Cold water swimming improves menopause symptoms
Peer reviewed | Survey
Peer-Reviewed PublicationMenopausal women who regularly swim in cold water report significant improvements to their physical and mental symptoms, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.
The research, published in Post Reproductive Health, surveyed 1114 women, 785 of which were going through the menopause, to examine the effects of cold water swimming on their health and wellbeing.
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.
In addition, a majority of women (63.3%) swam specifically to relieve their symptoms.
Some of the women quoted in the study said that they found the cold water to be “an immediate stress/ anxiety reliever” and described the activity as “healing”.
One 57-year-old woman stated: “Cold water is phenomenal. It has saved my life. In the water, I can do anything. All symptoms (physical and mental) disappear and I feel like me at my best.”
Senior author, Professor Joyce Harper (UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health), said: “Cold water has previously been found to improve mood and reduce stress in outdoor swimmers, and ice baths have long been used to aid athletes’ muscle repair and recovery.
“Our study supports these claims, meanwhile the anecdotal evidence also highlights how the activity can be used by women to alleviate physical symptoms, such as hot flushes, aches and pains.
“More research still needs to be done into the frequency, duration, temperature and exposure needed to elicit a reduction in symptoms. However, we hope our findings may provide an alternative solution for women struggling with the menopause and encourage more women to take part in sports.”
Most of the women involved in the study were likely to swim in both summer and winter and wear swimming costumes, rather than wet suits.
Alongside aiding menopausal symptoms, the women said their main motivations for cold water swimming were being outside, improving mental health and exercising.
Professor Harper said: “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.”
The researchers also wanted to investigate whether cold water swimming improved women’s menstrual symptoms.
Of the 711 women who experienced menstrual symptoms, nearly half said that cold water swimming improved their anxiety (46.7%), and over a third said that it helped their mood swings (37.7%) and irritability (37.6%).
Yet despite the benefits of cold water swimming, the researchers were also keen to highlight that the sport comes with certain risks.
Professor Harper explained: “Caution must be taken when cold water swimming, as participants could put themselves at risk of hypothermia, cold water shock, cardiac rhythm disturbances or even drowning.
“Depending on where they are swimming, water quality standards may also vary. Raw sewage pollution is an increasingly common concern in UK rivers and seas. And, sadly, this can increase the likelihood of gastroenteritis and other infections.”
Study limitations
The study may contain some bias due to the survey only being taken by women who already cold water swim. And, as the survey was conducted online, it is likely that women were more likely to complete the survey if they noticed an association between menopause symptoms and cold water swimming.
JOURNAL
Post Reproductive Health
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Survey
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
How do women feel cold water swimming effects their menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms?
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
25-Jan-2024
Do different plant-based diets affect pregnancy and birth outcomes?
Women who follow vegan diets during pregnancy may face higher risks of developing preeclampsia and of giving birth to newborns with lower birth weight, suggests a recent study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.
For the study, 65,872 women identified themselves as omnivorous, 666 as fish/poultry vegetarians, 183 as lacto/ovo vegetarians, and 18 as vegans. Based on a questionnaire completed mid-pregnancy, investigators found that protein intake was lower among lacto/ovo vegetarians (13.3%) and vegans (10.4%) compared with omnivorous participants (15.4%). Micronutrient intake was also much lower among vegans, but when dietary supplements were considered, no major differences were observed.
Compared with omnivorous mothers, vegan mothers had a higher prevalence of preeclampsia (a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure), and their newborns weighed an average of 240 g less.
“Further research is needed regarding possible causality between plant-based diets and pregnancy and birth outcomes, to strengthen the basis for dietary recommendations,” the authors wrote
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aogs.14778
Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.
About the Journal
Published monthly, Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica is an international journal dedicated to providing the very latest information on the results of both clinical and research work from around the globe. The journal regularly publishes commentaries, reviews and original articles on a wide variety of topics.
About Wiley
Wiley is a knowledge company and a global leader in research, publishing, and knowledge solutions. Dedicated to the creation and application of knowledge, Wiley serves the world’s researchers, learners, innovators, and leaders, helping them achieve their goals and solve the world's most important challenges. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
JOURNAL
Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica
ARTICLE TITLE
Adherence to different forms of plant-based diets and pregnancy outcomes in the Danish National Birth Cohort: a prospective observational study
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
24-Jan-2024
Women farm owners more apt to binge drink
Peer-Reviewed Publication
A study from the University of Georgia reveals a concerning pattern of binge drinking among women who own or manage farms.
The study, which was recently published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, surveyed 987 farmers across the U.S. about their perceived levels of stress and coping behaviors, including alcohol use.
Farmers experience higher levels of work-related stress compared to other industries and the public, and recent studies have found that many turn to alcohol to handle that stress. But not all farmers used alcohol in the same way.
