Hardening has been on the rise in recent years. But what about hardening during pregnancy?
There are many benefits associated with hardening. These are, for example, improving mood🙋🏻♀️, increasing energy☀️, libido or faster recovery after exercise🏃🏼♀️. Hardiers also tend to have less stress and stronger health🫀. This information can be attractive to expectant mothers, as stress can negatively affect childbirth.
In a study by Leo Gundle et al. presented the hypothesis that women who tone up regularly can expect better obstetric outcomes compared to those who do not tone up. At the same time, he claims that swimming 🏊🏻♀️ in cold water is a significant physiologically stressful event that can (when followed regularly) relieve stress. The results of the studies show that chronic stress negatively affects the birth weight of the baby (< 2500 g) and premature birth (less than 37 weeks).
A possible explanation for the shortened gestational age and reduced birth weight can be found in the literature. A number of studies have shown that high levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (the hormone responsible for the release of cortisol, the stress hormone) are associated with preterm birth. It is thought that high levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone may increase placental synthesis of prostaglandins and thus prematurely initiate labor.
And what are the negatives of hardening? There may be risks associated with swimming in contaminated water🦠, for example due to the possible occurrence of leptospira (the causative agent of leptospirosis) and other agents causing gastroenteritis💩.
The authors concluded that swimming in cold water, which does not cause discomfort, pain or confusion and prevents hypothermia, should not be risky for pregnancy. 🙌🏻
Your Verra team💕