Ever had that feeling of dipping your toes into cold water only to experience pain and discomfort and therefore never ever wanting to do it again? What if we told you that by enduring the pain and discomfort of submerging yourself in cold water, you can reap a whole range of health benefits that can also be useful for scuba diving?
What is Cold Water Therapy?
Cold water immersion or therapy is defined as exposing one’s body to cold water – as its name suggests. This can come in the form of taking a cold shower or immersing oneself in an ice-cold bath. The duration of the exposure can vary but it has been said that exposing the body to the cold for 11 minutes per week can help bring about great health benefits. This should be spread across a couple of days and not be consolidated all in a single day.
What Are The Benefits?
Better Blood Circulation
To start, cold water immersion or therapy can help to promote better blood circulation. Cold water strains your body, especially when you take it in the morning minutes after waking up. Upon exposing yourself to cold water, it forces your body to go into what’s called “survival mode”, causing it to work hard to maintain its core temperature and this causes your body to increase blood flow circulation.
Over time, your circulatory system may become more efficient and move blood through the body more quickly.
Increase Immunity Towards Cold
After prolonged periods of cold exposure, white fats in your body which are considered unhealthy fats convert to brown fats. These brown fats are helpful as they increase your tolerance towards cold and harsh conditions. Additionally, you may be less prone to catching a cold. The shock of cold water can stimulate the blood cells that fight off infection (also known as leukocytes). This can be beneficial to divers who love to do cold water diving as it can help you to perform better.
Reduce Inflammation and Muscle Soreness
Cold water exposure causes your blood vessels to constrict, causing blood to move to your core and vital organs. The blood naturally becomes oxygen and nutrient-rich during the process such that when your body heats up again, blood vessels will expand and that oxygenated blood will flow back into your tissues. This process helps flush out inflammation which is especially a common result of exercise and straining and this can help accelerate recovery.
Take note of this if you are a stubborn diver who loves to over-commit. Regardless, dives can be strenuous and if you are on a long diving trip, cold water therapy in between dives can help you recover quickly for the next day.
How Do You Do It?
Developing a new habit is not easy. It isn’t something that happens overnight. It requires commitment and dedication. Especially when it comes to picking up a new habit that causes you discomfort and pain. But if you have read this far, you should therefore know that this actually helps you in the long run. So if you keep that in mind and persevere, you will succeed.
Benefits aside, if you are new to cold exposure, it is recommended that you start your showers at room temperature. As you get used to the water temperature, decrease it every few seconds until it gets cold. As you get better at this, try reducing the time it takes for you to get to the coldest setting of your shower.
As you get into the cold, try to regulate your breathing. Your body may tense up and enter a “fight or flight” state as this discomfort triggers your parasympathetic nervous system. But if you keep calm and regulate your breathing, you will eventually get used to the cold and find it therapeutic even.
Aim for 11 minutes a week as that is the benchmark. If you can’t hit 11 minutes, don’t worry and keep trying.
Summary
Cold water exposure can be extremely beneficial to your body. Despite the discomfort it brings, it can help with improving your blood circulation and recovery in the long run. This can be great for divers as diving is a strenuous activity that strains your body. And especially for divers that engage in cold water diving, prolonged exposure to the cold can eventually help with performance and endurance.