“Female farmers were less likely to report drinking, but then we had these points in the data that we weren’t expecting where there was something going on with binge drinking within our female farmers,” said lead author Christina Proctor, a clinical assistant professor at UGA’s College of Public Health.
Proctor and her co-authors dug into existing research on stress and females who work in male-dominated fields and found that women tend to experience added stress that could affect alcohol use.
For example, said Proctor, women in male-dominated industries like firefighting and commercial fishing reported being held to a higher performance standard and having their authority routinely questioned. And outside of work, these women still bore the brunt of responsibility of housework and as caregivers.
“We thought maybe this is what's going on with our data,” said Proctor. “Maybe there's questioning authority. Somebody comes into your farm, and they ask where the boss man is. You own the farm, but people don't see you as that owner.”
So, they broke down reported stress and drinking behaviors in relationship to gender and the level of responsibility the farmers held.
Compared to their male counterparts, they found that female farmers reported significantly higher levels of stress. And, while female participants were less likely to drink overall, when they did drink, they were more likely to binge drink. This pattern was most pronounced among female farmers who owned or managed farms.
“I think there are moments where the stress associated with farm work and these extra duties are just too hard to handle, where you have to cope with it in some way, and there's just this explosiveness when they do drink,” said Proctor.
This study is part of a larger effort Proctor is leading to understand farmer stress and deliver interventions that help farmers deal with stress in healthy ways. Understanding the range of coping mechanisms farmers are using, and how those may look different across genders and farm roles, is critical to forming tailored mental health and well-being programs.
Proctor is currently interviewing female farmers to better understand the factors that trigger binge drinking.
Two-thirds of female farmers surveyed were farm owners or farm managers, and more women are entering the industry every year.
“We have to figure out a way to support our female farmers, because they are a part of the future,” said Proctor.
Co-authors include Noah Hopkins and Chase Reece with UGA’s College of Public Health.
The paper, “The Intersection of Gender and Occupational Roles in Agriculture: Stress, Resilience, and Alcohol Behaviors of US Farmers,” is available online.
A study from the University of Georgia reveals a concerning pattern of binge drinking among women who own or manage farms.
The study, which was recently published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, surveyed 987 farmers across the U.S. about their perceived levels of stress and coping behaviors, including alcohol use.
Farmers experience higher levels of work-related stress compared to other industries and the public, and recent studies have found that many turn to alcohol to handle that stress. But not all farmers used alcohol in the same way.
“Female farmers were less likely to report drinking, but then we had these points in the data that we weren’t expecting where there was something going on with binge drinking within our female farmers,” said lead author Christina Proctor, a clinical assistant professor at UGA’s College of Public Health.
Proctor and her co-authors dug into existing research on stress and females who work in male-dominated fields and found that women tend to experience added stress that could affect alcohol use.
For example, said Proctor, women in male-dominated industries like firefighting and commercial fishing reported being held to a higher performance standard and having their authority routinely questioned. And outside of work, these women still bore the brunt of responsibility of housework and as caregivers.
“We thought maybe this is what's going on with our data,” said Proctor. “Maybe there's questioning authority. Somebody comes into your farm, and they ask where the boss man is. You own the farm, but people don't see you as that owner.”
So, they broke down reported stress and drinking behaviors in relationship to gender and the level of responsibility the farmers held.
Compared to their male counterparts, they found that female farmers reported significantly higher levels of stress. And, while female participants were less likely to drink overall, when they did drink, they were more likely to binge drink. This pattern was most pronounced among female farmers who owned or managed farms.
“I think there are moments where the stress associated with farm work and these extra duties are just too hard to handle, where you have to cope with it in some way, and there's just this explosiveness when they do drink,” said Proctor.
This study is part of a larger effort Proctor is leading to understand farmer stress and deliver interventions that help farmers deal with stress in healthy ways. Understanding the range of coping mechanisms farmers are using, and how those may look different across genders and farm roles, is critical to forming tailored mental health and well-being programs.
Proctor is currently interviewing female farmers to better understand the factors that trigger binge drinking.
Two-thirds of female farmers surveyed were farm owners or farm managers, and more women are entering the industry every year.
“We have to figure out a way to support our female farmers, because they are a part of the future,” said Proctor.
Co-authors include Noah Hopkins and Chase Reece with UGA’s College of Public Health.
The paper, “The Intersection of Gender and Occupational Roles in Agriculture: Stress, Resilience, and Alcohol Behaviors of US Farmers,” is available online.
JOURNAL
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
DOI
ARTICLE TITLE
The Intersection of Gender and Occupational Roles in Agriculture: Stress, Resilience, and Alcohol Behaviors of US Farmers
The Intersection of Gender and Occupational Roles in Agriculture: Stress, Resilience, and Alcohol Behaviors of US Farmers
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
24-Jan-2024
24-Jan-2024
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