The best thing you can do for your brain right now is go to the pool: the neuroscience of taking a dip

We are experiencing an especially hot summer, but temperatures do not need to reach 40 degrees to make us want to soak, whether on a beach, in a pool or in some other body of water where bathing is possible. Many will take the opportunity to swim either for pleasure or because swimming is one of the most complete exercises we know, with health benefits that not only affect our body, but also our mind.

A complete exercise.
We have heard many times that swimming is one of the most complete exercises that one can do in order to improve our physical health. To swim we have to activate a large number of muscles and, due to the resistance that the water exerts on our movement, it is also an intense exercise. In addition, compared to other activities such as running, the body is submerged, so it receives less impact when exercising.

But also for mental health.
This is how José Morales García, a neuroscientist at the Complutense University of Madrid, explains it in a recent article, in which he emphasizes another advantage of swimming: its benefits on our mental health. In it, he points out that swimming “promotes the release of substances in the brain that improve cognition and memory, thanks in part to the fact that it helps to establish new brain connections.”

Hormone issue.
Swimming can also help reduce stress and generally improve our mood and endorphins are partly to blame. These are hormones that our body produces and are key to this function. Endorphins are the “internal morphine” of our body, responsible for relieving pain. When released during exercise, they generate a feeling of well-being and pleasure, and they also make swimming, quite literally, addictive.

As a result, swimming has been successfully used as a substitute for psychiatric medication. But in addition, there are various studies that extend these benefits over a wide range of ages, from those that have found benefits of swimming in the smallest, to those focused on the oldest.

Endorphins are not the only hormones involved in these processes. Swimming can also reduce the levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress, and increase the concentration of serotonin, which, like endorphins, generates a pleasant feeling.

Relaxing is also important.
Perhaps some of these benefits do not come from the exercise itself but from the environment, from the water. Water allows us in a certain way to “isolate” ourselves from the outside environment. According to Morales García, the factors are intermingled “the liquid medium produces relaxation, but, in addition, the rhythmic movement of swimming makes us enter a meditative state.”

A widespread opinion.
Swimming is recommended as a healthy practice, among other organizations by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition to benefits for seniors and those with arthritis, the CDC also notes the impact on mood and anxiety levels; in addition to recommending it in pregnancies and families.

The CDC is not the only public body to highlight the benefits of swimming. Near our antipodes, in Australia, the authorities also emphasize the benefits of this practice on physical and mental health, reducing stress and facilitating relaxation.

Get the most out of swimming.
Although as you can guess, the mere fact of getting into the water can help improve our condition, it is also a good idea to know how we can get the most out of swimming. From the Miguel Hernández University, Juan-Antonio Moreno-Murcia, compiles some of these recommendations.

The first tip is to become familiar with swimming at an early age. Perhaps for many this advice comes late, but it can always be applied to future generations. A widely used advice is to take precautions to avoid risks derived from swimming, such as drowning. Safety conditions can vary greatly if we compare swimming pools with lakes and reservoirs or with the open sea.

Some recommendations may vary depending on the objective, such as the swimming style that we are going to choose. Front crawl and backstroke are quite similar, they allow control of the rhythm of movement where various muscle groups are involved. In the breaststroke, a more balanced work between arms and legs is required, with different and also diverse groups of muscles involved. The muscles that are exercised when swimming butterfly style also differ, which is the one that burns the most calories per minute of practice.

Not all benefits.
Of course, not all are advantages with swimming. The risk of drowning is very small when the necessary precautions are taken, but it must always be taken into account. Some researchers have focused on other problems that can arise from swimming, especially those from water treatment products that can be inhaled in indoor pools. For now, yes, the results of research linking this inhalation with asthma problems have been inconclusive.

Take care of health in summer.
Taking care of your health is important throughout the year, but each season has its own threats and opportunities. Summer gives us the opportunity to swim more and in different places, but it also implies risks derived from solar radiation such as skin cancer or those derived from temperatures such as heat stroke. And not only that, life habits also change, so we must also pay attention to issues such as our alcohol consumption and bet on moderation. For all these reasons, it is important to always take precautions whatever sport we practice and also when we do not.