Cold Water Swimming and Dipping Guidance

Open water swimming and cold water dipping is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, lock down, Wim Hoff and social media have all contributed to this and as you are reading this I am sure you want to join!

The benefits are well documented ranging from mental health benefits, helping with menopause, and giving you a fantastic feeling of wellbeing. What ever your reasons it is essential that you do it safely and this article is going to go through the essential guidance required.

Kit
Cold Water Shock & Hypothermia
How long should I stay in?
During your Swim
After your Swim
Pre existing health conditions

Kit

As an absolute minimum for cold water immersion, a costume!

As the water gets colder it is recommended that you wear a wetsuit unless you have fully acclimatised to the water and have been continually going in in skins since the summer.

A brightly coloured swimming hat is compulsory at the venue and as the water gets colder a tow float is highly recommended.

It is also a good idea to have neoprene boots and gloves to protect the extremities. Neoprene hats can also be worn to retain heat and even a woolly bobble hat!

Cold Water Shock & Hypothermia

Our bodies cool from the outside in, starting with the skin, then to our superficial nerves and muscles and then finally into our core, the deep tissues. As result of this cold water shock is felt in the first 20 seconds to 2 minutes of being in the water and us caused by the skin cooling rapidly.

The body responds to the cold stimulus releasing stress hormones that are fast acting and prepare the body for ‘fight or flight’. This response is not enabling the body to regulate the temperature, rather ensuring that we are prepared for the environment and the cold.

By relaxing, controlling the breathing, getting in slowly we can control this shock and the body then releases endorphins and serotonin stabilising mood and making us feel happy. The feeling that we are after and giving the post swim high.

Hypothermia sets in as the body cools into the core and the medical definition is a drop of 2 degrees in body heat to below 35 degrees. The warning signs are covered in the next section of how long should I stay in?

How Long Should I Stay In?

Time should never be the target here, its about how you feel so you need to consider a number of factors:

Is this my first time or am I experience?
Will I be skins or in a wetsuit?
What body type do I have?
Did you sleep well, are you stressed?
Are you sufficiently hydrated?
Temperature of both the water and the air?
Is it windy?
Are you on your period?
Are you perimenopausal or going through the menopause?

By answering these questions you are going to learn about your body and the conditions an the triggers that get you cold.

The 1 minute per degree is a guide, not a target and all of the above factors are more overriding.

You also need to consider what your swim is for as this will impact on how long you should be in:

Are you getting fit
Is it for cold water immersion

Regarding cold water immersion the science is pointing to the best feeling being achieved after a quick dip as it is believed that the high occurs as a result of the initial response to cold water not the length of time in. Thus as soon as you are calm, have a quick swim or get straight out.

Even if you are wearing a wetsuit it is important to note that you still get the same responses to cold water and the same precautions should be taken.

You must also be sufficiently fuelled, not only for the swim but also for the recovery – do not skip breakfast!

During Your Swim

Remember to start short, do not feel pressured to staying in longer than you are comfortable with, it is your swim / dip and you get out of it what you want.

Stay close to your exit point and swim small laps rather than long ones, you are then able to get to your clothing quickly rather than being 100m away and getting colder.

Some of the responses you need to lookout for are:

Phantom finger – fingers start to go white
Claw hand – your hands go claw like and you can not close your fingers
White toe – as per the finger
Ice nose

You will learn about your body, your triggers and how you feel.

After Your Swim

The key here is to warm slowly, if you have got cold remember that you could be cold from the core and having a hot shower is only going to warm the skin.

You may experience after drop, the sensation of feeling cold a while after you get out, typically 10 minutes, due to the fact that the core is still cooling. So if you warm up quickly with a shower then you are simply tricking yourself into feeling warm as the core will still be cooling. This will result in you shivering again after the shower.

So, get dressed quickly, put on lots of layers, hats, gloves, large jackets or a swim robe and sip a warm, not hot, drink to slowly warm the body in a safe manner.

Shivering is a perfectly normal response to being cold and in actual fact prevents further cooling and helps you warm. Shivering is hard work, it uses carbs or sugar and to fuel and you need to replace these, another reason why you should be fuelled prior to your swim.

Have you ever noticed that swimming makes you pee… I am sure you have! Well cold water actually increases urine production in the human body – so it is essential hat you start your swim hydrated and that you rehydrate afterwards.

Pre existing health conditions

If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure or are pregnant then you must get medical clearance before swimming in cold water. When swimming or dipping with Kuotos swim you will be asked to sign to certify that you have got medical clearance.

Failure to do so will result in you not being allowed in the water.

There are many benefits but you must also understand the risks.

Please see the following articles for further information: