Frome Valley Osteopaths

And why it’s so good for us, Siân shares her passion for cold water dipping.

If you have been treated by me over the last year, then no doubt, at some point, I’ve chatted endlessly and passionately about my morning routine of cold water dipping 😉

I was so chuffed recently when a patient told me that she has started ending her daily shower with a cold blast, so I thought why not share with you my journey and some facts about cold water immersion.

I have always been someone that HATED getting cold and to some extent feared it. It still blows my mind every time I find myself in a very cold river with a huge smile on my face – so if I can endure it and actually enjoy it, then anybody can. There really isn’t anything superhero about it. It’s all about habituation.

I can vividly remember my first dip in the river and I lasted all of 5 seconds and it felt horrendous! My skin burned, my hands and feet hurt but the rush of good feelings after was incredible! With perseverance and encouragement, I find myself a year later dipping 2-3 times a week, and the colder the weather the better! 

But why do this extreme thing you say?!?

Where to start…The potential benefits of cold-water immersion are huge. These include:

• Probably increases dopamine (our feel-good hormone)
• Acutely increases endorphins (a neurotransmitter and hormone for mood and pain relief)
• Activates our parasympathetic nervous system and stabilises cortisol and serotonin (possibly helping with sleep and mental health balance)
• Activates our immune response by the leucocytes and monocytes (potential for fewer infections)
• Anti-inflammatory effects
• Decreases blood pressure, blood sugar and increases insulin sensitivity (potential prevention of type 2 diabetes).
• Increases metabolism (fat burning)

Now, I’m not suggesting you need to find a local river or lake to get these above benefits, as there are other ways you can achieve this. You could start by lowering the temperature of the bedroom (cooler than the living room) and /or end each shower on a cold setting.

What is important is to start small, just a few seconds in cold water is great and build up from there. If you seek outdoor waters then never jump in, walk in slowly and ideally don’t go alone. Controlling your breathing is key. Shallow, panic breathing will activate our sympathetic nervous system and it will make the water seem even colder. Deep, slow breaths will help and may even take you into a meditative state.

If you would like any more information on this or any advice on starting, please feel free to ask me during a treatment or text the clinic phone. 

Sian Cook M.Ost.

I’ll end on a great quote from Wim Hoff: 

“If we always choose comfort, we never learn the deepest capabilities of our mind or body”.

Links: 

Great book called ‘Winter Swimming’ by Dr Susanna Soberg

Podcast with Dr S. Soberg What Happens After 30 Days of COLD SHOWERS? – This Will SHOCK YOU! | Dr. Susanna Søberg – YouTube

Our local lake, West country water park, on trench lane, is a great place to dip or swim first time. http://www.westcountrywaterpark.co.uk. There are always encouraging and supportive lifeguards on duty and plenty of other mad people going into the water.