The health benefits of open water swimming

While we’ve long been promoting the virtues of pool swimming, did you know there are extra health benefits unique to open and cold water swimming?

Here are some of the perks that going for an open water dip can offer.

Four key health benefits of open water swimming

1. Better sleep
   Open water swim training can result in a natural increase in the levels of a certain hormone called prolactin in the body which may help to improve the quality of your sleep..
2. Increased happiness
   Other hormones that stimulate the thyroid have been shown to be increased by more than 50 per cent after swimming. This has all kinds of benefits on regulating weight, body temperature, muscle strength but also can improve your mood, making you both healthier and happier.
3. Boosted immune system
   Open water swim training in colder water can reduce the potential over-production of certain hormones that can contribute to impaired immunity, in effect making your more body more robust and resistant to infection.
4. Preventing and managing long-term health conditions
   Cold water and open water swim training can make other systems of your body more efficient and more effective, improving your body’s defensive response to damage and therefore potentially reducing your risk of cancer, neurological disorders and chronic respiratory disease. It and can also help to improve the management of asthma and Type 2 Diabetes.