To think everyone should accustom themselves to cold water

[silverystream]

It has been quite fashionable in certain circles to take ice baths / cold water baths or showers. Stuff about health benefits and autophagy and reducing inflammation etc.

But beyond this I think it is a really good idea because most drownings occur due to cold water shock. Yet people can get accustomed to sitting baths full of ice cubes! I just watched a thing about Alaska wherby someone fell in icy water and was pulled out pretty quickly. They said if they didn't act quick he would lose his fingers! Yet Wim Hof dove under the ice and swam underwater and I think holds a world record for this. Isn't it a good idea to start taking cold water baths in order to build up resilience?

I think so and take a cold water bath everyday. Cold tap water doesn't even feel that cold after a while.

What do you think?

Well, fuck, there goes my idea to train as a Canadian fisherman .

It's absolutely not wasteful, if dome properly it saves you money because you'll never need to buy a bra.

😂😂

I'm a 40DD, maybe I could just get away with a vest top. Of course, my tits have been making for the South Pole since I had my 3rd, a little cold might help them in their endeavour.

I’m working up to being kicked in the face by a rhinoceros, just in case.

So far, I’m up to being kicked in the shins. Hurts like hell but at least the splints are coming off next week. It’ll be worth it in the end, I’m sure.

Fuck that for a barrel of bananas are you quite mad, OP?

Another off topic but with heating off for the last few months I nearly died of happiness when I finally washed my hands and face in warm water the other night!!

I thought this was going to be a brexit thread about a potential lack of hot water

It can be arranged.,

Why not? I have had four kids so I could build up my under carrage and not need stiches due to childbirth.

It really worked! By the fourth time no stiches! The previous three births was well the pain. 🤣

Study of 89 Canadian fishermen who died in water found The underlying causes of drownings were reclassified as: cold shock (5.4%), swimming failure (5.4%), hypothermia (5.4%), post-rescue collapse (0.8%), cardiac event (0.8%) and drowning/other (10%). In the remaining 72.2% of deaths, there was insufficient information to determine an underlying cause

See, if you did this study on Maine fishermen you'd find that 98% drowned because they were drunk when they fell in. And the ocean is really cold here.

I thought this was going to be a brexit thread about a potential lack of hot water

I actually did too. But it was so much better!

I'm a trained RNLI lifeguard so I'm assuming you know the five steps to float in the event of cold water shock if not please acquaint yourself with them.
www.respectthewater.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=rtw_2019&utm_content=AC2_UK_7b&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi_y55urT5AIVRbDtCh0SxwJnEAAYASAAEgKyovD_BwE&utm_expid=.QDu738wVSRahBVEhhXEnYg.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Have you tried washing the dishes with cold water? It isn't very effective for things like a frying pan. Hot water makes the world of difference. And if you have a hot water solar panel then it is eco-friendly too

When I was 20 I did camp America and one of the unique torture devices they dreamed up for us camp counsellors was the polar bear swim , where at 6 am you took a group of preteen American girls swimming in a lake that would have made bloody Elsa wince and yell " bugger that for a game of chickens" , so I am good for my ice water needs thanks.

Actually , that , the being used to sleep deprivation because clearly my children hate me and refused to sleep for the first two years of their life , and the ex husbands insistence that I ate spam (not a euphemism...he was unnaturally attached to spam , faggots and pot noodles....its a shocker he is ex right? ) I am reasonably confident in the event of a zombie apocalypse

For now I'll stick to hot baths and comfy beds

Portia that’s useful, thanks for sharing. I nearly drowned in a swimming pool when I was younger and the panic was immense. Arms flapping etc. Awful. Saved by my brother who could see I was in trouble.

You're welcome Cheese well done to your brother for seeing you were in difficulties and glad you were ok.
I get a bit bothered when I see stuff that seems daft to me, seen some awful things and have managed to bring a few people back from trouble onto the beach but sitting in a cold bath is no training and will not get anyone out of a rip or help with secondary drowning.

Thanks for this OP. It's a timely reminder. I've decided to start small by clutching an ice cold glass of prosecco to slowly build my tolerance. Interestingly, you're right - after the initial icy blast everything is wonderful may have missed the point

My kids watched a lot of Coyote Pederson videos.
You know, the ones where he deliberately gets himself stung by increasingly painful creatures. Films it & shares.

Useful, you know, to prepare for finding yourself in a remote desert when can't kill the small critters fast enough. Can't be too careful !

I get a bit bothered when I see stuff that seems daft to me, seen some awful things and have managed to bring a few people back from trouble onto the beach but sitting in a cold bath is no training and will not get anyone out of a rip or help with secondary drowning.

portia, sorry, I assumed everyone knew that you are meant to float should you fall in cold water. It was something I was taught to do when I learnt how to swim as a child and something the children were taught how to do when I assisted a swimming instructor. I know accustoming yourself to cold water will not help with these other important issues. It might just help with the initial shock of very cold water. One small aspect I know, but something that is rarely addressed. Another thing that would arguably be better is to have more safe wild swimming areas but sadly we are losing some of these as funding for life guards is cut.

My point about cold water acclimatisation is just in addition. And I believe your body does get increasingly acclimatised if you subject yourself to cold water even in a different controlled context. For example when I first started my experiment I realised didn't get my knees very wet, later when I realised this I started to purposely immerse them more and that was the only part of my body that felt the water as icy whereas the rest was more acclimatised and felt the water as merely cool. When I first started moving the water about felt very icy now just cool. People really have to try it a little bit to see what I'm talking about.

As I have already said there are there are other health benefits anyway.

I was pretty impressed to see my FIL having a shower with the hose on his farm in the middle of winter at 5AM. Gets to about -10 here and there's no outside hot water, so fair play to him.

I do like throwing the icy bucket of water on me after a sauna, livens me right up.

What do you think?

I think your cheese might have slid off your cracker OP.

I paddled in the sea in Cornwall.
It was bloody freezing.
I think my training is pretty much done.

OP I think you’re into something

I think you might mean on, not into.

Here is my sure-fire way to avoid drowning due to cold water shock, and I have to admit it's pretty mindblowing. Are you ready? Here it is:

STAY AWAY FROM DANGER

If you want to walk by a river on a cold day, fine! Lovely! Bracing! Just stay well away from the water's edge, m'kay?

There. I knew you'd be shocked.

I've never even seen snow and I have no desire to, so I think im good.

Fab idea OP.

I’ve started flinging myself in front of moving vehicles, to build my tolerance. So far, only done bikes and a mobility scooter but if I carry on like this, when that bus comes I’m gonna be ready for it.

Is this thread a Wim Hof advert?

No hula. I admire his courage but I don't even follow everything he advocates. The breathing techniques, for example, I think could potentially be dangerous although they might be beneficial in certain circumstances , however he seems to be fighting fit.