My Mind Usually Races At Night—Until This Evening Swim and Sauna Ritual Calmed My Nervous System

I used to be such a good sleeper. As a kid, I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow. But after a short stint in the loudest halls at my university, where I regularly slept for less than three hours a night, my relationship with bedtime has become pretty bumpy.

Since then, I’ve had bouts of full-blown insomnia, usually triggered by stress. Whether it’s tension with friends, a mounting to-do list or money worries, there can be months where I lie awake night after night, plagued by a racing mind.

I know I’m far from the only one. According to the NHS, one in three people experience symptoms of insomnia, which range from struggling to fall or stay asleep to waking up early and feeling tired and irritable during the day.

I also know how frustrating it is when people try to offer you advice.

Have you tried journaling?

What about herbal teas, or leaving your phone outside your bedroom?

Tick, tick, tick. If you’ve ever struggled with sleeplessness, the chances are you’ve left none of these stones unturned.

Sometimes, at least in my case, they do work. But in other, particularly stressful, periods, they don’t even touch the sides. I’ll feel my heart racing, my legs restless and my mind alive and kicking with thoughts, pressures and anxieties, no matter how diligently I’ve tried to wind down.

It’s why my latest tactic - an evening swim and sauna ritual - has excited me so much. After a particularly bad period of poor sleep, it’s done consistent wonders for my nighttime relaxation over the past two months. To discover why, and how you can create your own swim and sauna ritual, read on.

We’ve also got guides to the benefits of saunas, the most common ice bath FAQ’s and the six Scandinavian wellness principles we can learn from. It’s also worth reading how Health Editor Ally Head fared when she went to the sauna weekly for six months.

An Evening Swim and Sauna Has Revolutionised My Sleep - Here's How

How does combining a swim with a sauna benefit your nervous system?

The swim

I stumbled across swimming almost by accident. After joining my local leisure centre, which has a pool, I pulled out my old swimsuit just to mix up my usual exercise routine. It was only then that I was reminded just how calming having my head in the water for thirty minutes could be. Without music blaring in my ears or sweat dripping down my face, it felt meditative, but I couldn’t explain why.

For that, I turned to psychotherapist and nervous system specialist, David Cornwell. “Swimming improves our breathing rhythm, which is foundational to nervous system regulation,” he explains. “The gentle holding of the breath as we move through the water begins to improve both the biochemistry and the biomechanics of our breathing. This directly stimulates and tones the vagus nerve, and supports autonomic nervous system regulation.”

Then, he says, there’s the stimulation of the diving reflex, which is an automatic body response that helps us to survive underwater by slowing our heart rate and redirecting blood flow to our major organs. Research has suggested that this reflex, which activates our parasympathetic nervous system (aka rest and digest), can be used to treat symptoms of panic and anxiety.

Finally, Cornwell says there’s the sensation of water to consider. “As we swim, there is a gentle stimulation of the skin all over our body, which has a similar effect to a gentle massage,” he explains.

The sauna

And that’s all before we’ve even discussed the sauna. “Passive heat raises our core temperature, and when we come out and cool down, that drop stimulates our body's natural temperature decline, which can help release melatonin,” explains Cornwell.

Waldo Ramsay, co-founder of REBASE recovery studio, echoes this. “The heat of the sauna mimics the effect of mild exercise, causing your body to enter a sympathetic state. When you exit, you quickly return to rest and digest. This is where the benefits for sleep can be harnessed.”

Cornwell adds that the environment around the sauna has further relaxation benefits. “The sauna provides a quiet, screen-free environment to settle us towards sleep,” he says. “But there’s also an important component around co-regulation. Humans don’t do well on our own - we’re better in community. Sharing a communal sauna cultivates a sense of belonging and connection, which moves us into a tend-and-befriend, parasympathetic state. It helps us feel safe and connected, which is exactly what we need to fall asleep.”

How much time should you spend in the pool and sauna to see results?

Across every expert I spoke to, the key message was to find a routine that balances discipline with enjoyment. Of course, accountability and consistency are important, but if a healthy nervous system is what we’re after, it’s also crucial not to constantly be pushing ourselves.

“We often have a tendency, especially when the nervous system is dysregulated, to impose more and more on the body,” says Cornwell. “But what really matters is listening and feeling what we need, rather than forcing more onto ourselves.”

