It’s no wonder so many people are wanting to decompress and relieve physiological stress by being around water.

From sensory deprivation tanks, cryptotherapy, hammam spas and steam rooms, to a luxury bubble bath at home, water in its many forms (breathing in the vapour, bathing in the liquid, and consumption of its liquid and solid forms) has many benefits for human beings. It can return us to a state of equilibrium prior to experiencing a distressing trigger such as dealing with a demanding manager at work, coaxing a crying child, or responding to a passerby going into shock. Staying hydrated prevents us from feeling light-headed and allows a state of homeostasis in our bloodstream, preventing inflammation and soreness in our muscles.

Water is all around us, we consume multiple variations of it to stay hydrated as our bodies are composed of 60% of water, with our brain, lungs, and heart existing at 75%+ as water!

WATER CALMS YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM and improves your cardiovascular health

The natural flow and rhythm of water stimulates alpha brainwaves in the brain. Alpha brainwaves are of a moderately slower wavelength and are present in our resting state and when we meditate. As we allow ourselves to let go of mental urgencies while submerging or being afloat on water, we become more present, alert, and open-minded.

Being in cold water stimulates your vagus nerve (a bundle of nerve fibers extending from your brainstem down towards your abdomen). Your vagus nerve regulates your heart rate and breathing, mood, immune response and digestion in relation to the lower organs in the body. When activated, the vagus nerve turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, preparing the body into “rest and digest” mode, slowing down the heart rate and pace of breath. The vagus nerve also orients the neck muscles, head movement, speech and vision, releasing the hormone, oxytocin from the pituitary gland. When released in the body, oxytocin allows us to build trust in others and ourselves, become more compassionate, and cooperative with others.

It improves your mental and physical coordination.

Low-impact sports in the water such as swimming, surfing and stand-up paddleboarding require many motor abilities including balance, stability, core engagement, and alertness. In an open body of water, you are being challenged to strengthen your depth perception of incoming winds, direction of the water current, and enhance your proprioception (your recognition of objects on the water and in the sky relative to you). Lastly, you should also consider the power and restraint needed to paddle or swim if you are going for longer distances, are paddling or swimming against the wind direction, or are avoiding and steering clear of other obstacles in the water such as boats, swimmers, and other paddlers.

It releases tension in sore muscles, connective tissue and joints.

Swimming and floating are low-impact activities on your hips, knees, and ankle joints, easing mobility for movement, especially if you are suffering from injury, or are sensitive of bearing weight for a long period of time. Being submerged in water also helps to alleviate chronic fatigue from habitual movements such as tech-neck, and rounded shoulders from sitting infront of digital screens for long periods of time.

Cryptotherapy, submerging into cold baths for short periods of time, can actually reduce inflammation in the joints. The more frequently that you submerge your body into cold water, your mind trains your body to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to slow down your response to stressful triggers such as the immediate shock of cold water. Your blood vessels and capillaries begin to dilate, sending blood to the areas of the body experiencing the change in temperature. Your heart rate begins to slow down and your breath begins to deepen, creating a sensation of calm. These physiological responses becomes more translatable out of the water when dealing with everyday stressors at work, at home with family, and on the street encounters with situations out of your conrol.

Staying present and focused on the current task.

When your body is submerged in the flow of water, your mind also begins to enter what is known as the Flow state. In the brain, the default network mode (composed of the pre-frontal cortex, the medial parietal cortex, and the medial temporal lobe) turns on, allowing us to become introspective, create new memories, and focus on our current experience. We become less focused on other distracting tasks such as previous anxieties or to-do lists, and instead draw our attention on our present environment and how we begin to engage movement in the water.

Letting go of control and expectation of your ego on the water gains you greater awareness of your physical strengths and limitations while in the water. As many of us are used to being bipedal on land and meticulously articulating tasks with our hands, the force of water changes the sense of balance, agility, and mobility while moving within water.