cold water swimming
cold is emotional
COLD WATER SWIMMING
The page is intended to pull together information from a range of sources, such as health websites to medical journals, to describe the complex physiological and emotional responses exhibited when you go for a swim in cold water. It summarise a complex subject so it is not exhaustive, though it covers many questions and topic raised about cold water swimming. It is intended as a reference to dip into, but makes more sense if you read through it all. We learned a lot researching it and hope it helps you too. All the sites used are listed in the references at the end, if you want to dig deeper yourself. If you spot and errors or have questions not covered, send a message via our contacts page.
CAVEAT:
- This articles is not intended to tell you where to swim, how to swim, when to swim, what to wear, which are up to you.
- You always swim at your own risk. If unsure – book an open water coaching session, see our contact page.
- Cold water swimming should be avoided by anyone with an underlying heart condition. If in doubt, consult your doctor.
[elementor-template id=”12015″]
[elementor-template id=”12029″]
[elementor-template id=”12041″]
[elementor-template id=”12048″]
[elementor-template id=”12054″]
[elementor-template id=”12061″]
HOMEOSTASIS
Homeostasis is the term to describe your body’s drive to attain a healthy internal state. Mostly this happens unconsciously through your sensory organs. These detect a change in our environment, internally or externally, which triggers a bodily response to maintain equilibrium. Internal balances like your core temperature, blood pressure, hydration, respiratory rate, glucose levels, etc, or external threats like jumping into cold water. Mostly, the response from your systems is what is called a “negative feedback”, which counters the stimuli. For example when you feel hot your body sweats to cool you; if you feel cold your body shivers to warm you. A “positive feedback” is one that continues a stimuli, for example giving birth dilates the cervix which needs to continue and dilate further.
Next we look at interconnected systems within your body that interact to ensure homeostasis whether you are resting or when a threat is detected, like getting into cold water.
- Integumentary system (skin) is your interface to the outside world
- Nervous system is your brain, spinal cord and nerves throughout your body. Your brain receives information from your senses and tells your body how to respond
- Limbic system links memories with emotions and draws on past experiences to cope with stress
- Endocrine system supports your nervous system, controls human behaviour, including emotional and stress responses, and is the source of many of the rewards sought from cold water swimming, making it addictive.
- Cardiovascular system transports blood around your system, delivering oxygen, nutrients and hormones from your endocrine system, keeping tissue throughout your system alive and well.
[elementor-template id=”12140″]
[elementor-template id=”12146″]
[elementor-template id=”12143″]
[elementor-template id=”12149″]
[elementor-template id=”12436″]
[elementor-template id=”12152″]
Berta Vogel Scharrer helped to found the scientific discipline now known as neuroendocrinology by studying cockroaches and showing how they rapidly adapted to a changing environment. They have a small number of neurons in their nervous system yet achieve huge flexibility handling new situations. This is by secretion of hormones which facilitate neuron adaption. This systemic modification enabling survival through adaption is applicable across the whole of animal life.
Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience
So, while the modern world may be complex, your behavioural responses are rooted in survival instincts, especially heightened when you experience a stressful situation. These responses are the same set triggered by other stressful situations, whether chosen or not, like a cold swim to slipping on ice. Your internal systems work together to protect you: your sensory system detects a threat, your limbic system draws on past experiences to determine a suitable response, quickly engaging your sympathetic nervous system (aka flight or fight system) and supplements it with a flood of hormones. You experience this reaction as an emotional response from fear to euphoria, all of this and how well you coped is stored away for reference on another occasion.
So when you next go a short dip to acclimatise yourself to cold water swimming, on the surface it may appear a relatively simple and straightforward regular dip. However, inside your body there is a whole lot more going on.
Hopefully this article provides a better understanding of how you handle new experiences and adapt to them, including cold swimming or whatever you choose to do. Being aware means you are better placed to apply higher level thinking to help overcome lower level responses, bringing some control and calm to whatever you are doing, reducing any stress and making it more pleasurable.
[elementor-template id=”12331″]