Research suggests that cold water immersion (CWI) has a range of health benefits, including elevating mood, improving stress response, decreasing cortisol levels, and activating the vagus nerve.
While these claims have confirmed studies backing them, there is still a great number of risks, and most of the studies conducted excluded people with health conditions such as cardiovascular dysfunction, anxiety, and depression. Let’s talk about the benefits and risks of CWI.
What Is Cold Water Immersion?
Cold Water Immersion is a recent wellness trend that involves full-body immersion in 50-60 F water and has millions swearing by the cognitive benefits of regular immersion therapy. However, reactions to CWI vary widely, and the implications of its benefits for individual nervous system health/function are vague.
Upon initial immersion, the nervous system is immediately “shocked” by the drastic decrease in temperature. The risk this poses is that if your nervous system is already in a state of high stress, there could be underlying dysfunction that will elicit a response such as hypothermia (after prolonged immersion) or hyperventilation.
These two responses are a result of the body being shot into a fight-or-flight state and forced to adapt to or manage the stress of CWI. Immediately, blood pressure and heart rate increase, vasoconstriction occurs, and certain endorphins are released to help the body adapt (pain relievers, noradrenaline).
This dual response of endorphins and noradrenaline can create a euphoric sensation of reward post-immersion, and makes the process more tolerable while immersed. Additionally, for pain relief or post-workout muscle regrowth, cold shock proteins in the body repair or regenerate synapses (nerve cell connections).
Why The Neurological Effects Matter
As with any other form of neurological therapy, your body’s reaction will always depend on the present state of your nervous system, and it’s important to find that out before undergoing therapies that will only band-aid dysfunction — or exacerbate it — rather than getting to the root cause.
Research recommends that CWI be done in an observed environment due to the safety risks, but CWI itself does not heal brain function or restore neural pathways in the way that neurological chiropractic does.
CWI may force a response that is perceived as positive by the brain because of certain hormones and endorphins that are released and linger in the bloodstream for long periods of time post-immersion, but chiropractic retrains your brain at the root to produce true healing responses to improve brain function and, as a result, whole-body function.
Should I Try Cold Plunging?
In conclusion, is it for me? That is a question of whether your nervous system is prepared to HEALTHILY adapt to the responses that cold water immersion produces. Is your system prepared to handle the intensity of CWI therapy, or will it shock your system into a euphoric state of healing rather than true healing?
Center on Longevity. (2024, May 22). Jumping into the ice bath trend! Mental health benefits of cold water immersion. Stanford Center on Longevity. https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2024/05/22/jumping-into-the-ice-bath-trend-mental-health-benefits-of-cold-water-immersion/