The chemical is what the brain produces to make us feel good during activities. Coldwater swimming is additionally a fantastic form of exercise, and exercise in itself is great for your body – as well as releasing those endorphins that we talked about. This means that cold water swimming kills two birds with one stone in the way that it ticks both of these boxes.
Circulation upgrade
Coldwater swimming flushes out your veins, arteries and capillaries, in doing so, it forces your blood to the surface and warms up your extremities. Doing this regularly means that you can start to adapt to the cold making you more resistant to cold weather and therefore more resilient.
Libido increases
Coldwater might be traditionally thought to repress any sexual urges, however, it increases libido. A dip in the water increases hormone production like oestrogen and testosterone – this gives you an edge in the areas of both fertility and libido.
Burns off those pesky calories
The heart has to pump faster in cold water around the body, so your body needs to work harder to maintain your body’s homeostasis. This artificial stress is a free cardio workout! This means that the number of calories you burn increases by a great amount.
It reduces stress
Coldwater puts stress on your body in physical and mental ways. A lot of studies identify that the link between cold water and stress reduction indeed exists and can be utilised on a day to day basis. Coldwater swimmers have the benefit of being more relaxed and calmer.
The social aspect
Coldwater swimming can be a great activity, so many people are getting into this sport thanks to the myriad of benefits highlighted above. As such, you can make it into a great group activity – join a local club, swim with friends, and have a day out to a local lake or beach – the possibilities are endless.
Safety first
You must participate in this sport in a safe and controlled way – you don’t want to be diving in willy-nilly. Coldwater shock can be a killer. As such, you should make sure that you acclimatise to the cold – take it step-by-step. Never swim on your own, always have someone there with you. You shouldn’t do it somewhere where it is hard to get out the water – a lake with a shallow bank is a great place to start as you can just stand up if any problems arise. You should not dive in either – you need to get in about waist height and splash some cold water on yourself before submerging yourself in a calm and controlled manner. Have the warm clothing ready after your swim and get nice and toasty – tea in a thermos can be great for this!
Have fun, but not at the expense of safety.
A great place to go to warm-up is a Snowdonia hotel with all the comforts that you could possibly need.
