Abstract
It has long been claimed that non-wetsuit cold water swimming (CWS) benefits health (1), and anecdotally cold-water swimmers claimed to suffer fewer and milder infections, though this was not directly measured. A boost to immunity is biologically plausible: stress hormones are released during cold-water immersion (2), and short-term stress may ready the immune system for injury or infection (3). However, very few studies have investigated immune system markers and/or actual illness in habitual cold-water swimmers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 485-487 |
| Journal | Rhinology |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 2 Sept 2021 |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2021 |