The Healing Benefits of Aquatic Therapy for Addiction and Mental Health

It’s important to us at Simcoe that clients have activities to look forward to and enjoy while recovering. We offer aqua therapy, also known as hydrotherapy or pool therapy, to our clients so they can exercise while building peace of mind. Aqua therapy is simply an exercise program that is performed in the water. In our case, aqua therapy takes place inside our lovely indoor swimming pool. It is suitable for swimmers of any level.. 

Some physical and mental benefits of aqua therapy include: 

• Soothing sore bodies. Exercising in the water is also easier on achy, strained, or sensitive joints and muscles due to the buoyancy we have when we float. 
• Adjustability. It can be adjusted with more or fewer exercises to accommodate endurance.
• Variety. There are many exercises you can do in the water, so it will not always be the same routine. 
• Aqua therapy also helps to regain and strengthen balance, coordination, and flexibility. 
• Feeling good through endorphins. We release serotonin and dopamine during and after exercise, which suppresses our perception of pain, promotes feeling relaxed, and feeling happy. 
• Working the muscles. A good swim is a full-body workout in itself, which improves cardiovascular health, helps us sleep better, and improves our mood. The resistance placed on our bodies whilst moving in water ensures that our muscles will be active. 
• Improving health. Aqua therapy increases muscle blood flow, especially to the brain and the heart, helping to improve cognitive functions, lung capacity and cardiovascular health. 

Aqua therapy is a fantastic way to eliminate stress or tension that clients may experience during recovery, and keeps their physical health in check. This is crucial for our clients, who may not have exercised or had a routine due to an addiction or mental health issue. It’s a beneficial distraction from cravings, and can be adjusted in difficulty and duration based on how clients are feeling. 

The other aquatic facilities that clients can enjoy are the sauna and the hot tub. For those who want to relax the mind through less active movement, these are great opportunities to calm down brain activity. Being present in heated, wet environments a sauna will increase blood flow and help slow your breathing. Serotonin and dopamine will be naturally released throughout the body, which the brain will associate with being happy, calm, and productive. Tension will be released from the muscles as well. The hot tub and sauna are wonderful feel-good ways to relax privately whilst quietly working on our health.