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Cold water swimming and diabetes

Antje77

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,109
Location
Friesland (the Netherlands)
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I've recently taken up cold water swimming. (Very recently, I only went 3 times so far.)

It started more or less accidentally. On our way back from the gym we took a different route because of a closed road. We saw a spot that looked good for swimming, so we went to check it out for future (summer!) use, when we saw three people about to have a swim in the 10°C water.
My friend and I recognise a challenge when it slaps us in the face, so in we went, in our underwear!
Before we knew it, we were part of a whatsApp group of people having regular swims there, so it looks like we'll keep it up.

To my surprise, I found I like the effect. Initially it's quite horrible, and finding the courage to plunge in after walking in until the water reaches your thighs is even worse, but after some 30 seconds it gets much better, and it feels absolutely wonderful once you come out!

I only stay in the water for a couple of minutes, but a BG test (blood, not sensor) before and after shows a 2 - 3 mmol/l drop in only 10 minutes, which I find quite amazing.
I also find my insulin needs are much lower in the hours afterwards, and possibly even the next day.
I'll need some more practice before I know exactly how to manage my diabetes around swimming but I'll work it out in the end.

So now I'm wondering if others have similar experiences with swimming in cold water.
And if people are doing this on insulin, I'd love to hear how you approach this.


(Picture of my fancy post-swim look for laughs. )
 
You’re a braver woman than me @Antje77 - not a strong swimmer at all - I do swim in the pools occasionally but I have to be at grabbing distance from the sides lol, actually just thinking back to when I worked in the Lakes in the UK in the 80s we would often swim in the lake between shifts, wasn’t called wild swimming in those days - just swimming lol - obviously lost my confidence over the years - love the pic of you by the way
 
The closest I've got is a cold shower.....in the middle of summer when it was 30 deg C outside! It did reduce my BG though, I tested out of sheer curiosity after reading on here that it could have an effect.

There was a TV show on the BBC a year or two ago called "Freeze the Fear". It featured Wim Hof, an extreme adventurer/athlete, who holds loads of world records for cold weather/conditions activities. He swears by cold water conditioning, claiming it helps with all sorts of conditions and metabolic functions. I don't know if he's right or not, I'm not brave enough to test it out , but his life and work might be of interest given your new found hobby!

BBC One - Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof - Who is Wim Hof, extreme cold athlete and star of BBC One’s Freeze The Fear?

Wim Hof says his breathing method can help people withstand freezing temperatures
www.bbc.co.uk
 
I used to go skinny dipping years ago and was tempted to again but with the right attire lol! I may give it a go!
 
Rachox said:
Swimming makes my blood sugars do the opposite! But I swim in a heated indoor pool!
This is a typical example for a swim at 3pm
Click to expand...
That's interesting.
I also swim in a nice warm pool regularly, but it tends to drop me after about 30 minutes at moderate intensity.
Not nearly as spectacular as only a couple of minutes in cold water, but if I spend more than 45 minutes in the pool I start to keep a close eye on my numbers to prevent hypos.
 
I really have an aversion against self proclaimed gurus who are followed by the rich and famous, no matter if they're right or wrong. So this one is not for me.
If my new hobby is healthy in any way, that's a nice bonus, if it isn't, that's fine as well because I enjoy it.
 
You’re braver than me, I like a nice warm heated pool, always find I have to eat again before I leave to get blood sugar up to 5 to drive
I’ve got friends who swim in the sea who want me to join them (north sea) not a chance
 
I found an extra challenge this afternoon.
Water temperature has dropped a bit, it's now around 10°C. Apparently that's about where the cut off for sensors to work lies: last week it was a little above 11 and it worked just fine.

(Please ignore the apparent hypos, my sensor reads a little over 1mmol/l lower than blood, there were no hypos.)
 
Yikes I am the biggest wuss with cold water, even at an indoor pool the kids and missus just fall into the water while I stand there oohing and aahing for 20 minutes, well done you
 
Well done, wish I liked swimming! My sister swims almost everyday in the Irish sea (Cleveleys near Blackpool) with a group of ladies but she does wear a wetsuit and a bobble hat in the winter. Might be worth investing in one if you’re going to do it more often
 
Hi - New here, I recently started cold dipping, using a plunge pool in the garden - I go in 3 or 4 times a week in the mornings generally, I find it quite refreshing, once you get in it is very relaxing, concentrate on your breathing and enjoy - I find you don't really feel the cold so much until afterwards.

I am no expert but it is supposed to have great health benefits - temp is down to around 9 or 10 degrees at the moment and I go in for up to 10 minutes, aiming to continue this throughout the winter and see how it goes.
 
A plunge pool sounds amazing!
I think I would find it very hard to get myself to use one. It's a lot easier with other people doing the same thing. Besides, the ducks in my garden would take over the pool within 5 minutes, and they're very messy animals.
Please keep us updated on how it goes when it gets colder!
A wetsuit has a couple of downsides. I'm not sure yet if the benefits weigh up against them.
First, peeling yourself out of a wetsuit isn't something I enjoy, getting rid of a bathing suit and ito a bathrobe is much easier.
I also absolutely loathe tight clothing, and wetsuits are very tight all over your body, yuck!
And they are crazy expensive, especially if you don't fit in the regular sizes, which I don't.

Some of the people swimming where I do wear neoprene shoes and gloves, which I might look into.
Yesterday was very cold, almost too cold. A difference was that I hadn't been to the gym before, so I was quite cold already before I went in, this might make a difference as well. I'll go again after the gym on wednesday so we'll see about that.
 
Wow, @Antje77, you're so brave! I did not dare to go into the water with a temperature of +13C beyond the ankles, although some of my friends like to swim in the ice hole. But I'm a coward
 
I’ve also heard of swimmers slathering their body in fat, I think maybe duck fat? Sounds about as unappealing as a wetsuit. i Think the neoprene booties and gloves sound preferable.
 
MommaE said:
I’ve also heard of swimmers slathering their body in fat, I think maybe duck fat? Sounds about as unappealing as a wetsuit. i Think the neoprene booties and gloves sound preferable.
Click to expand...
Considering one of the reasons I like swimming after the gym is to save me from the hassle of having to take a shower when I'm back home, I think I will skip this tip!
Although my dogs and cats think it's an excellent idea and don't see why I would need a shower after following your advice.
 
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