Cold Plunge Benefits / Cryotherapy

By now I’m sure you’ve seen your favorite celebrity, an instagram influencer, and even your local gym utilizing a Cold Plunge. But what’s all the hype about? Is it legit? Or is it just a fad like the shake weight? (Was that even a fad?)

Although it’s trendy right now - the idea and use of cold water exposure is pretty old. All the proposed benefits have always been there but only recently are we seeing them being backed up by research. Back in the days of the Romans, the Greeks, and the Vikings of Scandinavian Culture they must have known that taking a dip in freezing cold water had it’s perks. Otherwise who the heck in their right mind would do it again right?

CWI - Cold Water Immersion

Today, we term CWI in a more appealing way such as “Cold Plunge” or “Ice Bath.” But medically, it’s known as Cold Water Immersion or Cryohydrotherapy. Regardless of what you want to call it, submerging your body in frigid water is the definition. It doesn’t matter if its in one of those expensive tubs, in a river, in a feed trough you bought from Fleet Farm, or getting super aesthetic and punching a hole though the ice in the winter. As long as you’re spending time in water that’s typically between 45-55°F.

A quick jump into the frigid November waters of Lake Superior counts, right?

Yep - this is my cold plunge set up at home. An old Stock Tank from my family farm filled with water and chilled by throwing a few blocks of ice into it 15 minutes before jumping in.

Yep. It’s that simple. Of course we can make things more confusing (or dare I say with more intent) by choosing when and how and why to use a Cold Plunge.
For example, I firmly believe that the biggest benefit of jumping in the Cold Plunge isn’t necessarily something physical. Rather, it’s navigating your own stress response. When the body’s instinct is to shunt all the blood from your extremities to spare your organs and you get the gasp reflex to breathe - stay calm. Slow your breath rate and ease the mind.

Let’s see what the science says

Like I stated earlier, there’s been a LOT of really good research coming out in recent years to back up a lot of the claims of benefits from Cold Water Immersion. Of course we have to assume some bias on these. I mean, there’s a good chance the researchers only studied the idea because of the fact that it’s a hot topic right now and they’re eager to find ways to confirm the proposed benefits.

For starters we need to understand that the benefits are both physical as well as psychological. And no, I’m not saying voodoo and mystical psychology here. True psychological changes that we can measure objectively. As I mentioned above - the stress response and our management of it is largely psychological.

It’s important to comprehend exactly what’s happening in the body when we enter a Cold Plunge so that we can understand where we get the benefits from.

Vasoconstriction:

Researchers have found that the blood vessels specifically in the large muscle groups decrease in diameter - thus decreasing the volume of blood flow to our extremities. This might have a role in limiting edema and swelling by diminishing leakage of fluid and cells into our body’s interstitial spaces. We can utilize this information as rationale for taking a cold plunge after arduous activity or even to mitigate chronic inflammation from our daily tasks.
Interestingly, if we couple this vasoconstriction with vasodilation by jumping in the sauna after our session, we can utilize a ‘external pumping mechanism’ from this Contrast Therapy. Think about it like a sponge. If we squeeze everything out by pressing it into the counter top and then let go, the sponge sucks everything back in, right? The body does this naturally (pumping fluid around) when we flex our muscle fibers. Maybe we can expedite or accelerate this process by utilizing the give/take from Contrast Therapy to aid in flushing toxins and recycling cellular materials.

Hormones:

With increased vasoconstriction, the brain is triggered to release key hormones into the system as well. According to a study, this cold water immersion causes the plasma levels of nor-epinephrine and dopamine to surge by 530% and 250%, respectively. These hormones are responsible for controlling mood and vigilance, they help you feel happy and more motivated. Although it may be hard to realize it while you’re in the ice bath, these hormones do promote a sense of wellbeing and can help individuals manage anxiety and depression. Those who have taken a Cold Plunge before know exactly what I’m talking about here. You feel almost euphoric after getting out (maybe after a little warm up in the sauna.) This is from a large dopamine spike which tells the brain “hey, we accomplished something challenging and survived it.”
Often the cycling these hormones in our systems is repressed due to our sedentary and lack-luster lifestyles. It’s no surprise that individuals remark about how much better sleep they’re getting after regular Cold Water Exposure. This might be because they’re more alert and focused throughout the day so when they actually get into bed they’re utterly exhausted instead of having more fuel in the tank from their normal boring and inactive day.

Cells, Enzymes, and Proteins:

This is one of the most interesting findings in recent literature in my opinion. Namely because I highly doubt I ever learned about Heat Shock Proteins when I was in grad school microbiology. For what it’s worth, sometimes these are called Cold Shock Proteins. They’re all the same thing and the only difference in what we call them comes from which method of stimulus caused them to enter the system. These proteins come from the liver, and when we enter a hot or cold environment they’re eeked into blood stream. While residing there they gobble up free radicals floating around. This may have a role in increasing our immune system, decreasing our pain, and even increasing our metabolism.
Another way Cold Plunges might aid in assisting our immune response is by increasing production of white blood cells. These are the cells that gobble up any ‘bad guys’ in our body and therefore heal/protect us.

Here’s the full list of potential benefits of having a dip in ice-cold water:

• Relieves muscle soreness and fatigue

• Reduces inflammation

• Aids in muscle recovery

• Imparts an analgesic or numbing effect which in turn helps in alleviating pain

• Augments the body’s immunity

• Balances Circadian Rhythms to help with better sleep

• Habituates your body to better deal with stressors (psychological, physical, chemical, and emotional)

• Elevates the mood and mitigates the symptoms of anxiety and depression

• Increases mental clarity and focus

Though no particular guidelines have been officially standardized yet, experts recommend the following tips for enjoying the optimal benefits of ice baths:

• The temperature of water should be around (45 to 55°F). Use a thermometer to monitor and balance the ice and water mixture.

• Start with a two or 3 minute dip and work your way up to 10 to 15 minutes, but no longer than that. Spending too much time in ice-cold water may have adverse effects on the body.

• Ideally, your whole body up to the neck should be immersed in the water. However, you can start by submerging your feet and legs to habituate yourself. Once you are comfortable, you can move to the upper torso.

• After getting out of the bath, remove your wet clothes immediately and dry yourself up with a towel. Put on some warm and dry clothes after that. Or, if you have one available, jump directly in the sauna to warm yourself up!

If you have any questions about using Cold Water Immersion, your fitness, health, and nutrition please feel free to reach out! We’d love to help you!

[pssst!] Have you heard that we have an awesome Cold Plunge right here in Excelsior? Stop on over at SISU Fitness and Nutrition to take a dip!

OR swing over to Sauna Camp out by Lake Minnewashta for the full experience!