Swimming improves mood and reduces mental health symptoms

09th May, 2017

It has been widely documented in books, blogs and across social media the feelings of joy, invigoration and calmness swimming brings to many. Often people gush to friends and non-swimming folk about how swimming has transformed how they feel and now doctors are starting to listen.

Dr Mark Harper accidentally got into sea swimming when the Brighton pool he regularly swam at closed for a couple of weeks. “A friend suggested I went in the sea instead and I didn’t intend to keep swimming, but I got the buzz and have recently finished my thirteenth winter of swimming in the sea,” says Mark.

Mark started to research more about getting cold during swims, hoping to prevent common complications. It was during this research he became aware of the benefits of swimming in cold water and has been studying the use of cold water swimming as a therapeutic intervention.

Charity, Head Talks, produce video interviews that explore non-drug interventions that have a positive effect on mental health and they have recently released an interview with Mark about how swimming can help with depression, anxiety and stress.

Watch the interview here: http://www.headtalks.com/healing-madness-sea-swimming-by-mark-harper/ and read more about Mark’s experience and study here.