Why Being By The Sea Helps During Menopause and Beyond

I was reading an article about cold water swimming which was published in UCL News about a year ago. It confirmed many of the things I've discovered over the years of living and swimming in Harris where the water is really cold year round. I'm not a wetsuit wearer, I don't like the constriction, instead I've gradually worked out what works for me - an old swimming-dress costume, cotton leggings and a merino wool base layer on top plus swimming boots and gloves. It's a slightly eccentric look (nothing new there!), marginally less so in summer when I discard the leggings. It makes getting into the water easier, less shocking to the system. It's psychological, somehow being covered makes me feel warmer even though the water instantly permeates the layers.

What I've found is that I crave the sea, I need to be near it to feel calibrated and thinking about it, from being 6 years old I've lived close to it - right on the banks of the Firth of Forth in Fife, in Edinburgh, In Southampton, by Aberystwyth in Wales, in Lewes in Sussex, in Cyprus where I swam year round and now in Harris where I live on a peninsula on the island surrounded by sea. If I'm not in it, I'm beside it. I spend countless hours sitting watching the water, the waves, the dolphins and otters, the patterns in the sand, the sea froth wibbling and wobbling in the wind. The sea has been woven into the fabric of my being, without it I feel lost.

Interestingly the research published in Post Reproductive Health interviewed over 1000 menopausal women and found that 'Menopausal women who regularly swim in cold water report significant improvements to their physical and mental symptoms...the findings showed that menopausal women experienced a significant improvement in anxiety (as reported by 46.9% of the women), mood swings (34.5%), low mood (31.1%) and hot flushes (30.3%) as a result of cold water swimming.'

Lead Researcher Prof Joyce Harper commented that "The majority of women swim to relieve symptoms such as anxiety, mood swings and hot flushes. They felt that their symptoms were helped by the physical and mental effects of the cold water, which was more pronounced when it was colder.

“How often they swam, how long for and what they wore were also important. Those that swam for longer had more pronounced effects. The great thing about cold water swimming is it gets people exercising in nature, and often with friends, which can build a great community.”

My own experience is definitely that the cold water makes me feel well, balanced, better. The most dramatic experience was when my Mother died, I went home feeling exhausted, full of grief and quite unable to find my equilibrium. I found myself walking to the deserted beach, down the slipway, pulled to the sea like an unstoppable force. As I walked I threw off clothes reaching the sea in only underwear, striding into the water until I was chest deep, then I swam and lay on my back letting myself flow with the swell. I was in for maybe 20 minutes. As I walked out I felt as if I left those feelings of overwhelm behind me in the water. It was utterly cathartic. 

There is increasing interest in the Blue Mind, a concept framed by Wallace J. Nichols, proposing that our connection to water has a profoundly positive effect on the mind and body. With a body-water percentage of around 60% and from our water surrounded beginnings in the womb, he claims that being near or in water induces a mildly meditative state, lowering cortisol and increasing dopamine and oxytocin, and promoting relaxation.

I'm particularly intrigued by pink noise and its effects on the mind. Unlike white noise which has equal energy across all frequencies, pink noise has power that decreases as frequency increases - it is the sound of ocean waves from the shore. It brings calmness and focus, it is the soundscape of my life in Harris. It has a mesmeric quality.

In Harris, the crashing waves bring a particular joy, not just from watching them pile up wave upon wave onto the shore but also from the microscopic negatively charged ions which are released in rough seas. This negative ion laden air, when inhaled is believed to increase oxygen flow to the brain, to lift the mood and reduce anxiety.

I find it amazing that something as simple as taking the time to sit by the sea or wading in for a brief swim can confer so many benefits to mind and body, but it does. Increasingly I find myself walking to the sea early in the mornings, I love to stand on the shore and gaze towards the horizon. On some days the sea and sky merge into a single colour and so standing on the edge feels like entering a totally calm liminal space.

If you can get to the sea, do go. It is magical, and having lived near it for so many years I couldn't imagine life away from it.