Outdoor swimming as 'therapy'
MARLENS is the charity that does a wonderful job of running and maintaining Clevedon Marine Lake. Their website includes some ‘Lake History’:
“The Marine Lake dates from 1929 but the history of sea bathing in Clevedon dates from the early years of the 19th Century when it was very much used as a form of therapy rather than enjoyment.”
Apart from sea bathing having historical roots it’s therapeutic benefits are recognised in many parts of the world.
“Although it is one of those areas that is yet to be proven conclusively, it is a common belief in many cultures of the world that there are indeed therapeutic effects of immersion in cold water.
Indeed, we all know the effect of jumping into a cold pool or the sea on the first swim of the summer - it's bracing right? You certainly don't come out feeling lethargic and depressed. Researchers put this down to cold water acting like a mild stressor, activating the immune system and giving it a workout.”
Cold water swimming and depression
September 14, 2018
“A case study published in British Medical Journal Case Reports suggests open water swimming might help people with depression be able to give up their medication and live happier lives… The study is the first to examine open water therapy to treat depression….” There is more about this below and the 'Dr who gave up drugs'.
The benefits of outdoor swimming
Research plus plenty of anecdotal evidence suggests that outdoor swimming can have many benefits. The following are just some:
1. Endorphins, adrenalin and natural pain relief
Cold water swimming has certainly given me a natural high and become truly addictive. It sets me up for the day by giving an overall sense of wellbeing- one of calm and euphoria. This can be explained by the endorphins that are generated to help deal with the sting caused by the cold water. Endorphins are the bodies natural pain killers.
‘People say they feel great after a sea or river swim, which may be because the chilly water activates cold sensors all over our bodies — cells positioned just 0.18 millimetres under our skin — which in turn increase heart rate and give us that “alive” feeling,’ explains Michael Tipton, Professor of Human and Applied Physiology at Portsmouth University.
‘The cold sensors also trigger a sudden burst of adrenaline that diverts our attention away from our aches and pains, creating the feel-good factor. It’s effectively a natural painkiller.’ (1)
One woman who swims five or six times a week even claims it helps her with a condition she has called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (an inherited tissue disorder). “I am able to cope without any pain relief on the days I swim. Before winter swimming I was on morphine every day. It has literally changed my life,” she says (2).
2. Reduced depression and anxiety
The parasympathetic system is responsible for rest and repair and can be activated by the cold. This can stimulate the release of dopamine and serotonin- the neurotransmitters that help make you happy 😊 Low levels of these are linked to depression.
It’s no wonder open water swimming puts a smile on my face what with this and the cocktail of endorphins and adrenalin.
Dr Mark Harper says “Currently, we are developing a trial which will use sea swimming as a treatment for depression. While the exact mechanism is unclear, there is growing evidence that inflammation is strongly linked with this condition” (3). There is a theory that repeated exposure to cold water improves your response to the stress that often accompanies depression.
Through BBC One’s The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs the theory was tested. One patient (Sarah) had been taking antidepressants for eight years but within four months she was off them and managing her symptoms with swims in a local lake.
Dr Chris Van Tulleken wrote “we decided to offer an activity that would combine lots of the things that we know can help depression – exercise, mindfulness, and socialising: swimming. But in cold water in a lake. It sounds Victorian but there’s science behind this.
We took Sarah to see Professor Mike Tipton (a world expert on what happens when the body is put to extremes), his team at the University of Portsmouth and Dr Mark Harper (an anaesthetist with an interest in the effects of cold water on depression).
After a day of acclimatising Sarah - and I - got totally addicted." (4)
There are many anecdotal accounts too. Andrew Fusek Peters has written a book about how taking dips in cold Shropshire waters has helped him battle serious depression. “Swimming is about feeling alive – whatever fear is in my head, as soon as I am in the water, it has gone, slam-splash-dunked. So although swimming alone didn’t save me from depression, it broke the pattern,” he says.
Also for Gabs Dickinson, who runs a North Wales based outdoor swimming company, swimming in cold water helped with her mental health problems. “I’ve been treated with depression and anxiety most of my life and when I swim I am a better person to be around. If I’m having a bad day my friends will tell me to go get in a lake!” (5)
3. Reduced stress
In an article on the benefits of cold water swimming Alesia Hsiao wrote “Cold water swimming places stress on the body physically and mentally. Many studies have told us about the link between cold water and stress reduction. Cold water swimmers are naturally calmer and more relaxed. They are stronger in the face of adversity” (6).
