Stepping into the deep blue
How a cold swim can boost your mental health and recharge your batteries.
I’ve spent a good portion of my life in the water having grown up a competitive swimmer in the pool and open water. I left the sport at age nineteen due to a string of health issues, but over the last 15+ years I always have found myself drawn back to the water to heal both physically and mentally.
Facing another winter I would normally hit the pavement and run, but my knees aren’t allowing that anymore. The pain is just too much. Gym, Muay Thai or garage workouts have been the substitute pending lockdowns, but mentally it starts to make me go a bit ‘gaga’. My body needs that water infused injection!
Being winter and the pools shut with lockdown I decided to buy a wetsuit, so I could swim on the beach and in the ocean pool. There are different wetsuits for open/ocean swimming compared with surfing, stand-up paddle board (SUP) or windsurfing. However, I am finding if you aren’t going to compete in a Triathlon or open water swim the surf sports wetsuits are pretty versatile. It means I can use it for swimming and SUP! There are plenty of websites providing extensive detail on wetsuits and how to select the one right for you, which I have provided links to at the end of this article.
I should have been in the ocean and pools long ago, lockdown or not. Not only am I physically and mentally worlds better, but it is helping with the inflammation caused by my autoimmune conditions (Colitis & Hashimotos) and Endometriosis. I feel a sense of peace and a sheer relief from the sometimes agonising pain.
Now, some of you may be thinking this is freaking nuts. It is winter and the water temp is bouncing between 16-19 degrees here in Sydney. This is all true, but trust me when I say the wetsuit does the job to keep you warm and the benefits are well worth it. Below I provide a detail into what open/ocean/wild swimming is, the benefits and some great tips to get you started safely.
What is open water/wild swimming?
Open. Ocean. Wild. There are a bunch of different names for it, but at the end of the day it means diving into a natural body of water like a river, ocean, lake, dam or tidal pools surrounded by nature and swimming!
We are very lucky in Australia and surrounded by not only beaches, tidal pools and other salt water bodies of water, but we also have a lot of in-land freshwater areas to swim. Some even man-made like the Penrith Regatta Centre in NSW.
However, I would like to point out that if you are currently stuck in a lockdown and access to open water is not possible and your local pools are closed, a cold shower daily can have similar benefits. It is a temporary option until we can go back to pools and other waterways.
What are the benefits to your physical and mental health?
Swimming has its overall obvious physical benefits including improving your cardio fitness, toning muscle and reducing overall impact on your joints, to name a few. In mid 2020, Romensky reported, due to lockdown restrictions across Australia at that time, many were seeking open water to train in for fitness with the added benefits to mental health as seen in overseas studies. Furthermore, the swimmers commented that the camaraderie from participating as a team had allowed many to form friendships that otherwise might not have developed had it not been for the icy water adventures.
I mentioned earlier that I am personally discovering open water swimming is helping my inflammation associated with my chronic illnesses. As many with life-long illnesses know, chronic pain goes hand in hand with depression. Glenny reported, Dr Mark Harper is researching further into the links between cold water swimming and chronic illness. He has found that the stress of cold water becomes adaptable, so our general stress response decreases. This in turn reduces overall inflammation that could possibly reduce the risk of depression, but remember mental health is a complex beast with many factors involved. There is no hard evidence yet, but studies are underway.
I have always been a water baby. No matter how hard I push and pull the water always draws me back and when she does both my mental and physical health improve immensely. At the very least, even in a wetsuit, when I hit that 16-18 degree water the shock rockets through my system resetting my anxiety, depression and any pains my chronic illnesses may have brought along for the day. Even if the pain relief is temporary, it is a huge, healthy dose of medicine that gets better and better the more I do it.
How do you go about getting in safely to train?
Before you get excited and go jumping in, unless you are a seasoned swimmer and have had experience with open water swimming there are a few things to consider:
Ensure you are medically signed off to go jumping into cold (sometimes freezing) water, even with a wetsuit on. This means chat to your GP. Not your local voodoo specialist, aka ‘life coach’ with no medical qualifications.
If you don’t know how to swim then get lessons first in the pool with an accredited swimming coach.
If you do know how to swim then ensure you either go out with a friend/group or have a spotter. This is someone who can follow you on land or in a kayak/canoe not too far away. Just don’t launch yourself into huge open water and no one knows!
Depending on water temperatures, wear a wetsuit. I can’t handle anything under 20 degrees, so I usually wear a full suit in these situations and normal swimmers above 20-22 degrees.
With all open water swimming in cold temperatures don’t launch yourself in head first. Go in slowly and let your body adapt. Especially your head! Brain freeze is no joke.
Train as much as you like, but if your muscles start to seize up then get out! Especially if you see your skin changing from red to purple to blue to black. Frostbite isn’t fun. As a young swimmer I got the pleasure of learning what that was and it took hours to defrost from the pain.
When you get out, remove the wetsuit as soon as possible. You will find once you do this and wrap a towel around you that your body temp will soon return to normal. If you aren’t using booties and gloves like me, you might find it hard to feel your hands and feet for a while, but it’s worth it!
Happy open water swimming!
Let me know if you hit the wild open waters and the benefits you find to your mental and physical health. If you have a chronic illness does it help with the inflammation in any sort of way? I would love to know others' thoughts.
NSW LOCAL OPEN WATER GROUPS TO CHECK OUT!
These are some general sites that provide comprehensive lists of open water swimming groups around Australia. Or you can just Google your local area and see what comes up. Remember your local outdoor pool is an option too if any of these places are too far.
https://oceanfit.com.au/ocean-swimming-groups/
http://www.wildswimmingaustralia.com/
https://www.oceanswims.com/what-s-new.html
WETSUIT WEBSITES
If you would like to research the right wetsuit for you, take a look at these sites as a starting point. Note this is a guide only to help understand what to look for in a wetsuit. I am not affiliated to any of these sites.
Remember to consider what you would like to use it for, water temperatures you will be diving into to determine the rubber thickness and when it is safe to return to store go and try a few on if you are unsure. Buying online can be hard, so take your time, as a decent wetsuit is not a cheap investment. However, if cared for properly, a wetsuit is something you can use for a long time to come for your mental and physical health.
https://oceanfit.com.au/what-to-look-for-in-an-open-water-swimming-wetsuit/
https://wetsuitwarehouse.com.au/blogs/news/how-to-choose-the-right-swimming-wetsuit
https://wetsuitwarehouse.com.au/blogs/news/the-ultimate-guide-to-surf-wetsuits
REFERENCES
Here are some great stories I read before diving into my take on open water swimming. The research, facts, stories and experiences of others has long been known and this is just a starting point if you are looking for more information.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-06/how-cold-water-swimming-helps-with-mental-health/12338400
https://cornwallmind.org/how-wild-swimming-can-benefit-mental-health/