Chess Ridgard, open water swimmer and coach at Sea Lanes Canary Wharf, agrees. “Even if you get in the water for 20 minutes, you’ve given yourself that moment away from technology and from anything that’s going on in your life. That 20 minutes of breathwork and relaxation can be as powerful as any 90-minute session working on technique.”

At REBASE, Ramsay recommends three 15-minute sauna sessions a week. “Finnish studies have suggested that 60 minutes a week, spread across two to three sessions, is the sweet spot for harnessing the cardiovascular benefits,” he explains. But he emphasises that everyone is different, and like Ridgard and Cornwell, he recommends tuning into your own body for guidance. “If you’re new to sauna, or are feeling under the weather, it’s particularly important to adjust slowly and not overdo it,” he says.

How can I support my nervous system in the pool and sauna?

Swimming is one of the most mindful and relaxing forms of exercise, but only if you feel strong and comfortable in the pool. When you don’t, it can be stressful, which is the exact opposite of the feeling we’re trying to create.

According to Ridgard, most of that stress comes from not knowing how to control your breathing. “Your breath will unlock everything you do in the water,” she explains. “It’s the thing that will switch you from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system.”

Thankfully, she has some tips to help us relax in the pool. “When your body is in water, you have a need to take air in,” Ridgard explains. “But the more you take in, the less you’re breathing your waste gas - the CO2 - out.”

Instead of taking a big gasp, she encourages us to focus on allowing the air in naturally. “When you push off the wall, take a big sigh out,” she says. “That will set you off for a nice relaxed swim from the very start.”

When it comes to the sauna, Cornwell also has some advice to maximise relaxation. "Wear a sauna hat or put a towel over your head," he says. "“This helps you stay in the sauna longer without feeling like you're overheating."

He also reminds us to drink plenty of water with electrolytes. “In cold countries, we don't drink enough water, simply because it is so cold that I don't feel like it. The sauna encourages us to drink, and that’s great for replenishing our bodies.”

An evening swim and sauna has become my new wind down routine - now I sleep better than ever

Month one

The first time I combined my swim and sauna routine was back in July when I went to try out the new Sea Lanes Canary Wharf - an open-water swimming venue in central London. I’d just started swimming at my local leisure centre (which unfortunately doesn’t have a sauna), and was already feeling the benefits.

But after combining the two practices for the first time, I noticed that the calmness I’d experienced after my swim was multiplied by rounding out the evening with a sauna. After replenishing with plenty of water and a fairly light dinner, I had the best night’s sleep I’d had in months.

From then on, my curiosity was piqued, and I set out to make the combination of swimming and sauna a habit. I visited various lidos and leisure centres, as well as a lucky trip to the luxury health club Third Space Islington, where I went as a guest with a friend.

And time and again, the same thing happened. I’d arrive at the pool a little frazzled, my mind flitting between 100 different places, only for things to go almost immediately quiet from the first push off the wall. In the water, everything seemed to move slower; my thoughts clearer and the to-do list less urgent.

The 15-minutes I spent in the sauna afterwards became even more sacred. Rather than rushing back to the changing rooms, scrubbing my hair as fast as I could and checking my phone whilst still in my towel, taking that time - either in silence or chatting to a friend - made me feel rooted in the present. It was an opportunity to mull over my worries in a place where I was relatively unreachable, free from notifications and requests.

Month two

By month two, I was utterly convinced of my new routine. I didn’t go every day, but on the days I didn’t, I really missed it. Usually, I go two or three times a week, swimming for around 30 minutes and spending a further 15 minutes in the sauna. I make sure not to rush the process of showering and getting dressed afterwards either, keen to extend this slower pace right into the evening.

Whilst for me, the movement element of swimming is a core part of the relaxation process, one night I do try contrast therapy at REBASE - a wellness and recovery studio in central London. Instead of swimming, I combine a few minutes in a cold plunge with time in their infrared sauna. There are undeniably similar effects, and if swimming isn’t your thing, it’s a great option. My preference, though, is to go for a swim first and then head to a studio like REBASE for recovery.

A key part of improving my sleep has been putting distance between my phone and I. Before I arrive at the pool, I set it to ‘do not disturb’, and it stays that way until the next morning. I cherish the time to fully switch off and unwind, and I know that logging back onto my emails and social media would undo all that good work.

I’ve fallen head over heels for my new evening routine. Of course, everyone is different and what helps me sleep might not be the same for you, but if you’re feeling a little stuck on high alert, I’d highly recommend giving it a go.

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