How to Avoid Cold Water Shock
The cool waters of Cornwall
Words by Nix Ocean
The worst type of cold water shock is when we have no intention of entering the water. For example, we fall off a boat or fall into the sea when we are not planning to. Under these conditions we need to remain as calm as possible, relax and float on our back so that we can catch our breath which will return to us within about 1minute. Next, the top priority is to focus on extending the exhale, making it double the inhale to keep us in our para-sympathetic nervous system, which allows us to remain as calm as possible in a challenging situation. Wait for help or slowly and as calmly as possible make your way out of the water, call for help and get warm as soon as possible. The RNLI have a great resource page for this.
Remaining calm in cold water is essential
Our advantage with purposeful cold water immersion and swimming, is that it is intentional. We know that we are going to shock our body and mind, just like lifting weights we know we are stressing the muscle and the muscle’s response is to build more muscle to react to the positive stressor. This applies cold water too, cold water is a shock to the body. However, going in with a relaxed mind, with deep and integrated nose breathing helps us achieve, we learn to manage our stress response positively. With regular dips, we deepen our practice. Preparation is key – it’s always important to be well prepared, with kit, conditions, checks, a safety plan, and a swim crew who you trust. We benefit from staying warm before we enter the water, entering the water slowly, as our clever bodies will pull the blood flow from our extremities and protect our core and vital organs. This is why we can often feel tingling in our fingers and toes during cold water swimming. As we enter the water it’s important to give ourselves a moment to feel the cold, and focus on the breath, slow long and deep, in and out the nose. Scooping the water up and tipping it onto our forehead to chin a couple of times causes our body to think it’s going underwater. This activates our mammalian dive response, slowing our heart rate, and other physiological responses that help us remain calm when entering the cold water.
It’s important to utilise deep breathing techniques
Choosing a body of water appropriate for our level, not swimming alone, having a safety plan with our fellow swimmers in case of emergency, and pooling our awareness into our powerful deep, full breath, will help us to have a successful cold water swim. If we breathe in for 4 we exhale 8. The other thing is to be prepared with a post dip kit, such as dry robe, furry shoes/boots, cosy beanie and a warm drink in a flask – and get into it as quickly and efficiently as possible. We must also build our time in the water slowly with each day through winter. If we haven't been in the water for a few days, then we benefit from taking it easy, not pushing it as we must acclimatise to the cold. Once out the water and warm, gentle star jumps, lymphatic arm swings and deep integrated breaths as we sip our warm drinks and drink in our view will all help to avoid full cold shock and will enable us to manage the intentional stress that we are putting our bodies through.
It’s integral to bring lots of layers to warm up after a winter swim