In addition Dr Mark Harper talks of how repeated immersion helps 'train’ our fight-or-flight response - the icy temperatures being several degrees below the tropical climes of our evolutionary origin - meaning that we might become better at coping with stress (5).
“Getting into cold water evokes a form of stress response which is significant even at 20˚C. This response is recognisable (though, at colder temperatures, magnified) as our response to any stressful situation — increased heart rate and blood pressure, hyperventilation and the release of stress hormones.
However, repeated immersions — as few as four — diminish this response.
While we need to be able to react in this way to many situations, we want to avoid overreacting to the relatively minor threats (trains not running on time, Wi-Fi going down) modern society constantly throws at us. The process of cold water adaptation leads to a reduced, though not abolished, response to stress.
Consequently, heart rate and blood pressure don’t go up as much and we can still control our breathing when we get in the water. Cold water swimming could therefore bring benefits to all of us by preventing our overreaction.
It makes sense that the body only has one general way of reacting to stress — it’s hardly likely to evolve one for being chased by lions across the savannah and another when we choose the slowest queue in the supermarket. What we really need, therefore, is evidence of cross-adaptation — evidence that adapting to the cold brings benefits in other areas.” (3)
4. Boosts immune system
Lynne Wallis wrote in the Mail Online that "sea water may also lessen the symptoms of hay fever such as a runny and itchy nose — the water acts like a ‘saline douche’, washing the nasal passages clear of the irritating pollens. People who live by and swim in the sea tend to have healthier respiratory systems, says Maureen Jenkins, director of clinical services with the charity Allergy UK."
She also wrote about a Czech study which "found that people who immersed themselves in cold water three times a week experienced a significant increase in their white blood cell count — immune cells important for fighting off infection. The researchers put this down to cold water acting like a mild stressor, activating the immune system and giving it a workout" (1).
Furthermore, Dr Mark Harper writes about cold water swimming being linked with 'fewer illnesses and less stress'. "In a collaboration with Portsmouth, Naomi Collier, a fellow Brighton swimmer, is undertaking a PhD looking at health benefits. Our first study showed that, compared to controls, sea swimmers seemed to have a lower incidence and severity of colds during winter".
The website Paleo Leap states that "exposure (to cold water) just up to the point of adaptation and recovery actually bumps up your immune response: one study found that men who sat for 2 hours at 41 degrees Fahrenheit had higher levels of immune cells after the treatment.
By the same mechanism, swimming in cold water improves antioxidant status – of endogenous antioxidants, so the ones that are really effective. So it seems like as long as you don’t overdo the cold, the slight challenge to your body’s homeostasis just helps keep all your body’s defenses primed and ready to take on an actual threat." (7)
5. Other benefits
There are many other benefits, some of which are anecdotal. Even so I thought I'd just mention a few more in case they are of interest.
Some people say they use cold water swimming to control the symptoms of arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (Rob Starr, has published a book about his experiences with the latter). It may also find a role in ameliorating type-2 diabetes and even in reducing complications after surgery.
Open water swimming is also believed to be detoxifying and can reduce the risk of a heart attack and improve circulation. There are other benefits too and a great deal more information out there- just 'Google' it!
References
(1) “A dip in the British briny? It may add years to your life!”, Lynne Wallis 6 August 2013, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2385191/Sea-swimming-add-years-life.html
(2) “The Ice Women cometh”, Chris Price, January 30, 2015, http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2015/01/ice-women-cometh.html
(3) “Fewer illnesses, less stress: how cold water swimming can change your life”, Dr Mark Harper, 20th December 2016, https://health.spectator.co.uk/fewer-illnesses-less-stress-cold-water-swimming-can-change-life/
(4) “How swimming in cold water helped a depressed woman give up her pills: TV doctor reveals the cases where 'drugs don't work'”, Dr Chris Van Tulleken For The Daily Mail, 13 September 2016, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3785796/How-swimming-cold-water-helped-depressed-woman-pills-TV-doctor-reveals-cases-drugs-don-t-work.html#ixzz4hEbilnRs
(5) Brrr! The joys of cold water swimming, Jenny Landreth, 13 February 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/health/brrr-joys-cold-water-swimming/
(6) “6 Amazing Health Benefits Of Cold Water Swimming”, Alesia Hsiao, http://www.lifehack.org/288238/6-amazing-health-benefits-cold-water-swimming
(7) Cold Water Therapy, https://paleoleap.com/cold-water-therapy/
