Does Swimming Increase Intelligence?

From better cardiovascular fitness to weight management and improved muscle tone, the physical benefits of swimming are certainly well known and worth considering, especially if you’re thinking of having a pool installed at your home by one of the premier San Diego pool companies. After all, the motions required to get from one side of a pool to the other require many different parts of the body to work together efficiently. But swimming also offers some surprising brain-friendly benefits that may just make you smarter.

What Researchers Say

Researchers in Australia conducted an extensive four-year study to specifically determine if there might be a link between swimming and intelligence. They did this by surveying the parents of more than 5,000 children under the age of five. They found children who started swimming at an earlier age mastered a broad range of skills sooner than what’s typically seen in the general population.

Better Brain Circulation

Swimming is a form of exercise that boosts circulation throughout the body. This circulation boost extends to the brain. When the brain gets more oxygen and nutrients, it tends to function better, which could result in improvements in thinking, memory function, and other cognitive abilities that could very well make you smarter or mentally sharper. These are benefits that can be enjoyed by swimmers of all ages, from children to seniors.

Brain Benefits for Athletic Swimmers

If you’re an athletic swimmer, swimming could make you smarter because of the various brain-related skills competitive swimmers need to draw on to achieve specific goals. For example, if you’re swimming competitively and want to improve endurance, agility, and overall technique, you’ll likely find yourself using brain-related skills that involve:

• Various math calculations for things like distances, laps, and strokes
• Concentration and focus
• Breathing and coordination

As you get into the habit of evaluating your own swimming performance, you’ll use various parts of your brain to determine what you can do to improve. If you swim competitively on a regular basis, this added brain stimulation may give you an intelligence boost that could be applied to other aspects of your life.

Improved Mental Focus for Swimmers of All Ages

Even for casual swimmers, the focus required to perform various strokes and stay afloat in the water can stimulate multiple parts of the brain. This can be especially beneficial for older adults, since increased mental focus is good for an aging brain. For children and teens, better mental focus could make it easier to do schoolwork.

Brain-Beneficial Relaxation

According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress contributes to the loss of brain cells and possibly even a reduction in the actual size of the brain. Stress can also affect parts of the brain that deal with learning and memory. Swimming, when it’s not being done strictly for competitive purposes, can definitely be relaxing and a great way to relieve stress and anxiety. An excellent way to keep your stress levels in check is with a home pool, which gives you and other family members and friends a convenient way to relax and unwind—and your brain will thank you, too.

If you’re ready to add a pool to your home so you can enjoy the brain-boosting benefits of swimming, reach out to the experienced pros at San Diego Pools. As premier specialists in modern pool design, we’ve been building high-quality pools for more than forty years, and we can build a pool that’s perfect for you and your family. Give us a call today at 888-707-7786 to learn how we can build the pool of your dreams.