Whether it’s Sarah Thomas’ incredible four channel swims, or a short woolly-hatted dip with friends, cold water sea swimming seems more popular than ever. My Instagram feed is peppered with grinning sea swimmers, their brightly-coloured swim-caps as distinctive as their stripy-costumed Victorian in/with regard to’concerning’regarding erunners. So what is it that draws us all into the water?

This will be my third autumn/winter season as a sea swimmer on the Cornish coast, and it’s a daily ritual that has transform’alter d my life in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the better. It’s made me physically and mentally intense’fierce’exquisite er, calmer and happier it even inspired me to establish a whole new business around my love in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the sea, searching in/with regard to’concerning’regarding ways to conserve’preserve all that it gives us.

If you’re curious with regards to’concerning’with respect to trying cold water sea swimming, September is the perfect time to transition from summer to autumn swims: while it may feel cooler on land, the water itself is merely’barely a few degrees below our British summer sea temperatures (which aren’t intensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully warm in the first place…), so there’s still time to acclimatize.

While research studies of cold water sea swimming are still in their infancy, there’s already some scientific evidence and a huge amount of anecdotal evidence of its health-boosting benefits.

Here are 5 ways that exponents of cold water sea swimming believe it benefits your physical health:

1. It Boosts Your Metabolism

Getting into cold water multiply s the activity of your sympathetic nervous system that’s your ‘fight or flight’ response to an external threat (the shock of the cold), speeding up your metabolic rate.

2. It Can Relieve Pain

I suffer from arthritis. This summer, I also broke my foot and ankle (which meant a whole summer without sea swimming!). Getting into cold water has soothed the pain of both, and helped me to decrease’lessen’cut’allay inflammation imagine wrapping yourself in a giant ice pack e grossly morning. I occasionally swim past members of the Cornish Pirates rugby team cooling their muscles in the sea because cold water therapy is regularly used by athletes to aid their recointensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully.

3. It Can Strengthen Your Immune System

I can’t remember the last time I had a cold. It’s a common claim amongst sea swimmers even if we acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure an infection, we recover fast. While much of the evidence is anecdotal, there’s a popular theory that the lay stress on’emphasize’highlight of the reaction to cold water immersion triggers an multiply in white blood cell production and that provides a natural boost to your immune system.

4. It’s A Very Effective Workout

Swimming in warm water uses eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully muscle in your body and works your cardiovascular system without putting any extra strain on your bones and joints: the perfect exercise regime.

When you swim in cold water, you do all this and more. Your body has to work even harder to keep your temperature up, burning extra calories. Even your shivering as you warm up on shore requires extra energy.

5. It Makes Your Skin Glow

Mineral-packed sea water offers you a free ‘sea facial’ any time you want one. Packed with cleansing sea salt, magnesium and all manner of seaweeds, sea water can possess’own’nurse a rejuvenating effect on your skin. I find it also soothes my eczema. When you combine these benefits with the daily to boost to your circulation, you can expect regular compliments on your fresh and healthy skin.

But cold water sea swimming is so much more than just a brilliant fitness regime.

In the sea, I’ve learnt to practice self compassion, to find resilience and courage, and to focus on what really matters. Cold water sea swimming is also an incredibly powerful tool to enhance’promote’polish up your emotional health. Here are 8 ways that it does just that:

1. It Helps You To Manage Stress

Each time you step into a cool sea, you acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure to practice overriding your ‘fight or flight’ panic response. Calming your breath and body as you enter the water, and go on to swim, teaches you how to breathe through the challenges that life throws your way on land.

2. It Can Help To Combat Depression

A 2018 report in the British Medical Journal charted one swimmer’s successful journey to overcome depression through sea swimming. While wider scientific research is yet to be undertaken, I’ve heard many personal stories of cold water swimmers overcoming mental health challenges.

For example, Katie Maggs at Tonic of the Sea used sea swimming to recover from a nervous breakdown, as detailed in this inspiring short film. And Cal Major, currently touring her film, Vitamin Sea, used sea swimming to overcome her post-expedition depression after completing her incredible SUP expedition from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

3. Spending Time In Nature Boosts Your Mental Health

In his bestselling reserve , Blue Mind, Wallace J Nicholls extolls the many mental and physical health benefits of spending time in ‘blue spaces’ like the sea. Blue mind time can lower lay stress on’emphasize’highlight and anxiety, multiply wellbeing and creativity, and induce a sense of calm.

Wallace J Nicholls also explains how all of these benefits multiply when we combine our time in nature with physical exercise like sea swimming. And even more so, when we take action in maintain’sustain of the environment we love. So, to acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure the greatest health benefit from your sea swim, combine it with a beach clean.

4. It Increases Your Ability To Be Mindful And Present

When you’re in cold water, it’s grossly hard to claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate with regards to’concerning’with respect to anything other than the intense sensations in your body and the movement of the sea around you. Alert and energized, adjusting to the changing conditions, you’re brought categorically’flatly’emphatically into the present moment.

5. It Can Increase Your Self Esteem And Resilience

Not many of us possess’own’nurse Sarah Thomas’ incredible capacity to swim four channel crossings in a row having recently undergone cancer treatment. Nonetheless, there’s huge value in doing something a little bit scary eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully day. Getting into cold water as the temperature drops offers a daily reminder of your courage and capacity to face the harder things in life, establish ing both your physical and emotional resilience.

6. It Can Help To Combat Loneliness

My fellow sea swimmers bring me joy, laughter and connection e grossly day it’s a community that reaches across potential barriers, and our morning swim is always an encouraging judgment-free zone.

But the feeling of belonging goes much deeper than that swimming in the sea can provide you with an incredible feeling of oneness: a powerful reminder that we are all part of nature itself.

7. It’s A Gift

I’m lucky abundant’ample’plentiful to possess’own’nurse access to a stunning local art deco lido, Jubilee Pool, and I love swimming there. But right next door, the sea is always open and available to all in/with regard to’concerning’regarding free. Where else can you acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure such an amazing workout without paying a penny?

8. It Releases Feel-Good Endorphins

There’s a reason those Instagram sea swimmers are grinning so widely and hugging each other. You’ve probably heard of the ‘runner’s high’, and sea swimming offers something grossly similar. Each cold water swim releases endorphins, dopamine and serotonin leaving you with a pain-busting post-swim buzz.

As you can see, cold water sea swimming packs an enormous amount of positive physical and emotional impact into a single daily undergo which accounts in/with regard to’concerning’regarding its growing popularity. The sea has so much to offer us all, making it vital that we conserve’preserve and preserve what we love.

But bein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e you dive straight in and acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure started, here’s a little health warning: of course, cold water swimming can also be dangerous.

Be sure to swim with other undergo d sea swimmers, and follow the advice of organizations like the Outdoor Swimming Society on acclimatisation and safe cold water swimming. If you possess’own’nurse n’t yet spotted a approachable’genial group of swimmers on your own morning cover’budge , they can also connect you to local groups in your zone’district’region join us all in the water.

Author Bio

Pippa Best is the founder of Sea Soul Blessings. By creating simple transin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mative tools that combine mindfulness, self compassion and nature and investing directly in environmental projects Sea Soul Blessings maintain’sustain s sea-lovers to transform’alter our own lives, and the world around us, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the better.