Freezin' for a reason: the benefits of cold water immersion

Cold water swimming (CWS) or cold water immersion (CWI) may have you shivering at the thought, but it is increasing in popularity among athletes and health nuts alike. 

Did you know that there are social and competitive cold water clubs? And the numbers appear to be rising steadily too! One Canadian club increased the attendees from 641 in 1976 to 2000 in 2019, while the Outdoor Swimming Society in England started with 300 swimmers in 2006 and is now at over 100 000. Pretty, uh, cool, right?

While ‌more and more people are taking part in cold water events, you may be curious about why people would voluntarily immerse themselves in cold water. To answer this, we’ll dive deeper into some physical and mental health benefits.

According to a review, exposure to cold water benefits some of your organs and systems. For example, CWI can protect your heart by lowering your blood pressure and improving your cardiovascular disease risk markers. Various endocrine hormones react favourably too. One study showed that CWI modulates insulin sensitivity, while another study showed decreased triglyceride levels (a type of potentially harmful cholesterol) after a CWI intervention. You may also be better off fighting infections. Various studies have shown less frequent illnesses and increased immune cells in cold water swimmers compared with control groups. 

Specific to your mental health, one study showed lowered symptoms of anxiety and depression and improved mood scores after up to 20 minutes of CWI in the ocean. Other research has shown reduced pain scores after a 4-month CWI campaign. To make matters cooler, these findings were clear, irrespective of the cause of the pain. Also, you’ll likely feel more awake and energised for the day ahead if you give cold water a bash first thing in the morning, and with improved mood outcomes, your sleep quality may benefit too. 

CWI doesn’t require any fancy setup, and you don’t need to live near the ocean or tackle the elements of the outside weather in the winter months. A dash under a cold shower or dip in a cold bath will do the trick. 

Who knew that feeling cold could be so good for you? Go on, take the plunge and embrace the chill.