Cold water therapy, whether accessed through cold water swimming or ice bathing, is not only a thrill but may also be therapeutic. It’s generally thought that the ideal temperature for The Cold Pod is between 10 and 15oC or 50 to 59oF, but these temperatures may vary based on your circumstances.

If you’re an avid open water swimmer there’s every chance that these temperatures may be lower. But less isn’t always necessarily more. Here, we’ll look at some of the risks involved in cold water exposure and what happens to the body.

Cold water risks

As with anything in life, being exposed to cold water carries risks.

In the UK, the average temperature of the sea ranges between 6 and 10oC in the winter and 15 and 20oC in the summer, depending on where you are (RYA, 2024). While the average temperature coming from the cold tap is between 10 and 20oC (Wild, 2022).

So, you may be exposed to temperatures below those that have been recommended for cold water exposure which may leave your body at risk of injury.

For example, one risk associated with cold water exposure is non-freezing cold injury, more commonly known as trench or immersion foot. It occurs when the extremities, like your hands and feet, are exposed to wet, cold conditions for prolonged periods (Zafren, 2023).

When you enter cold water, some people may experience tingling, numbing, or pain in their hands and feet. For most people, these symptoms subside within a few minutes of getting out of the water but for anyone with a non-freezing cold injury, the symptoms can persist for years because of nerve or muscle damage.

Another risk of cold-water exposure is cold-water shock.

What happens to the body when it’s exposed to cold water?
When we enter cold water, several things occur. The first and most notable is the cold-water shock response and you’ve likely experienced it – a gasp of breath followed by uncontrollable rapid breathing.

The rapid breathing is accompanied by a rapid heart rate, a reduction in skin blood flow, and an increase in blood pressure. These physiological changes occur because of the fast cooling of the skin as it enters the water. There appear to be no benefits from these changes, instead, they put pressure on the heart and increase the risk of inhaling water.

References

Esperland, D., de Weerd, L., & Mercer, J. B. (2022). Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debate. International journal of circumpolar health, 81(1), 2111789. https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2022.2111789
Flouris, A. D., Westwood, D. A., Mekjavic, I. B., & Cheung, S. S. (2008). Effect of body temperature on cold induced vasodilation. European journal of applied physiology, 104(3), 491–499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0798-3