Have you ever seen people jumping into freezing water in a lake, a pond, or a pool? The swimmers tend to shriek the moment their bodies touch the water. Experts believe that immersing yourself in very cold water wakes up your body in so many ways. It invigorates you, almost making you feel like a brand-new person after your ice-cold dip.
Before you start jumping into cold water, look at its health benefits first:
- It elevates your endorphins. The brain produces endorphins to make you feel good when you do physical activities. Since swimming in cold water is a form of exercise, it can make you happy. It can even help treat depression. One comes very close to the pain barrier while swimming in cold water, so the brain releases endorphins to help the body cope with the extreme environment.
- It strengthens your immunity. Cold water helps increase the number of white blood cells in your body. As you know, your body reacts when conditions around it change. Producing white blood cells is a vital reaction to defend your body. This is one of the reasons cold water swimmers do not get sick easily.
- It helps burn a lot of calories. In extremely cold conditions, the heart pumps faster, to circulate more warm blood throughout the body. Because of this, you burn more calories while swimming in cold water than swimming in warm water. Now you know why cold-water swimmers are thin.
- Improves circulation. Cold water swimming helps increase blood flow. This means that your capillaries, veins, and arteries are flushed. This helps the swimmers warm their extremities as they cut through the freezing water. This improvement of blood circulation is accompanied by the increase of testosterone and estrogen. Ultimately, libido and fertility are enhanced. The increase in libido results in great mood, elevated confidence, and more self-esteem.