“Exercise makes us happy. When you increase your heart rate by exercising, your brain recognises it as stress. Your body responds by releasing a protein called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which helps protect and repair your memory neurons. At the same time, you release endorphins which block the discomfort of exercise and make you feel euphoric.

Exercising outdoors is even more effective. In 2015, researchers studied the effect of exercise with simulated views of natural environments. A group of post-menopausal women were asked to do 15 minutes on an exercise bike while facing either a blank wall (control) or watching project videos of urban (grey), countryside (green) or coast (blue) environments. The test showed the most positive psychological results in the women who exercised in front of the blue video.

Bring together those three elements, camaraderie, exercise and blue views, and you start to understand why swimming outdoors has such a profound effect on our sense of wellbeing. But more recent research is starting to expand theories there are also physiological benefits from the cold water itself.”

Cold water therapy

Apart from a sense of adventure and a connection to nature, swimming in open waters is a form of cold water therapy. This has been found to be highly beneficial in treating anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

In September 2018, the British Medical Journal published a case report about the theories around cold water adaptation as a treatment for depression, and the findings are very important as part of understanding how it can help people wth PTSD too. “The theory is around our stress response and inflammation. Immersing yourself in cold water puts your body into fight or flight mode. Starting with the cold-water shock response, dipping into cold water puts your body under stress. As you repeat this experience, you diminish this stress response.” Obviously, for people with PTSD,  having some degree of control on your stress response can be hugely beneficial.

In addition, cold water exposure increases metabolism, boosts alertness and creates a rush of adrenaline. Participants describe feeling fresh and ‘truly alive”.

For an anecdotal viewpoint, you could watch this video: https://fb.watch/5o-MwWOs6Q/

The simple act of floating or swimming in repetitive movements can bring a great sense of calm too.

• Join a local group for safety and that all-important camaraderie. Start now and dip at least once a week to stay acclimatised
• Get in quickly – it takes 90-120 seconds for the initial cold-water shock to wear off
• Never jump in – hyperventilating underwater is bad!
• Gently exhale as you enter the water
• Listen to your body and don’t stay in for too long
• Bring layers, a warm drink and a hat for afterwards