How different water temperatures affects swimmers

By Nicholas Marcellino
May 8, 2019

Believe it or not different water temperatures affects your body in some way, but it all depends what you use a pool for.

 Cold water

When your body gets into cold water your blood vessels widen to allow warm blood to increase your body’s temperature. With your blood vessels widen it will also prevent cold blood flow to your organs. If cold blood flow to your organs they will start to shut down which leads to hypothermia.

“Anything below 60 degrees Fahrenheit without a wetsuit can lead to shivering or cold shock,” Frank Yemi said. In the end it all depends on your tolerance to cold temperatures.

Photo Credit:Tori Delusant

Warm Water

Swimming in water that is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit can lead to overheating and exhaustion. Especially if you are swimming several laps or a marathon. With warm water it increases your body temperature while also raises your sweat rate and dehydration will be quicker. Normally your body tries to cool itself down by sweating to regulate your body temperature. By sweating a lot, it can lead to an imbalance of electrolytes. With exposure to warmer water can affect muscle mobility, can cause muscle spasms and severe fatigue. USA Swimming notes that warmer water is great for Aquatic Therapy, but not for competitive swimming.

Water at 90 degrees Fahrenheit can increase your metabolism and speed when swimming, but it is always a good idea to swim in cooler water. A study in 1993 in “The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness” shows that cooler temperature water at 70 degrees Fahrenheit is safer for swimming because the body can adjust better to colder temperatures than warmer temperatures.

The Ideal Temperature

The ideal water temperature varies. It all depends on what your activity is. The more intense your aerobic activities are the lower the air temperature needs to be. For competitive swimming water temperatures of 82 degrees Fahrenheit and cooler are ideal. For high-intensity swimming; the air temperature should be between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sophomore Meghan Reguera, a human resources major, gets out of breath when the water temperature is hot. Which makes it harder for her to swim because Reguera feels that she is going to overheat.

Sophomore Meghan Reguera, a human resources major said, “I feel like I swim faster when it’s cold.”

Reguera also notices a change in the temperature at the Cabrini pool when she goes to practices. Reguera warms herself up in cold water temperatures so she doesn’t think about it when she jumps in. Also, she does a ton a laps to keep her warm.

Sophomore Cam Mousley, a business management major, noticed a difference in his performance when the pool

Photo Credit: Marisa Linsky

changes.

Sophomore Cam Mousley, a business management major said, “If it’s colder I feel like I swim faster, If it’s hotter I feel like I swim slower.”

Mousley notices a change in Cabrini’s pool temperature because every now and then the pool’s heater turns off and then it will get really cold. When Mousley first gets in the pool he warms himself up by  sprinting.

Sophomore Amanda Lynn, an education major, doesn’t like to swim in warmer water because she feels that it affects her body by making her slower, but when the water is colder it helps her warm up faster. On the side of the pool you can test the water out by feeling the water gutters. Lynn also notices a change in the water temperature at the Cabrini pool on a day-to-day bases. Lynn warms herself up by moving around in the pool when she first get in.

Sophomore Amanda Lynn, an education major said, “You just got to keep swimming and keep moving around.”

 

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Nicholas Marcellino

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