Cold Plunge Benefits

People and medical studies report a range of health benefits from cold plunging that include reduced inflammation and swelling, which aids in injury recovery and general systemic inflammation; relief from sore muscles, aiding in post-workout recovery; as a pain reduction technique for chronic conditions including arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia and others; increased joint mobility; immunity strengthening; as well as mental health benefits, including increased feelings of wellbeing, and decreased depression, anxiety, and grief. Some people report no longer needing medication for depression with regular cold water therapy.  Results may vary depending on your underlying health conditions.

Some medical professionals point to the body’s initial stress response of cold plunging as being the catalyst for other body functions that increase feelings of psychological well being, decrease stress and show changed immune markers.

According to the Mental Health Center of America, “Cold exposure increases the production of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine (focus, attention, vigilance, mood). As a result, cold therapy can produce a feeling of calm, happiness, and well-being, which can support the mitigation of mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety.”

Another study found significant increases in both noepinephrine and dopamine levels in test subjects after cold water exposure. Noepinephrine and dopamine play important roles in motivation, experiencing pleasure, stress response, sleep and alertness. 

A study of the effects of cold water therapy on open air cold water swimmers found after several months “tension, fatigue, memory and mood negative state points in the swimmers significantly decreased.” 

Some medical professionals also consider depression to be related to chronic inflammation in the body system, and  “sources of inflammation may play a role in other psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder.”  Cold water therapy has been shown in some contexts to reduce overall inflammation through vascular constriction. 

This depends on the temperature of the bath, the height and weight of the person, and their general sensitivity levels to cold. Many people gradually increase their cold plunge exposure over time as they become used to regular cold plunging; 3-5 minutes is a general recommendation. 

Medical doctors suggest that the initial shock and resulting body response from cold water submersion is what drives health benefits from plunging, and this only takes a few minutes to achieve. 

Do what you can and use common sense; hypothermia is possible from over exposure. If you notice skin color changes or you start shivering uncontrollably you should get out of the cold plunge right away.

Cold therapy can be very helpful for some conditions, but we recommend discussing cold plunging with your medical professional before taking it up. Pregnant women and children should not use cold plunges. People with heart conditions, high blood pressure, circulatory problems, or other conditions related to cold sensitivity specifically should discuss whether cold plunging is okay for them with their doctors.

There is debate on how often a person should cold plunge to achieve particular health benefits; it likely depends on what benefits you are hoping for from the experience. If you are using cold plunging to aid after-workout recovery, do it after workouts. Other people do it two or three times a week, others daily, others twice daily.

Many people cold plunge daily or twice daily. It is up to you to determine how often you’d like to do it and how much you can take.