Cold Water Swimming Changed My Life – But One Day I Made A Simple, Yet Near-fatal Mistake… This Is What Happened To Me, And What You MUST Know Before Taking The Plunge

The moment I realised my tongue wasn’t working properly, I knew I’d made a terrible mistake.

I’d allotted myself ten minutes in the freezing Cornish sea which, given my level of experience, I’d calculated to be safe.

I felt fine, great even, as I began getting dressed. Then all of a sudden I was shivering uncontrollably and filled with nausea. The five-minute drive home felt impossible, so I gave in and made the humiliating call to my husband – my speech now slurring – asking him to collect me. The panic in my voice was audible.

I learnt an important lesson that day: namely, how risky cold water dipping is if you don’t follow the safety rules. Or if you get cocky, as my husband said while he bundled me into the car.

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I’d succumbed to cold water incapacitation, the stage just before full-blown hypothermia. As my body temperature dropped, my blood flowed to protect my core, depriving my extremities of oxygen and causing temporary numbness and co-ordination failure.

A fellow cold-dipper I’d met at my local London lido had warned me of this condition, so I took her advice and spent all afternoon lying down, ploughing through gallons of hot tea to warm up.

It was a beginner’s mistake, the first time since I’d started cold water swimming that I’d not left the water feeling euphoric and brimming with energy.

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Back then – nine years ago – I was a newbie at what is now a national sport; around 1.2 million people in the UK belong to outdoor swimming groups, of which 65 per cent are female.

I began my swim journey in my late forties. I’d just hit perimenopause and had been battered by insomnia, anxiety and depression. I started doing triathlons in attempts to exercise my way out of the doldrums, but the I swam in cold water the I noticed how incredible I felt afterwards.

There were hiccups along the way – not least my brush with hypothermia –- but now, age 57, I’m fully acclimatised to cold water. I swim all year round in just my swimming costume, or ‘skins’ as experts call it. My mental health is the most robust it has ever been and my perimenopausal depression is a thing of the past – thanks to HRT (hormone replacement therapy) too.

But there’s also been an unexpected benefit. I’ve made some of my closest friends since I started, and the communal aspect of cold water swimming is an unbeatable prescription for longevity. Loneliness can be a killer when you get old, and finding your tribe particularly as kids grow up can be a life saver.

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Elsewhere, I’ve personally noticed that my immune system has got stronger since I started dipping, while others report better sleep, improved skin and memory and reduced anxiety. The shock of the cold – anything below 15C– in turn enhances your body’s ability to cope with stressors. Essentially, the extreme temperature change shocks your cells into doing what they’re supposed to.

And you don’t have to do it for long to reap those benefits; according to thermic scientist Dr Susanna Soberg, 11 minutes of cold water exposure per week is enough to achieve significant health benefits.

Crucially, though, I am just as aware of the dangers as I am of the benefits.

The difficulty is that there are so many unpredictable variables, because the cold affects everyone in a different way and your reaction varies by the day.

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A bad night’s sleep, excess stress, hormonal fluctuations and even what you’ve eaten beforehand can worsen your reaction to the cold. And it’s certainly not something you should do hungover.

It took me a while to establish my personal safe routine, through research and good old-fashioned trial and error. If you’re considering taking the plunge, I’d advise you do the same.

After that experience with cold water incapacitation, I always make sure to have a clear exit from the water, and I never swim alone.

Show-offs (and yes, they’re mostly men) tend to jump in straight away, and while it’s good for bravado, it can be incredibly dangerous. Focus on deep breathing as you get in to allow your body to adapt to the temperature, and lower yourself in slowly.

Lay your clothes out in the order you will dress to save time, hat on first, and wear something woolly as it warms you fastest. Have a hot drink ready because you want to warm your core quickly, which is why a hot shower won’t help. Your warmest blood flows to your core first to protect your vital organs rather than warming your biggest one – your skin. When it does that you may feel discombobulated and a little confused, so cover the skin and warm your core with a drink.

And crucially, remember the ‘after drop’. Your core temperature can continue to drop long after your swim, so make sure you stay wrapped up all day afterwards.

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I always wear neoprene socks and a hat in the water during winter. I may be ridiculed for this but it makes swimming safer and easier. Studies show you only need to get your shoulders under to reap the benefits, and it does feel communal to chat and swim.

Check with your GP for any underlying health conditions, then give it a go! Anyone is welcome poolside, lakeside or on the beach.

And another hidden benefit: once you get cold acclimatised you certainly save on heating. Now it is me, instead of my husband, who is always turning the thermostat down.

Lorraine Candy co-hosts the Postcards From Midlife podcast and you can follow her at

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