The house I grew up in sits directly across the street from my hometown’s swimming pool. Needless to say, most summers were spent in the water — from playing with friends and taking swim lessons to then becoming a swim instructor, lifeguard and competitive swimmer.
It’s no surprise, then, that I enjoy being in and around water, whether a pool, lake or ocean — and it turns out that this enjoyment is backed by science, too. You may have heard of a “blue prescription” or the Blue Mind Theory, popularized by marine biologist Wallace Nichols. These theories suggest that there are intrinsic beneficial connections between humans and water. Being around water or “blue space” has been proven to increase dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin in the brain and decrease cortisol levels, which lowers heart rate and stress levels.
Initial thoughts and expectations
For this experiment, I wanted to investigate the impact of swimming and being around water on my sleep quality. Unfortunately, I don’t live near an easily accessible natural body of water such as a lake or ocean. I do, however, live near an indoor pool, where I decided to take up lap swimming.
I dove headfirst into this investigation, assuming, for a few reasons, that I would sleep better on the days I swam. Not only does being around water have a naturally calming and meditative effect, but swimming is also an excellent form of exercise and has many known benefits — including better sleep.
I spoke with licensed psychotherapist and sleep specialist Annie Miller, who explained that movement and exercise increase the body’s natural sleep drive, which allows us to feel sleepier and have overall better sleep quality, and swimming is no exception.
“Swimming is an activity that promotes deeper, more mindful breathing, which encourages relaxation. Deep breathing can positively impact sleep quality,” said Annie.