The water sports that help boost your mental health
Water sports are a proven way of improving mental health. If they become part of a monthly routine, it can help with anxiety and depression as well as other conditions as insomnia. But, what makes water sports so good for mental wellbeing and physical relaxation?
Practicing sports in the water is a fun habit that helps improve the mood of people with psychological problems. In addition, it has been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety in patients with diseases as fibromyalgia. From Nautical Channel, we recommend the following water sports to help boost your mental health.
I’m Blue Da ba dee - Da ba daa
There is plenty of evidence that suggests blue improves mental wellbeing. This is because blue is a soothing colour that can affect our mental state. It is said to calm the mind and help with concentration.
Blue is mostly associated with water. This is also a possible complementary factor of why water sports can help with mental health. Blue spaces can lower the pulse rate and the body temperature. Moreover, it is viewed as a non-threatening colour that calls to mind feelings of calmness and serenity.
Swimming improves mental wellbeing
Swimming is a great form of exercising that has great physical benefits on your overall health. It is beneficial for the mind regardless of the location. Swimming can help relieve stress as it has a very relaxing effect on the mind.
Recent studies show that being immersed in water boosts the blood flow to the brain. This increases the supply of oxygen, glucose and nutrients, suggesting a positive impact on the mental health.
Moreover, swimming for just half an hour is known for lowering incidences of depression and anxiety, as well as to improve sleep patterns. Swimming helps release endorphins, the feel-good hormones that lead to a greater sense of happiness and wellbeing.
Surfing: a fun way to improve your mental health
A lifestyle surrounded by the sea brings positive benefits to our health. It impacts our skin, immune system, articulations and breathing. Surf has been prescribed by doctors for being an outdoor activity practiced in the water.
In addition, patients that suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have reported improving their sleeping pattern after surfing and maintaining a regular wave riding activity. This is because surfing works as an emotional stabilizer. It has a zen effect, soothing your mind and balancing your emotions.
As it is a high-energy sport, it helps us feel calm and reduce stress. This can help with our mood. On occasions, surfing has been recommended to help patients get over loss and grief.
You might find useful: Watching Time Well Spent, the story of four young surfers that endure poverty, abandonment or death with the help of surf and the ocean.
Diving helps us feel relaxed and mindful
Scuba diving also has a proven benefit on mental health. However, medical professionals consider scuba diving a dangerous sport as we are in an environment that does not support human life naturally.
“The times when I have been diving regularly have been my happiest,” says scuba diver instructor Imogen Gray, who has suffered for a long time of generalised anxiety and depression.
Diving has a positive impact on mood as it encourages mindfulness. Also, according to a study by the University of Sheffield’s Medical School, diving improves levels of anxiety, depression and reduces insomnia.
Number one rule of scuba diving is to learn deep breathing. And constantly. This helps focus your attention on the way you inhale and exhale. The mindfulness that comes with diving creates a safe space.