Cold water immersion has become more trendy, more popular and more well known and there’s a good reason for this: Its many health benefits!  

How It Works 

Cold water immersion causes a very fast drop in temperature (it’s a bit of a shock to the system). Mentally, it puts you immediately into the moment and brings you into your body. 

Physically one of the ways it helps your health is with the fast drop in temperature causes vasoconstriction. Blood rushes to the vital organs in the body. So even though it feels quite shocking and uncomfortable on the outside, you’re getting increased circulation to your vital organs. 

Health Benefits  

Include: 

  • lowering stress levels 
  • creating more mental toughness and resilience 
  • increasing your immune system 
  • boosting your circulation 
  • improving sleep 
  • feeling calmer 
  • positively affecting your parasympathetic nervous system 
  • increasing your metabolic function 
  • improving mood 
  • decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness 

Mental Health 

It’s been shown to improve your mood, and has got strong links with mental health benefits as well. 

Mike Tipton, a researcher at the University of Portsmouth, has been studying what these extreme experiences can do to the human body and mind: 

“…led to an immediate improvement in mood following each swim and a sustained and gradual reduction in symptoms of depression, and consequently a reduction in, and then cessation of, medication. On follow-up a year later, she remains medication-free.” 

How To Get Started  

Not everyone lives near to the sea or to a pool, for many these may also not be accessible for other reasons. So how do you get started? 

A great way to start is with a cold shower or bath. A top tip is to have your normal shower, then at the end just slowly, turn it a bit colder. This way you have control, it’s a little less shocking and you can start building your resilience that way. In a bath, you can have your bath as normal, and as you drain the water just hose yourself down with the shower head on cold. 

Even just a cold splash of water to the face will work as a starting point – just start playing with it and seeing how it feels. 

Recommended Temperature and Time 

You want to look at a pool that’s under about 15 degrees. The general rule is that you should stay in the water for as many minutes as it’s cold. For instance, if the pool is 14 degrees, it’s recommended you stay for 14 minutes. 

It takes a bit of time to get warm afterwards, but do not turn the hot shower on straight away, just let yourself ease into feeling warm afterwards. 

Post Swim High 

It does feel great in your body once you come out. This is known as the ‘postswim high’ triggered by the release of beta-endorphins. 

Let us know how you go, if you do decide to jump into the ocean or jump into a pool, we’d love to see, and good luck.