Cold Plunging For Wellness & Recovery

 

Enhance Your Mood & Focus

Dopamine is often referred to as the “feel-good” hormone, and is associated with feelings of happiness, motivation, alertness, and focus. In addition to cold exposure, dopamine can be released from other activities such as exercise or even binge-watching your favorite Netflix series.

Noradrenaline is heavily involved in your body’s emergency response system to danger, commonly referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response. It is associated with attention, mood, memory, and alertness. Additionally, low levels are known to cause anxiety and depression.

• Decreases in depression, fatigue, anger, tension, & confusion scores
• Increases in vigor & self-esteem scores

 

Reduce Inflammation & Muscle Soreness

A recent study showed that cold plunges are effective in reducing inflammation and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS refers to the muscle soreness that occurs 1-2 days following an intense exercise session. Many of you can probably thank your physical therapist for introducing you to DOMS at some point in your rehab. Additionally, biomarkers for muscle tissue damage (creatine-kinase) were also shown to be improved after a cold plunge.

Improve Your Immune System

A study in the Netherlands found that cold water exposure via cold showers led to less sick days taken at work. Over 3000 participants were randomized into two groups: an only-warm shower group and a warm shower group that ended with 30-90 seconds of cold water.

Results showed that the group that added 30-90 seconds of cold showering took 29% less sick days compared to their warm-shower counterparts. Additionally, there was a 54% reduction in sick days if participants also regularly exercised in addition to their cold exposure, compared to those who did not exercise and took only warm showers.

Improve Resilience & Reduce Stress

By placing yourself in a deliberate state of stress, you can work on how your brain responds to stressors. The cold water acts as a lab where you can safely focus on breathing and remaining calm while engaged in a controlled state of stress. This can build mental fortitude and help when challenged with real-world stressors outside of the tub.

Accelerate Metabolism 

During a cold plunge, metabolism has been measured to increase by up to 350%. This short, one-time increase may not burn a significant number of calories, but repeated bouts of cold exposure can increase the body’s production of brown fat. Unlike typical body fat, brown fat can regulate body temperature and burn calories. Consistent cold plunging can then lead to improved metabolism and even improved blood sugar regulation.

When Should You Cold Plunge?

Looking at current research, here is our recommendation based on goals:

• If your goal is to gain strength or muscle long-term, you should plunge before your workout or on a different day.
• If your goal is to reduce soreness after a workout, you should plunge right after exercising.
• If your goal is to recover quickly and perform better because you have another event coming up in 1-2 days (like a sports tournament), you should plunge right after exercise.
• If your goals are for endurance sports, you can plunge any time.
• If you are only interested in the mental benefits, you can plunge any time.

Negative Effects of Cold Plunges

Unfortunately, the benefits of cold plunges come with a few adaptation trade-offs. Although they improve short-term recovery, research has shown that long-term use of cold plunges immediately after intense exercise can actually reduce strength and muscle growth. Aerobic endurance, however, does not seem to be negatively impacted by plunging after cardio sessions.

For example, one study looked at a group of men that completed a 10 minute cold plunge immediately after each resistance training workout they completed, for 12 weeks. The cold-plunge group gained significantly less muscle and strength compared to the group that did not engage in cold plunges after their workout.

Key Takeaways

• Control Your Breathing – Deep, slow breaths help reduce shock, improve oxygen flow, and make cold exposure more manageable.
  
• Ease Into the Water – Entering the plunge slowly allows your body to adjust, minimizing the initial shock response.
  
• Maintain Proper Posture – Keeping your shoulders submerged maximizes the benefits while ensuring even temperature exposure.
  
• Set a Time Goal – Beginners should aim for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, gradually increasing as they build cold tolerance.
  
• Warm Up Gradually – After exiting, use light movement and warm clothing instead of jumping into hot water to avoid sudden temperature shocks.

1. Start Cool, Then Go Colder

Who doesn't want to possess the mental tenacity of Wim Hof when it comes to enduring extreme cold? Of course, this extreme level of performance isn't attainable right out of the gate for most people.

Rather than setting yourself up for discouragement with the difficulty of coping with cold water temperatures, start cool, and work up to even colder water.

2. 30 Days Of Cold Showers

In order to start small and build your resistance to the cold, taking an ice-cold shower is a great strategy to follow that doesn't require a significant investment of money or time.

This helps to provide insight into the physiological responses you'll experience and bolsters your ability to manage them. 

Days 1-10

You can either begin or finish each day with a 60-second cold shower without taking any days off. Work to simply maintain proper breathing in this stage.

Days 11-20

Begin every day with a cold shower for three minutes straight. On days 14 and 18, give yourself a break. If you're struggling to last, try alternating between 30 seconds of fully-cold water and 30 seconds of slightly-warm water for five minutes or more.

Days 21-30

Finally, begin your days with a 5-minute cold shower, taking days 22 and 26 off. At this point, you should be ready for full immersion in cold water temperatures without it being too much of a shock.

3. Submerge Yourself Up To Your Neck

Once you've graduated from the cold shower phase, it's time to start taking full-fledged cold plunges. To achieve the full benefits of this simulated cold water swimming, try dunking all the way to your neck, which exposes your thyroid to help regulate your body temperature, making it easy to stay in for the full time.

You can also try dipping your face into the frigid waters off and on during your cold plunge to help keep the nervous system active and alert.

4. Don't Stay In Too Long

Once you've acclimated yourself to the feeling of when your body contacts cold water, the goal is a minimum of three minutes in cold plunge pools.

Three minutes is approximately the amount of time it takes for most of those starting out to begin shivering in cold water.

In water that's 45 to 55 degrees, you might be able to endure the cold for up to ten minutes safely. But typically, it takes about four to six weeks for the human body to reach this level of tolerance for exposure to cold water temperatures.

5. Focus On Proper Breathing

When first establishing your ice bath routine, it helps tremendously to calm the nervous system. This is one reason why cold immersion therapy demands a focus on proper breathing. The parasympathetic nervous system is triggered by cycling through deep, full inhales and exhales.

This system can also be activated by humming, which boosts nitric oxide levels that make cells more receptive to oxygen. Here are a few easy steps to follow each time you're preparing for the cold conditions.

• Start with a 2-3 minute routine of deep breathing through your nostrils to prepare for cold conditions. Simply focus on inhaling and exhaling, working to make each exhale a little longer than each inhale.
• Next, enter the tank water while holding your breath out on an exhale. Try your best to maintain steady breathing that's not too fast or labored.
• Finally, as you're soaking, work through 2-3 sets of ten breathing cycles of inhaling through the nostrils and humming on long exhales. On the 10th exhale of each set, try to hold in the air as long as safely possible.

Risks of Cold Plunging

Here are a few you should be aware of:

1. Cold Shock: This is an initial reaction to the cold plunge, and it can trigger hyperventilation. If you’re not careful, this could lead to dizziness, loss of consciousness, or even drowning.
2. Hypothermia: Extended exposure in an ice bath can lead to a dangerous drop in body temperature known as hypothermia, which is life-threatening if not treated promptly.
3. Cardiovascular Risk: If you have underlying heart conditions, the sudden change in body temperature can put a strain on your heart, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.