How to Improve Your Stress Management in Swimming
How to Improve Your Stress Management in Swimming
As we near the end of the academic year, swimming is just beginning to pick up steam. Preparing for final exams and projects can be difficult when swimmers need to travel for competitions and focus on racing. In order to be effective in both the classroom and the pool, let’s discuss how to better manage stress.
Ever feel exhausted on a stressful day? Stress is as much a physical reaction as it is a perceived psychological one. The same human stress reaction that occurs during life-threatening situations actually engages during your everyday stresses. The stress hormone, known as cortisol, is necessary for certain biological processes, such as helping your body wake in the morning and inducing a higher state of arousal during an important event. When cortisol is released by the adrenal glands, it can healthily diminish if a “fight or flight” response occurs. Luckily for swimmers, regular cardio exercise mimics that “flight” effect and brings this hormone level down.
When a person is chronically stressed, such as by schoolwork, cortisol levels remain high. This causes a number of negative effects on your body, including but not limited to muscle tension or pain, headaches, weight gain, problems sleeping, lower immune function, and lower bone density. Anxiety, inability to focus, and depression can also arise if cortisol levels are left unchecked.
