Dr. Mark Harper recalls his first time Cold swimming 20 years ago, southern England. It was August, but the first bold shock exhaled him.
The shock to his system lasted a minute or two until “we can think about things other than the cold with commbobbobulted,” Harper says. The sense of surprise quickly replaced his discomfort.
“I remember getting off the water for the first time and feeling really good,” says Harper, an anesthesiologist who studied potential risks and rewards. Take the Nippy Dunk. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Claims about the benefits of Cold water immersion It goes back centuries. Thomas Jefferson, the leading author of the Declaration of Independence and third American president, wrote about using a cold foot bath for 60 years each day, towards the end of his life. He also owned a book on the history of cold water bathing in 1706.
Although evidence has been built around the positive health effects of swimming in chilly waters, It’s in ice Or take a cold shower, Scientific confirmations are still lacking.
However, Harper has become a regular Cold water swimmer After he began, he said there were strong indications that people could draw mental health benefits from their activities. He described positive effects on depression and general well-being.
“For now, we have a very strong foundation, but it’s not harsh evidence. Cold water immersion is effective for mental health,” Harper told The Associated Press.
Improve your mental health
Harper said his own early experiences in cold-water swimming stabbed his professional curiosity. As a doctor, he wondered whether short body shocks had clinical use to treat depression. He cited the biological phenomenon of formosis, in which stressors introduced at low doses produce positive responses.
Muscles and bones are subject to stress, such as weight-bearing exercise.
Harper acknowledged that the positive effects he observed could be the result of the placebo effect, a phenomenon in people who are given medications that would help report responses to treatment, even if they were not present in the active ingredient.
In the case of cold water immersion, benefits can come from meeting people, the movement itself, or simply accepting the challenge and achieving it.
“Personally, that’s all of that and I think it has an added effect on the cold,” Harper said. “I think we have a good physiological foundation for that. Basic science says that colds have a very strong effect on the body.
“What we’re talking about is interventions that have beneficial effects on mental health when used clinically. So it doesn’t matter what aspects are producing a positive effect.”
Harper said what he said was a general response among drastic first-timers.
They often say, “The fact that I did this means I can do anything,” he said. “It’s a pretty confident builder and that’s something people stick to because they enjoy it so much.”
Know the risks when starting
Dr. Mike Tipton, a physiologist at the University of Portsmouth in the UK who studied extreme environments, wrote a paper several years ago with Harper and two more researchers. The title highlighted the potential benefits and dangers of irritating the body with a sudden drop in temperature.
“Like other environmental components such as pressure, heat, and oxygen, cold water can be either good or bad depending on the situation, threat or treatment,” they wrote after reviewing research available on the topic.
One of their findings: activity shows danger. Death from cold water immersion is not uncommon. The shock of the extremely cold water can cause people to hyperventilate and drown. However, Tipton told the Associated Press that risks can be managed with common sense and precautions.
How cold is it?
You don’t have to go to extremes to get potential rewards. Enter water at a temperature of 20-15 degrees Celsius (68-59F) and stay for just a few minutes is enough.
Tiptons may earn more benefits if the water is colder than that, but limits exposure.
“If you ask what protocol if you think this is trying to do well, I won’t get into water well below 12c (54F), and I won’t stay for more than two minutes,” Tipton said.
Both Tipton and Harper said the benefits from cold water immersion are due to the body’s cold shock response, including sudden drops in skin temperature, release of stress hormones, release of endorphins, and anti-inflammatory effects.
Tipton warned against a long spell in the ice bath.
“I’m sitting in the water as long as I can fill up with fear,” Tipton said. “This can destroy small nerves, blood vessels in the limbs, and can lead to amputations just as frostbite can occur.”
Harper, who swam for as long as he has a four-hour stretch in open water, advised him to be vigilant.
“People think it would be very cold, very long, and longer,” Harper said, “and that’s wrong.”
It’s safe. You are a tropical animal
Tipton said he wasn’t trying to become a “fun police officer,” but if you’re on the brink, he suggested warning and medical screening. He said humans need to adapt to the cold and are considered “tropical animals” suitable for warm conditions.
Human resting body temperatures are approximately 36.5 to 37.5 degrees Celsius (97.7 to 99.5 F). Therefore, cold water immersion is stressful and involves risks to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. It goes without saying that the risk of own death is the risk.
“We don’t want to stop people from doing that, but we want them to do it in a way that maximizes profits and minimizes risk,” Tipton said.
He suggested swimming in a life-supported area or going with an experienced outdoor swimmer. He also suggested to get to know the body of water you are swimming in. Hazards in particular include tide, temperature, depth and pollution.
“Understand that taking tropical animals and putting them in cold water is probably the biggest stress most people experience in their lives,” Tipton said.
He suggested not jumping in, but entering the water in a controlled way.
“Be wise about that,” he said. “Incrementality is important.”
