10 Benefits of Cold Plunging
Cold plunging isn’t something that sounds like it would be a good or fun idea. However, there are actually a lot of ways that doing it properly can benefit your overall well-being! In this blog post, I’ll be covering 10 benefits of cold plunging, and some tips for trying it yourself…
1 - It Gives You a Burst of Energy
Doing a quick cold plunge can give you a huge energy boost for the rest of your day. This comes from a specific hormone called norepinephrine. This hormone is responsible for helping improve your attention span, ability to focus, and regulating your energy levels. After a cold plunge, there is a flood of other good hormones as well that help give you a really awesome energy boost—without needing to rely on unhealthy energy drinks or a lot of caffeine.
2 - It Helps You Learn to Adapt
The shock of cold plunging can feel a bit extreme, but this can actually help your body become more adaptable and resilient. This happens because of a state that your body goes into during a cold plunge, called hormesis. Hormesis happens when your body experiences stress, and your “fight or flight” instincts kick in. While this isn’t a state you want to stay in constantly, by introducing a safe amount of stress with proper cold plunging, you can start to build up your ability to cope under other stressful conditions. Not only will your body start to acclimate over time, but your mind will as well; and you will find that you can handle other situations much better overall.
3 - It Improves Circulation
You’ve probably heard of or seen how athletes will often take a dip in an ice bath after an intense workout/practice session. However, a cold plunge doesn’t just benefit you if you’re an athlete! The coldness of a plunge causes your blood vessels to constrict. This keeps all your blood pretty much focused around your core. Then, as you warm up, they return to their normal width; and blood starts flowing very quickly through your extremities. This oxygenates your skin, muscles, and other tissues in your body, and makes your recovery time much shorter after a lot of physical activity. Consistent cold plunging the right way also helps to keep those blood vessels nice and flexible as you age.
(Note: You can even combine your cold plunge therapy with heat therapy like an infrared sauna session for even better results!)
4 - It Boosts Your Mood
Remember how we talked about the flood of hormones you can trigger with a cold plunge? Well that includes endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin! These might sound familiar as “feel-good” hormones, because they happen naturally when we feel happy, excited, surprised, in love, and more. These chemicals are also produced after we endure a stressful or highly physical activity—which is also how “runner’s high” happens! So, doing a quick cold plunge can give you a great little reset to boost your mood if you’re in a funk.
5 - It Helps You Work on Your Breathing
Like we talked about before, cold plunging can be really shocking to your system and trigger your fight or flight response. However, it is completely safe to do cold plunges properly, and unless your doctor tells you not to do them, you are not in any danger. Knowing this can help you take mental control of the situation by focusing on your breathing. Breathwork is another great way to boost your overall health and sense of well-being. Making sure to regulate your breathing into slow, deep breaths will really allow you to expand your lung capacity, and calm your heart rate down during the cold plunge as well. It might feel natural to start hyperventilating, but you want to avoid it as much as possible to get the most out of your cold plunge.
6 - It Can Combat Insomnia
A funny thing that can happen when you learn how to regulate your response to stress is that it actually makes it easier to relax in general. If you find yourself lying awake at night thinking about all the things that stress you out, you’re not going to get a good, deep sleep. However, by learning how to stay calm and regulate your breathing, you can start to practice the same thing as you fall asleep. Plus, the effects of doing regular cold plunges can be similar to how your body feels after exercising, which can make your sleep deeper and more restful.
7 - It Can Burn Fat
Of course, there’s no one thing that magically works to burn fat without any work. However, studies have shown that pairing cold plunge therapy with a proper diet, sleep, and exercise routine can help make weight loss more effective. We actually have two types of fat in our bodies: white and brown adipose tissue. Brown fat is actually a more efficient form of fat that can speed up your metabolism, regulate your insulin levels, help you survive extreme temperatures, and more. Cold plunges activate this brown fat, and help you be able to lose weight more easily if needed.
8 - It Strengthens Your Immune System
In addition to the chemicals we’ve already talked about being released during cold plunges, the antioxidant known as glutathione. This antioxidant is vital for helping your white blood cells do their jobs fighting any microscopic invaders in your body. Cold plunges make glutathione more readily available to your white blood cells, and also triggers your “natural killer cells” to attack and destroy any and all pathogens.
9 - It Improves Your Cognitive Abilities
Both animals and humans have similar reactions to very cold temperatures. This includes the production of “cold shock proteins.” The effects of these cold shock proteins have been studied in mice as well as other animals who hibernate. These studies found that the cold shock proteins actually contributed to “rebooting” the brains of the animals, and waking up parts of the brain that were nearly shut down due to the long sleep. In mice with neurodegenerative diseases, it was found that these proteins actually helped to prevent the brain cells from dying. Of course, humans don’t hibernate, but the effects of these proteins can still be seen in people who practice proper cold plunging. Cold shock proteins give the zip back to your synapses, and can help you think, focus, remember, and problem solve much more quickly and easily.
10 - It’s Easy!
Many of us have super busy lives, and thinking about adding another thing to your schedule can seem overwhelming. However, doing proper cold plunging is something that only takes about 10 minutes, and you can do it from home completely free! Here are some tips for doing a quick and easy cold plunge safely:
Start between 50° and 60° if you’re not experienced. This way, you can slowly work your way down as your body gets used to it over several sessions.
Only stay in for 2 to 5 minutes. Cold plunging isn’t something that you should do for long periods of time. This could lower your body temperature too much and cause hypothermia. If you’re 2 minutes in and can’t stop shivering—just get out. Your body will show you what it can do as you practice.
Make sure you are doing it consistently. Once a day, or once a week, just make sure you stick to a routine to get the most out of it.
Make sure you are submerged at least up to your chin. Keeping your neck under the water ensures that all the nerves and blood vessels there are also getting all the benefits. Being fully submerged is best, but if you don’t want to, up to the chin/jaw is a great compromise.
Remember: slow, deep breaths. Don’t panic; just focus on breathing and staying as calm as possible. You are safe!
I hope this blog has helped you see and be inspired by all the benefits of cold plunging! Let me know if you’ve tried it before, or if you have any questions/tips to share!
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