Can open water swimming in the cold enhance your physical and mental health? Increasingly, the answer seems to be yes.
Certainly the positive buzz on cold water swimming continues to grow, thanks to word of mouth, television shows like Bad Sisters (where the main characters congregate for icy dips in a famed swimming spot called the Forty Foot, just south of Dublin), and the movie Nyad (starring Annette Bening as the real-life athlete Diana Nyad, who attempts an open water swim from Cuba to Miami).
There is a body of evidence supporting the idea that cold water immersion can enhance mental health. It’s not totally clear why. Early research on the benefits of cold showers for depression suggest that cold-water immersion triggers the release of certain neurotransmitters that could have an antidepressive effect.
Other research indicates that the physical and mental benefits of swimming may be improved by swimming in cold water, although more data is needed to fully investigate the risks and benefits, the study authors wrote.
Most recently, researchers have explored the specific benefits of cold water swimming for women in midlife and later. A study published in the journal Post Reproductive Health found that open water swimming could help some women with menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, anxiety, and mood swings.
“Cold water has previously been found to improve mood and reduce stress in outdoor swimmers, and ice baths have long been used to aid athletes’ muscle repair and recovery,” said the senior author, Joyce Harper, PhD, a professor of reproductive science and reproductive health at University College London, in a press release.
“Our study supports these claims; meanwhile, the anecdotal evidence also highlights how the activity can be used by women to alleviate physical symptoms, such as hot flushes, aches and pains,” said Dr. Harper.
Doctors who focus on menopause agree that medication such as hormone therapy (HT) is a first-line treatment, but that a “holistic” approach is important.
“Many women, whether menopausal or not, find cold water swimming beneficial, especially for their mental health,” says Louise Newson, MBChB, a physician and menopause specialist at Newson Health Menopause and Wellbeing Centre in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, who was not connected with the University College London study.
For Women in Menopause, Cold Water Swimming Helped With Anxiety, Mood, and Hot Flashes
To explore women’s experiences of open water swimming on their health and well-being, particularly how it relates to menstruation and menopause, Dr. Harper and her colleagues used social media (including cold water swimming groups) to recruit female open water swimmers and then had them complete a 42-question survey.
More than 1,100 women responded, and close to 800 of them were going through menopause. Most of the women involved in the study were likely to swim in both summer and winter and wear swimsuits, rather than wetsuits.
According to the survey, of the approximately 700 women who had menopause symptoms, nearly half (47 percent) experienced a significant improvement in anxiety, and about 1 out of every 3 women saw improvements in mood swings, low mood, and hot flashes as a result of cold water swimming. More than 60 percent of the women swam specifically to relieve their symptoms.
Exercise in Nature Alongside Friends Can Build Community
Alongside aiding menopausal symptoms, the women said their main motivations for cold water swimming were being outside, improving mental health, and exercising.
“The majority of women swim to relieve symptoms such as anxiety, mood swings, and hot flushes. They felt that their symptoms were helped by the physical and mental effects of the cold water, which was more pronounced when it was colder,” said Harper. The benefits were also greater in women who swam for longer.
More research still needs to be done into the frequency, duration, temperature, and exposure needed to reduce menopause symptoms, according to Harper. “However, we hope our findings may provide an alternative solution for women struggling with the menopause and encourage more women to take part in sports,” she said.
“The great thing about cold water swimming is it gets people exercising in nature, and often with friends, which can build a great community,” said Harper.
It isn’t clear if these benefits would translate into the general population. The study authors acknowledge that study may contain some bias because the survey was only taken by women who already practiced cold water swimming.
Additionally, women were more likely to complete the survey if they had already noticed an association between menopause symptoms and cold water swimming, they noted.
‘I Feel Like Me at My Best’ Says a Cold Water Swimmer
Some of the women quoted in the study said that they found the cold water to be “an immediate stress and anxiety reliever” and described the activity as “healing.”
“Cold water is phenomenal. It has saved my life. In the water, I can do anything. All symptoms (physical and mental) disappear, and I feel like me at my best,” said one 57-year-old woman respondent.
Cold Open Water Swimming Can Come With Risks
Despite the benefits of cold water swimming, the sport also comes with certain risks.
“Caution must be taken when cold water swimming, as participants could put themselves at risk of hypothermia, cold water shock, cardiac rhythm disturbances, or even drowning,” said Harper.
Depending on where they are swimming, water quality standards may also vary, which can increase the likelihood of gastroenteritis and other infections, she added.
Safety Tips for Swimming in Open Water
Interested in exploring the benefits of swimming in cold water? It’s a good idea to check in with your healthcare provider first to make sure that it’s safe given your fitness level and medical history.
Here are a few tips from Chill Therapy, a not-for-profit in the United Kingdom whose team includes several licensed healthcare providers as well as the group Water Safety USA.
- Do your research in advance. Be aware of the water depth, temperature, current, and waves before you get in. Avoid bodies of water where the quality of water might pose a health risk; avoid areas with foam, scum, algae, or flocks of waterfowl like ducks or geese.
- Bring along a companion. It’s never safe to swim alone, even if you’re a strong swimmer.
- Be able to swim a few pool laps without any help. If you have serious underlying health issues that make physical activity risky, check in with your doctor before you try open water swimming. You don’t have to be Diana Nyad, but the organization does suggest that you should be able to swim two lengths of a 25-meter pool unaided.
- Come prepared. Bring along warm clothes, a waterproof jacket, towel, robe or a waterproof changing robe, goggles (not essential), a swimsuit and a bag for your clothes. In colder months, a warm drink, gloves, and a wool hat are also a good idea. And of course, you’ll need shoes or boots to trek out and back from your car, preferably ones that are easy to get on and off, even with cold fingers.
- Enter the water slowly. Your head should be out of the water and your feet on solid ground when you experience the “gasp” reflex.
- Start off with a quick dip. If you’re new to cold water swimming, just stay in for one or two minutes — you’ll still get the benefits. Get out of the water while you are still feeling good and have full movement in your hands and fingers.
- Get warm and dry. Dry off and put on your warm accessories as quickly as possible with plenty of layers to trap air, and rewarm yourself from the inside first with a warm drink.
