New Study Highlights Amazing Benefits Of Open Water Swimming

Lots of you reading this will already know how a short swim in cold water invigorates and completely refreshes you.

Well it turns out that a bunch of research projects have found it may also:-Help alleviate ‘long COVID’ systems-Combat dementia, and-Boost mental health

That’s a lot of big claims, but they’re all now being studied in closer detail, after a series of research projects this year have put them under the spotlight.

There’s been particular focus on the efforts of a group of regular open-water swimmers in North Devon. Under the watch of doctors and psychiatrists, they’ve been taking part in a study into the beneficial effects of their activity on not just their physical health, but their mental well-being too.

Until now, there has been no shortage of anecdotal evidence of the benefits of a regular plunge into cold water, aside from the advantages of such physical exertion - any triathlete knows the buzz that comes from simply being able to propel themselves along in the water, no matter what the speed.

It will be a few more months until the full results of Chill Swimming Therapy’s are known - but if the results are positive, it could see medics adding open-water swimming to the list of treatments they could prescribe.

Michael Morris of Chill Swimming Therapy, added: “We wanted to get people with anxiety and depression into the cold water and make them feel better - it’s as simple as that.”

Dr Mark Harper, who has been watching the study group, said cold water “reduces your reaction to stress. Getting into cold water is a stress, and over time, doing it [repeatedly means] you are less [affected] by that stress.”

He concluded: “If a drug showed these kinds of results, they would say ‘you’re making it up’. But you’re getting all the benefits of an effective treatment for mental health, and it costs the NHS next to nothing.”

The theory that cold-water swimming could have a role to play in warding off dementia is being investigated by a separate study.

These tests, carried out on a group of regular swimmers at Parliament Hill Lido in north London, have found that cold water swimming may protect the brain from degenerative diseases like dementia.

The great news that the benefits of open water swimming are now being seriously investigated as part of treatments for a range of physical and mental conditions won’t surprise the sport’s aficionados of course.

Here at MyTriathlon and MyOpenWaterSwim, we’d stress that these results will only be achieved if you go out properly equipped. Even if you don’t want to go to the lengths of investing in a full wetsuit, you can still protect yourself from the cold with clothing such as neoprene socks, neoprene gloves and a neoprene swim cap.

If you decide to continue practising the sport outside the peak summer season, you’ll also need a good safety light, which will attach to your wetsuit and instantly give observers a pointer to your exact location if you encounter any difficulties. We also suggest that your kit includes a safety whistle. This will allow you to make a loud sound which can be located from a considerable distance.

We’d also strongly suggest that you invest in a waterproof changing robe. These highly useful garments will get you from your car to the waterside and back before and after your swim - and especially as many changing facilities are currently closed due to COVID-associated restrictions, it could easily prove its worth.

The last piece of kit which is commonly used for open water swimming safety - which is insisted on by many organisers of race events - is a suitable safety buoy. Our retail partner Swim Secure is one of the foremost suppliers of this kit, and you can take a look at a good range of its products and choose at your leisure. And while you might think that towing a buoy will inhibit your swimming, by helping you float higher in the water, it can make your swim stroke more efficient.

We can help you with a range of any of these products, and will be happy to advise you on your choice, with the benefit of our own experience as regular open water swimmers, and organisers of regular sessions at safe, well-supervised swimming locations.

We know that open-water swimming has many fans among our customers - but what do you believe are the benefits it’s given you? Email us on  contactus@mytriathlon.co.uk with brief details and some contact information - we’d love to hear your experiences.

(Image by Taru Schroderus from Pixabay)