Cold Water Swimming-Benefits and Risks: A Narrative Review

Overview

Journal Int J Environ Res Public Health

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Environmental Health
Public Health

Date 2020 Dec 5

PMID 33276648

Citations 32

Authors

Beat Knechtle

Zbigniew Waskiewicz

Caio Victor Sousa

Lee Hill

Pantelis T Nikolaidis

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cold water swimming (winter or ice swimming) has a long tradition in northern countries. Until a few years ago, ice swimming was practiced by very few extreme athletes. For some years now, ice swimming has been held as competitions in ice-cold water (colder than 5 °C). The aim of this overview is to present the current status of benefits and risks for swimming in cold water. When cold water swimming is practiced by experienced people with good health in a regular, graded and adjusted mode, it appears to bring health benefits. However, there is a risk of death in unfamiliar people, either due to the initial neurogenic cold shock response or due to a progressive decrease in swimming efficiency or hypothermia.

Citing Articles

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