Being an experienced cold water swimmer aswell as a menopause specialist, I was keen to explore this question. I have swum outdoors for nearly 15 years now. The number of people at the venues I train at has surged in recent years and the demographic is interesting. The majority of swimmers being female and many of whom in their 40s and upwards. I decided to carry out a survey in 2021. I posted a link to my survey, which comprised of nine questions, on two Facebook groups. One was a local Sheffield open water swimming group and the other was on the ‘Outdoor Swimming Society’ group, which currently has 110.2k members.
I received answers from 1124 ladies. I had to close the survey as the platform I was using started to charge me due to the high numbers. I am sure I would have received many more responses if it had remained open. The majority of respondents were between 46-55 years old, with ages ranging between 40-60 years old and 8% over 60.
Question seven asked: ‘How would you sum up, in a few words or a sentence, how swimming outdoors makes you feel’. Here is a word cloud formed by the answers:
Question three asked; ‘Why do you swim?’. The majority answered ‘for my mental health’. Question six asked; ‘which menopausal symptoms are best relieved by you swimming in open water?’. I listed twenty three possible menopausal symptoms and the top three answers were; feeling tense or nervous, feeling tired or lacking in energy and feeling unhappy or depressed.
There are currently no scientific studies which prove that cold water swimming cures certain illnesses. There are many statements which claim it can ‘cure depression’ for example, but there is no data to confirm this to be true. There are however questionnaires similar to mine and anecdotal evidence to prove that many people experience a massive benefit from swimming outdoors and especially in cold water. What is not to enjoy; a sense of community, exercising and challenging yourself. Then comes warming up with a hot drink and something nice to eat and talking with the fellow swimmers. I enjoy the sense of peace that comes with swimming outdoors. I find that I have to really concentrate on my breathing, which in turn helps to slow down my thoughts.
Many of my patients share my passion of swimming. If this isn’t something you have tried, but have always wanted to, why not head to your nearest group and join them. Never swim alone and never jump into cold water. The best way to try it is to start swimming in the summer when the temperatures are warmer and gradually acclimatise throughout the colder months.