
Cold-Water Swimming - deepbow
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/27/the-subversive-joy-of-cold-water-swimming
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danenania
Last summer I ran to the beach and went for a swim in the ~58 deg f ocean
almost every day. I love it—you feel amazing after. From casual googling, it
seems that the cold water triggers an adrenaline response, causing lower
adrenaline levels afterward, i.e. less stress. I find the effect to be pretty
dramatic. I also noticed a significant increase in my tolerance for cold in
general.

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mikejarema
I regularly do cold water swims in spring and fall months, and wholeheartedly
agree with the amazing feeling after a good 10-20 minute dip.

I find the first few minutes of the swim are the hardest, as your body is
adjusting to the cold, surface blood vessels are constricting, etc. The next
5-15 minutes are fantastic! I don't usually push it much beyond that.

But any discussion of the benefits of cold water swimming also needs to
highlight the risk. If you're thinking of trying it out, make sure you're
acutely aware of the temperatures you're dealing with, how long you're
planning on being in the water, and that you understand the body's reflexes to
cold water submersion. Here's a good resource covering these points:
[http://seagrant.umn.edu/coastal_communities/hypothermia](http://seagrant.umn.edu/coastal_communities/hypothermia)

~~~
danenania
Very good point on the risks. I recommend immediately running, biking, or
doing something else to warm your body up after getting out, especially if
it's not a hot day. It only takes a couple minutes of running to warm up
again, but if you stay still you can be shivering for an hour after.

I've also noticed that there are a few phases you go through. First there's
the initial shock--that lasts a few minutes as you say. Then you adapt and it
starts feeling good. But if you stay in for long enough, you can start feeling
cold _again_ in a deeper more full-body way that indicates your overall body
temperature is decreasing. That's when you want to get out :)

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skohan
I used to race triathlons, and I've dived into my fair share of chilly lakes
and rivers at 6 AM. I guess this is a different thing than a leisurely swim,
but the main thing I remember is the pain in the temples and around the crown
of the scalp from submerging the head in ice-cold water. Something like a
brain-freeze from eating ice cream too fast.

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all2
Muscle contractions that likely mirror the effects of tension headaches.

I've noticed this occasionally when I take a really cold shower.

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liampronan
For anyone in SF, I'd recommend checking out the Dolphin Club if you're into
swimming in cold water – it's right on Aquatic Park in Fisherman's Wharf and
has saunas that you can jump into right after your swim. It's probably my
favorite place in the city and is open to the public every other day.

[https://www.dolphinclub.org/](https://www.dolphinclub.org/)

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jedilance
[http://archive.is/1SnoS](http://archive.is/1SnoS)

I am surprised NewYorker started to block anonymous access to articles in
Incognito mode.

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nck4222
chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode

Firefox has this feature enabled by default and displays an icon in the
address bar that you can click to reload the page in reader mode.

~~~
leetrout
That is not a flag for me in version 79.0.3945.130 on Mac. What OS / version
of chrome are you using?

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nck4222
Huh, I just updated to that version and I no longer have the flag either,
guess they got rid of it... One more reason to primarily use firefox.

Looks like there are extensions in the chrome store that essentially do the
same thing though.

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2zcon
>A year later, Walnut Tree Farm was bought by a couple, Jasmin and Titus
Rowlandson, who have maintained his commitment to ungentrified country
living...it is warmed by an Aga stove.

There's not much more gentric than an Aga

~~~
majos
It could be an old one. Wikipedia claims [1] they hang around for decades.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGA_cooker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGA_cooker)

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Doxin
I can totally recommend everyone at least _try_ a cold shower once. It's has a
bit of a lower barrier to entry than cold water swimming.

If you've never been under a cold shower for more than a few seconds it's hard
to imagine what it's like. It's more than _just_ cold. Your entire body has a
visceral reaction to it. Your heart rate goes up, your breathing quickens,
fight-or-flight kicks in hard. It's not exactly fun but boy is it a good way
to start your day. I've never been more awake than after a cold shower.

Of course the tricky bit is to actually get yourself to _do_ it. Personally I
tend to shower nice and warm, and then finish it off by turning off the hot
water. It's always a challenge to see how long I can last under the cold
water. Big advantage of showering like this is that you still get to have a
nice comfy long warm shower but getting out of the shower isn't cold anymore.
Room temperature is positively pleasant after a cold shower ;-)

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tartoran
I wonder how this differs form dipping in chilled water at a typical Russian
Banya. I can’t swim well in cold water but experienced a great effect on my
body at a russian spa. After alternating between sauna/steam room and quick
dips in a small tank with chilled water (near freezing point) and all i could
say is after the initial shock I felt absolutely fantastic.

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jhu247
If you don't live near cold water, I find that taking an ice-cold shower has a
similar physiological effect.

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Doxin
Seconded. It's pretty wild how much a cold shower affects you physically. The
only comparable things is fight-or-flight stuff like your chair almost tipping
backwards or the top of a lift hill on a roller coaster. You'll definitely
feel awake and alive after!

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hcnews
If you are interested in this, you should probably take a look into Wim Hof.
He has made a process out of using coldness for improving day-to-day
condition.

PS: His practice is mostly (power) breathing and cold showers/swims/etc.

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ThePirateofOz
I took 1000 consecutive cold showers after studying the Wim Hof technique. It
was awesome, and I still sometimes take a cold shower instead of hot, just for
fun.

Did I gain any super human abilities like Wim claims he can teach? Nah, I just
enjoy the cold. I'm that weirdo that wears shorts all winter, shovels the snow
barefooted and dresses inappropriately for the weather, according the the
comments everyone seems to need to tell me.

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Disruptive_Dave
East coast winter surfer here. After that initial shock (anyone have ideas on
how to minimize this??), it's a great feeling. Almost as good as the coffee
and burrito after the session. Highly recommended.

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dacoldswimmer
If you have time, just enter much more slowly. Let your feet get cold then
move up to your knees after the feet aren't so cold. Then nuts, then belly,
then nips, then shoulders.

The real hurdle is when the water is high enough that my hands are in the
water too. The whole time I'm slowly splashing and rubbing water over my body
to prepare for submersion. I can tell which areas are still dry and upon their
first exposure to water its slightly uncomfortable but well worth it. I get my
hair wet with my hands as well.

Finally I get up to my neck and after awhile I feel like I'm in a nice cool
pool. I don't wear a wetsuit.

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KotlinFan554001
"it is warmed by an Aga stove and an enormous open hearth, over which dinner
is typically cooked" I guess this produces way too much greenhouse gases, as
compared to more modern ways.

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glofish
Compared to what?

Are you accounting for the greenhouse costs of producing and shipping all the
equipment that it is replacing? A stove, ducts and vents, cabling, a heating
furnace and the production of all the energy sources that run these?

You might find that answer is not so clear.

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ficklepickle
"...consumes thirty-eight times as much as a standard gas oven and hob"

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGA_cooker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGA_cooker)

