Yes! It is no hidden secret that swimming is good for you, but swimming whilst immersing yourself in the wild comes with huge mental and physical benefits.
With the rapid growth in popularity with wild/ open water swimming, scientists have begun to conduct studies on the health benefits. One study conducted on 80,000 people by ‘Swim England’ showed that swimmers had a 28% lower risk of an early death rate and 41% lower risk of death from heart disease and stroke.
But why is wild swimming any different from swimming in a pool? Research has shown that exercising outside makes us feel better about ourselves compared to when indoors. General mood and self-esteem are positively impacted from physical activity outside, this may have something to do with how the outdoors helps to relieve stress. According to the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in Japan, ‘simply being outside can reduce our stress hormone cortisol by as much as 15%’, I’ll come onto the ‘stress hormone cortisol’ a little later. Perhaps this is why wild swimming can make us feel so good!
Endorphins
Wild swimming is said to be a great way to release endorphins which is a chemical that your body releases when doing physical exercise. Endorphins interact with brain interceptors, making you feel euphoric as well as giving you a warm fuzzy feeling all over your body. A good endorphin hit works as a natural ‘high’ which can last for hours after exercise. Along with endorphins, swimming through cool water outside releases adrenaline making your swim slightly more exciting than your average pool dip. Check out Top 7 Cold water swimming benefits (2021)for a full list of cold water benefits.
Stress relief
Stress, something that most of us experience in day to day life. Whether its pressure at work or family life that is adding to your stress levels, we all have it! prolonged or continuous exposure to stressful situations or long periods of chronic depression can start to damage parts of the brain. Wild swimming can help counteract this by having a positive effect on a particular part of the brain called the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a major part of the brain that can have effect on learning, memory and also emotions! Swimming is said to promote new cells that are formed in this area of the brain, helping us deal with stressful emotions that come our way in day to day life.
The stress hormone ‘cortisol’
Cortisol is something we all have in our bodies, it is a hormone that is produced by an organ at the top of our kidneys but controlled by our brains. Cortisol essentially controls the ‘fight or flight’ in our bodies, but can also have an effect on regulating our blood sugar levels, sleep cycle, digestion and many more. Too much cortisol can occur if our bodies are under a prolonged amount of stress. This can have a negative impact on our bodies, leading to sleepless nights, anxiety and depression.
So where does wild swimming fit into all of this? Because wild swimming involves exposing our bodies to cold water on our skin, it triggers a surge in electrical impulses that has an anti-depressant effect. The physical part of wild swimming can lead to a decreases in excess cortisol being produced and helps to use any excess cortisol that is floating around our bodies. Wild swimming is considered a way to relax for many, which is one of the main factors in maintaining healthy cortisol levels, This makes wild swimming a natural anxiety reliever!
New experiences
Wild swimming is the perfect excuse to go exploring, which can have a hugely positive effect on our brains. Exploration combined with wild swimming opens us up to ‘new experiences’ which helps to create new connections and pathways in our brains, this is called neuroplasticity. Wild swimming therefore can enhance our brain functionality over time along with helping us learn new skills, experience new feelings and new places.
Conclusion
On conclusion wild swimming can benefit your physical and mental state. The list of positives that comes with wild swimming is almost endless.
As great and freeing wild swimming can be, please make yourself aware of safety risks that can come along with it too. You can check this out here Swim safety tips. Like always, here at Feel Alive Outside, we love to hear about your feedback and your adventures, so please leave a comment below! Thanks for reading.
