Joy Ride Sailing

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Sea Salt and Ocean Waves

Joy Gillard

It’s early afternoon and since we don’t have a tour today, Chris and are parked, rather wearily, on the couch.

Business is picking up, which is fantastic…AND the new snorkelling spot I keep babbling about is so much nicer that at times, its hard to get people back out of the water.

This means that I, as First Mate and Amateur Photographer, am spending a lot more time in the ocean. I love swimming in the ocean, the sun glistening off the water is just magical, the smell and sound of the waves is soothing, the saltwater is so wonderfully buoyant. It’s just plain good for you.

It occurred to me today to notice that, while I’m a little tired and parts of me that aren’t used to the extra exercise are a little sore…overall, I feel great.

It made me a little curious to see what science has to say about the benefits of swimming in the ocean. With that question in mind….I headed to Google and started digging around.

I found a plethora of posts about the subject and while many of didn’t exactly give scientific proof of the theories, everyone seemed to agree that ocean water benefits our bodies, and minds in many ways.

(BTW…Using seawater for medical purposes even has a name: thalassotherapy.)

Here is just an smidgen of the benefits that were listed:

  • improves mental health- Not only is the sound and smell of the air naturally soothing to humans , the way that we breathe changes while we are swimming. This stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which can help quiet the brain. So can the feeling of weightlessness. This leads scientists to conclude that swimming can in fact combat depression and some forms of anxiety!

  • improves sleep- as I mentioned above, swimming in the ocean is soothing, combine that with the fresh air and exercise and you are bound to get a much better night sleep.

  • improves skin health- various vitamins and minerals that are found in salt water are absorbed through the skin while swimming, improving skin health and, in some cases acting as an antibacterial to fight skin conditions and infections such as psoriasis and eczema. (HOWEVER… ocean water can also contain bacteria that can cause infections if you have an open wound…so be sure to use an antibacterial spray if you cut or scrape yourself while in the ocean!)

  • improves muscle tone and strength- if you think about it, the motion required to swim, whether in the ocean or in a pool requires pretty much every major muscle group, making it an extremely effective way to get fit.

  • strengthens the immune system- believe it or not studies show that our red blood cell count actually increases 5-20% after swimming in the ocean! The white blood cell count increases even more, giving our immune systems a real boost.

  • slows down the effects of rheumatism- Ocean water combined with exercise is a great medication for bone and muscle pain, arthritis, circulatory, and postsurgical issues.

  • improves breathing- salt water helps to eliminate the toxins and other elements that effect our lungs which helps people who have asthma, severe cough and phlegm. Salt water also helps to clear our sinus infections and inflammations.

  • helps fight kidney and liver problems- Ocean water accelerates the process of cell regeneration, especially those damaged by diseases such as cirrhosis.

All in all, it’s plain to see that sea salt and ocean waves can go a long way towards improving our mood, our health and our lives in general. Not that I needed a scientific study to tell me that.

Anyone who’s done it will probably agree that there is a unique serenity and a sense of well-being that can only be found immersed in the great blue depths of the ocean.

Still, given all the data that has been collected over the years, I’m surprised that today’s medical practitioners don’t write prescriptions for a visit to the seaside…as they used to do back in the 1700’s and beyond. Perhaps they should start…

Anyhoo…that’s my thought for today.

Toodles and Pura Vida!