Cold water swimming, also known as winter swimming or ice swimming, involves immersing oneself in water that is typically between 0°C to 10°C (32°F to 50°F) in temperature. While it may sound daunting to jump into such cold water, there are actually many benefits to be gained from this practice. You’ve probably heard all about it from your friend who reads the Guardian. But beneath the surface, there are some serious mental and physical benefits to be had. After all, there must be a reason all those people are hurling themselves into freezing cold water. We’re so convinced by the benefits of cold water that Little Brother Jack has written all about the life-changing effect that cold water swimming can have on a person - here But without further ado, here are 50 benefits of cold water swimming:

Boosts immune system - Cold water swimming has been shown to boost the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells. This is why all your cold water swimming friends are always boasting about never getting a winter cold.
Increases circulation - Cold water causes blood vessels to constrict, which can help increase circulation and oxygenation throughout the body. This is why people look like lobsters when they come out of the water.
Reduces inflammation - Cold water can help reduce inflammation, which can help alleviate pain and promote healing. I always go for a quick cold swim after any gym workout and the cold always soothes my muscles.
Increases metabolism - Cold water exposure has been shown to increase metabolism, which can help with weight loss and management.
Enhances mental clarity - 1 Cold water immersion a week has been shown to improve mental clarity, focus, and alertness. I always do my best thinking during and after my swims.
Improves mood - Cold water swimming can help reduce stress and anxiety and increase feelings of well-being and happiness. The post-swim elevated mood is real and often lasts all day.
Relieves pain - Cold water can help alleviate pain and soreness in the muscles and joints, making it a popular therapy for athletes and those with chronic pain conditions.
Relieves stress and anxiety - The number of cold water enthusiasts who do it solely for the benefits to their mental health is staggering, if you don’t believe us just pick up your local copy of The Guardian.
Increases focus and concentration - One possible reason for this effect is the release of norepinephrine. This is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland that has been shown to improve focus and mental alertness.
Increases alertness - Cold water can improve your alertness.

Increases energy levels - Cold water exposure can help boost energy levels and improve physical performance.

Promotes better sleep - Swimming in cold water and taking ice baths regularly can lead to better sleep too. The effect of cold water stimulates our parasympathetic nervous system, which helps our body rest and repair - and promotes a feeling of calm to help us sleep.
Reduces muscle soreness and stiffness - Cold water swimming therapy has been shown to help with muscle and joint pain as it helps to reduce swelling and inflammation. Not only can this ease the pain associated with arthritis but it also helps with muscle soreness after physical activity.
Increases endurance - When you swim in cold water, your body has to work harder to maintain its core temperature. As a result, your body starts to produce more red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your muscles. I’ve gone from jumping into a cold lake once a year to swimming all winter round, completing ice 1 kms and Ice Miles.
Improves cardiovascular health - Cold water immersion can help improve cardiovascular health by increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation, and decreasing blood pressure.
Lowers blood pressure - Studies indicate that cold water immersion supports your cardiovascular system and may lower blood pressure. It is beneficial for our hormones, and it could help those with low mood.
Reduces the risk of stroke - Swimming in cold water—a popular Finnish winter pastime—increases the risk of strokes, according to a long-term study by Chinese scientists. Researchers compared death rates of winter swimmers and a control group over a thirty-year period.
Increases lung capacity - Cold-water endurance swimming may affect the lungs in healthy recreational triathletes lasting up to 2.5 h post-swim. Some individuals appear to be more susceptible to pulmonary impairments than others, although these mechanisms need to be studied further.
Improves respiratory function - Swimming supports increased lung capacity and endurance. When your heart rate climbs during a tough workout, that's a response to your body's need for more oxygen. That oxygen is supplied by your lungs, and causes you to breathe harder during exercise.
Boosts oxygenation to the brain - And who doesn’t want to look after old spongy?

Increases production of endorphins and other mood-boosting hormones - Swimming in cold water makes your brain produce more endorphins - a hormone that makes us feel good and can even relieve pain.

Helps regulate hormones - Regular cold water swimming can help us to cope better with different types of stress, as the body starts to learn how to regulate our stress hormones like dopamine. Your body sends a signal to the heart to beat faster and this helps to heat up our body and give us more energy.
Helps limit SAD - Cold water swimming can help combat seasonal affective disorder and boost sunlight hours during winter.
Improves memory - The anti-inflammatory effect is thought to be one of the reasons that cold water immersion therapy is beneficial in those experiencing dementia or other memory deficits, including Alzheimer's Disease.
Increases creativity - Cold water swimming has been shown to enhance creativity and improve problem-solving skills. This is because the sudden change in temperature triggers a “thinking outside the box” response, leading to increased creative thinking.
Increases self-confidence - Personally this has been a huge one, because it can be daunting to swim in cold weather and water it develops your perception of yourself as someone who can overcome difficult challenges and you’re effectively micro-dosing confidence boosts by swimming in cold water regularly.
Enhances self-discipline - Committing to swimming even just once a week in cold water can help improve your self-discipline. It’s your first step to achieving zen-like Buddhist discipline!
Boosts self-esteem - Another benefit of cold water swimming is that it can increase your mental strength. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone will help you to build more confidence and will encourage you as well as give you a sense of accomplishment.
Promotes feelings of accomplishment - “I swam today” is something I hear again and again from cold water swimmers and no matter what else happens in your day a cold water swim can feel like a real win.
Increases social interaction and community involvement - The nature of cold water swimming enhances social interaction and community engagement. We’re all quite literally in the cold water together and it really doesn’t matter if you get in for 30 seconds or 30 minutes, you’ve overcome that apprehension to get in the cold water.

