Wild Swimming & the Menopause

As many may know, (or may have experienced), menopause and peri-menopause can bring on horrendous hot flushes. 

Did you know that the ‘after drop’ or 'continued cooling' that follows swimming in cold water can continue for 20-40 minutes after immersion. 

Imagine a watermelon submerged in a bucket of ice cold water for 10 minutes and then removed.

The watermelon will continue to cool down as the cold radiates towards the internal part of the watermelon, this is similar to how exposure to the cold affects the human body. 

Although there is no conclusive evidence that cold water immersion reduces hot flushes, some reports show that regular open water swimmers experience less night time sweats and hot flushes. 

My personal experience was that as my cold water exposure increased my night sweats stopped occurring, I'd love to hear your experiences. Good or bad. 

The menopause is often a hot topic (sorry!) on our wild swimming retreats, it helps to share a safe space to share experiences, hints and tips, around such a taboo subject. 

If you are looking to join like minded people, join us soon www.thewildswimming.co.uk