Cold water swimming should be made safer for women due to water quality concerns, a study has found. Researchers found that cold water swimming can be beneficial for women’s health , improving physical and mental symptoms linked to menopause and improving menstrual symptoms. But boffins at the University of Sussex and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said the growing hobby needs to receive better support to help improve water quality in order to make it accessible and safe.
Professor Sasha Roseneil, from the University of Sussex, said: “In recent years cold water swimming has become a passion for many thousands of women across the UK, bringing numerous benefits to wellbeing. “Whilst the free and unregulated nature of swimming in open water is part of its attraction, it is time for the government and regulators to pay serious attention to the quality of our rivers, lakes and seas, to protect both swimmers today, and the ecosystems of these precious natural resources for the future.” According to the research published today, 64 per cent of women aged 16 to 80 who wild swim do so in the sea and nearly nine in ten swim all year round.
But the team warned that there are risks that can be exacerbated by the swimming environment, including the increased likelihood of gastroenteritis and other infections due to pollution in UK waters. Designated bathing waters in the UK are typically monitored during the summer months – from May to September – although ma.