Encourages personal growth and development - Cold water swimming can help you see yourself in a different light and can create what is called horizon expansion where things that previously felt unachievable become more achievable as you regularly do something that can be daunting.

Boosts resilience and mental toughness - Life is full of setbacks, painful experiences, unexpected problems and messy situations, and mental resilience is absolutely essential if you choose to be happy and thrive.
Adding cold water swimming into your life will make you physically tougher. Over time they will begin to affect and improve your mental toughness as well. I feel lucky to have been raised by a family of people that all exemplified mental toughness in their own respective ways.
Increases adaptability and flexibility - There are different potential mechanisms for the impact that cold water swimming may have on mental health. Some of these explanations are based on physiology. They include a theory about cross-adaptation. In this instance, an individual may be adapted to swimming in cold water and this has a knock-on effect on another stressor in a person’s life.
Improves positive use of social media - If the worst thing you do on social media is share pictures of your cold water swims then rest assured that you’re using it far more positively than the overwhelming majority of people.
Promotes weight loss - Cold-water swimming boosts the body's stores of so-called “brown adipose tissue” (BAT), a type of “good” body fat activated by low temperatures. BAT burns calories to maintain body heat, which can lead to weight loss, unlike “bad” white fat which stores energy and hikes obesity risks.
Increases muscle tone and strength - Swimming is a powerful full-body workout that boosts muscle growth. And, swimming in cold water could be even more effective, as it helps boost your immune system and prevent pain while strengthening those muscles.
Improves balance and coordination - Regular swimming exercise may result in improved eye-hand coordination as faster and more accurate repetitive movements. Swimming may also result in improved balance function under a few complicated balance conditions.
Changes the way you view exercise in winter - What is traditionally the hardest season for exercise now becomes the best. Snow is greeted with jubilation as you rush out to your local swim spot to experience waterside footprints in the snow.
Expands your travel horizons - From Ice holes in Finnish Lakes to saunas by the side of Norwegian Fjords - cold water swimming can change how you view various travel destinations and expand your horizons.
Reduces the risk of injury - Cold water swimming is a low-impact exercise and is often seen as a low-risk form of exercise because, unlike running - where your feet are pounding the pavements thousands of times during a session - your body is supported by the water.

Improves skin health and complexion - Cold water exposure can help improve skin health by tightening pores and reducing inflammation.
Enhances hair and nail health - Good circulation is essential for good hair and skin health. Cold water swimming flushes your veins, arteries, and capillaries by forcing the blood to the surface of your skin and pushing the cold downwards. In other words, it helps to warm our extremities. Repeated exposure adapts us to the cold. This helps protect our skin and hair as well as our organs and bones. In older and vulnerable people, this is essential. It helps them better cope during harsh winters, making the cold season less of a health risk and generally more enjoyable.
Improves overall physical health - Whether all of the above physical benefits will apply to your own cold water swimming journey there is no doubt that it will have an overall positive impact on your physical health.
Improves overall mental health - In the same vein, you may not experience all the potential mental health benefits but you will see an overall improvement that becomes addictive.
Promotes exercise across age groups - Cold water swimming is a perfect activity for all different age groups and sexes. There is no element of competition and you will see a huge selection of ages at any popular cold water swimming spot. Get outside your age demographic and make friends with people across all age groups.
Increases longevity - Cold water swimming has been linked to increased longevity and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
Helps manage chronic pain - A case study in The BMJ tells the plight of a man who was debilitated by chronic pain 10 weeks after successful surgery to curtail chronic facial flushing. (The procedure involves cutting the nerves responsible for blushing, which are found in the chest.) Drugs weren’t working, the researchers write, and exercise seemed to make things worse, rendering his prescribed physical therapy program all but impossible. Enter cold water swimming!
Helps manage chronic illnesses such as arthritis and fibromyalgia - With pain being prevalent across the entire body, fibromyalgia can anecdotally be difficult to manage depending on the day and the perceived levels of pain. Cold therapy, which is helpful in easing/reducing symptoms of both inflammation and general pain, has also been shown to help reduce the pain associated with fibromyalgia.
In one study, patients with fibromyalgia who were treated with cryotherapy reported a more pronounced improvement in their quality of life when compared to other patients not receiving this type of treatment. Plus, improvements in pain, fatigue and general health were also shown in other studies utilizing cold therapy as its anti-inflammatory effects may help alleviate the associated pain.
Helps increase libido - Do your partner a favour!
Helps manage post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - Starting with the cold-water shock response, dipping into cold water puts your body under stress. As you repeat this experience, you diminish this stress response.” Obviously, for people with PTSD, having some degree of control over their stress response can be hugely beneficial.

Overall, cold water swimming can have a significant positive impact on both physical and mental health, and may be worth trying out for those who are interested in the 50 benefits listed above. Surely just one of them might apply to you? For more check out Little Brother Jacks new book ‘Cold Water’ - here

Cold Water - 50 Reasons Why Swimming in Cold Water is Good For You