Stress Busters- How Scuba Diving can make you Healthier

Whenever we talk about Scuba Diving and health, the focus is usually centred on the risks involved. Not often do we consider all the emotional and physiological benefits of donning a rubber suit...

Biological Stress is only a relatively recent discovery. Although the symptoms have been around much longer, it was only really documented in the 1950s by Hungarian endocrinologist, Hans Selye who determined that "Stress, in addition to being itself, is also the cause of itself and the result of itself". A big Vicious circle.

So what is the cure? ... SCUBA DIVING!!

When you are feeling stressed and under pressure, what better way to deal with it than to escape to a world where you are weightless and free. This feeling, any scuba diver will tell you, is soothing and calming. You might go in the water with plenty on your mind but the colours and the fish will soon distract and quiet any racing thoughts.

We scuba divers are a very sociable crowd. We don't dive on our own because there are inherent dangers in doing that. What better way to beat stress than getting together with a group of like minded people and having a laugh!

Laughter releases endorphins that will improve your mood and decrease stress hormones like Cortisol and Adrenaline and can actually trick your body into making you happy. So scuba diving can help relieve stress through friends and laughter.

Another expert recommended stress buster is to exercise.

Although scuba diving alone isn't enough to keep you fit, it is sufficient to get the blood moving around your body and give immediate relief to stress. It is all down to those lovely endorphins again. Exercise helps your body to release them and they make you feel better. So scuba divers bust stress through exercise!

Ever heard the saying "Take a Deep Breath". Although pretty literal when diving, this concept of deep

breathing to centre the body is an ancient remedy practised world over.

As Scuba Divers, we are trained to take long, deep breaths while we dive. This is so we can breathe past the dead air spaces from the equipment we use and get the fresh oxygenated air to our lungs. By doing this, not only can we conserve air underwater but we are providing more, well needed oxygen to our blood and helping to calm our minds and centre our bodies. Stress elimination by Breathing!

Finally, we all know how important a good night's sleep is to both our physical and mental health. Stress can be a key factor to sleepless nights and insomnia and this, in itself can cause stress. The best stress buster in the world is a good night of sleep

Scuba Diving will help you to sleep because, by the end of a day scuba diving, you will be so exhausted you will fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. I am, of course, speaking from experience.

So next time you spend a day (or week) away scuba diving and while away the evenings with your dive buddies enjoying a post dive beer or wine and laughing about all the things you saw and did on your dives, remember its all for the good of your health...

...and I'll drink to that!