Can you get sick from swimming in really cold water?
Showering or swimming in cold water during winter does not directly cause illness, such as the common cold or flu. These illnesses are caused by viruses, and exposure to cold water itself does not infect you. However, cold water can lower your body temperature, potentially making you feel chilled or uncomfortable. Thermal Regulation. Your body works hard to regulate its temperature during swimming. Swimming in cold water forces your body to expend extra energy to stay warm, while warm water makes your body work harder to cool itself down. Both scenarios can lead to fatigue as your body adjusts to temperature changes.While more research is needed into the effects of cold water on the body, we do know it can lead to hypothermia and raise our stress hormone levels, increasing the risk of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and possibly even cardiac arrest.When your body hits cold water, “Cold Shock” can cause dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. The sudden gasp and rapid breathing alone creates a greater risk of drowning, even for confident swimmers in calm waters. In rougher open water, this danger increases.Enter the water slowly, giving your body at least 30 seconds to acclimatise after the initial cold shock response before swimming or putting your face near the water. Don’t swim in colder water for longer than 10 minutes, and avoid using how you feel as a guide — cold incapacitation can occur with little warning.Mental health improvements: individuals suffering from depression experienced significant mood improvements after participating in cold water swimming. Calorie burn: cold water swimmers can burn up to 500 calories in a 30-minute session, depending on water temperature and intensity.
What happens if you swim in cold water for too long?
Cold water can cause cold water shock and hypothermia, and can impact people of all ages and fitness, including even the most capable swimmers. These conditions can adversely affect the body’s ability to function properly, thereby increasing the risk of drowning. Prolonged exposure to cold water can make it more difficult for your body to fight infection and prevent illness. It’s worth noting that individuals with pre-existing health conditions or compromised immune systems should exercise caution when swimming in cold water, as they may be at a higher risk of adverse effects.Avoid any temptation to have a hot shower immediately after your cold water swim. This can cause blood pressure to drop as blood vessels open up too fast.There’s no evidence that cold showers help with weight loss. But they still may provide other benefits for your metabolism. Cold water immersion can activate brown fat cells, which then burn fat to create more energy. Some studies suggest this can help regulate insulin levels and help prevent diabetes.Cold water swimming can improve blood pressure and fat levels in the blood when practised regularly by those in good general health. However, if you have a heart condition, there are risks you should consider and discuss with your doctor or nurse specialist before starting swimming.Add a Pool Heater for a Warmer Pool. If you’re concerned about getting sick from swimming in a cold pool, there are practical solutions available. Installing a pool heater is a convenient way to regulate the water temperature and create a more comfortable swimming environment.
What are the symptoms of swimming in cold water?
Cold water swimming can lower your body temperature, leading to hypothermia. This is a serious condition where your core temperature drops below 35°C and affects your vital organs. Symptoms include shivering, confusion, drowsiness, and slurred speech. Cold shock, or cold water shock, is the physiological reaction that occurs when a person enters cold water. The sudden lowering of skin temperature produces involuntary responses which take effect almost immediately, reach their peak in the first 30 seconds and last for up to 2 to 3 minutes.If you’ve done any swimming in cool water, you may have experienced it. For the uninitiated, after-drop refers to the decline in your core body temperature after you have got out of the water. When you swim in cool water the body cleverly tries to protect vital organs by reducing blood flow to the skin and limbs.Hyperventilation, rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, and decreased dexterity are all symptoms making cold water shock very dangerous.Hypothermia is the result of heat loss from the body’s core. It happens when your body temperature drops below 35°C. This affects your brain, heart and other internal organs. As soon as you enter the water, your body begins to cool, but the full effects of hypothermia can take around 30 minutes to develop.
How do you recover from cold water swimming?
Recovery and Rest After each swim, allow your body to return to normal temperature slowly and safely. Wrapping yourself in warm blankets, drinking hot fluids, and avoiding sudden heating (like jumping into a hot shower) can prevent afterdrop phenomenon – where body temperature continues to drop after exiting the water. The length of the delay between exiting the water and your core starting to warm up depends on a range of factors, such as the water temperature and the length of your swim. Afterdrop can be really unpleasant, with shivering, faintness, nausea and, of course, the risk of hypothermia.The cold can dull your blood pressure response and make you feel dizzy and faint. Now that you are out of the water doesn’t mean you will instantly start to warm up. In fact you will continue to cool, sometimes called the ‘afterdrop’. This period of cooling can potentially last 30-40 minutes after your swim.When winter swimming without a wetsuit, a rule of thumb is 1 minute in the water per 1oC of water temperature, so for those new to winter swimming 2 or 3 minutes is more than enough. Only enter cold water if you can tread water and are a confident swimmer.As for how long you should stay in an ice bath, most experts recommend no more than 10 to 15 minutes. Staying too long in cold water can actually be harmful, especially if you have a history of heart or circulatory problems.
Who should avoid cold water swimming?
As a general rule, get expert medical advice before winter swimming if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, asthma, or are pregnant. Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs and chemicals found in the water we swim or play in, including swimming pools, water parks, hot tubs, splash pads, lakes, rivers, or oceans. They are spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water.You can get swimming-related illnesses if you swallow, have contact with, or breathe in mists of water contaminated with germs. You can also get swimming-related illnesses by having contact with chemicals that are in the water or inhaling chemicals that evaporate from the water and turn into gas in the air.Showering immediately after swimming can reduce the risk by washing away such harmful microorganisms before they have a chance to cause harm. Recreational Water Illnesses are a significant concern for swimmers in natural bodies of water. RWIs are caused by germs and chemicals found in lakes, rivers, and oceans.The most common swimming-related illnesses are diarrhea, skin rashes, swimmer’s ear, pneumonia or flu-like illness, and irritation of the eyes or respiratory tract.
Why do I feel sick after cold water swimming?
The cold can dull your blood pressure response and make you feel dizzy and faint. Now that you are out of the water doesn’t mean you will instantly start to warm up. In fact you will continue to cool, sometimes called the ‘afterdrop’. This period of cooling can potentially last 30-40 minutes after your swim. Cold water shock can occur when your body undergoes sudden immersion in cold water that is less than 15°C. It causes uncontrollable breathing and increases the work of the heart, which can lead to hypothermia and drowning.Cold Water Immersion can trigger involuntary gasping, rapid breathing or hyperventilating due to the “shock” of sudden immersion. This uncontrolled rapid breathing can quickly create a drowning emergency if you inhale water and cannot stay afloat. Cold water can cause a sudden spike in heart rate and blood pressure.Because skin blood vessels constrict in response to sudden cooling, cold water immersion also causes an instantaneous and massive increase in heart rate and blood pressure. In vulnerable individuals, this greatly increases the danger of heart failure and stroke.Cold water can cause cold water shock and hypothermia, and can impact people of all ages and fitness, including even the most capable swimmers. These conditions can adversely affect the body’s ability to function properly, thereby increasing the risk of drowning.Stage 1: Cold Water Shock Initial cold shock occurs in the first three to five minutes of accidentally falling overboard. You can experience immediate involuntary gasping, hyperventilation, vertigo and panic — all of which can result in water inhalation and death from drowning.