Cold water swimming may reduce anxiety and symptoms of menopause

Written by Dr. Shravani Dali Published On 2024-02-04T19:30:49+05:30 | Updated On 5 Feb 2024 3:50 PM IST

Cold water swimming may reduce anxiety and symptoms of menopause suggests a new study published in the Post Reproductive Health.

This study aimed to determine how women felt cold water swimming affected their menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms. An online survey that asked women who regularly swim in cold water about their experiences. The survey was advertised for 2 months on social media. Questions related to cold water swimming habits and menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms were analysed. Quantitative and qualitative data including; frequency of menstrual and menopause symptoms, the effect of cold water swimming on these symptoms were measured. Results: 1114 women completed the survey. Women reported that cold water swimming reduced their menstrual symptoms, notably psychological symptoms such as anxiety (46.7%), mood swings (37.7%) and irritability (37.6%). Perimenopausal women reported a significant improvement in anxiety (46.9%), mood swings (34.5%), low mood (31.1%) and hot flushes (30.3%). The majority of women with symptoms swam specifically to reduce these symptoms (56.4% for period and 63.3% for perimenopause symptoms). Women said they felt it was the physical and mental effects of the cold water that helped their symptoms. For the free text question, five themes were identified: the calming and mood-boosting effect of the water, companionship and community, period improvements, an improvement in hot flushes and an overall health improvement. Women felt that cold water swimming had a positive overall effect on menstrual and perimenopause symptoms. Studies on other forms of exercise to relieve menstrual and perimenopause symptoms may show similar findings.

Reference:

Pound M, Massey H, Roseneil S, et al. How do women feel cold water swimming affects their menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms? Post Reproductive Health. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/20533691241227100

Keywords:

Cold water swimming, swimming and anxiety, menopause anxiety, Pound M, Massey H, Roseneil S, Post Reproductive Health

Cold waterswimmingreduce anxietymenopause

Source : Post Reproductive Health

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.