One of the trendiest things on social media nowadays is people, both celebrities and regular individuals, taking cold plunges or ice baths.
For thousands of years, humans have immersed themselves in cold water for a variety of reasons, including religious ceremonies, prayer, and exercise.
Today, individuals such as Wim Hof, a Dutch motivational speaker, and extreme athlete, are promoting the therapeutic benefits of cold-water plunges and swimming, claiming that it can help alleviate symptoms of depression and boost the immune system, a previous report in the Health site informs.
Also, recently, cold plunges, which involve submerging oneself in extremely cold water, have become popular on TikTok, with the hashtag #coldplunge reportedly receiving over 350 million video views.
The advertised advantages include increased well-being, more energy, weight loss, and reduced inflammation, however, the scientific evidence behind some of these claims is weak, The Indian Express reports.
Kim Kardashian shared her experience on Instagram, Harry Styles tweeted about his dips while Kristen Bell described her plunges as "brutal" but with a positive mental effect and Lizzo claims that ice plunges reduce inflammation and make her body feel better.
But according to experts, despite this increase in popularity, the actual benefits of cold-water immersion are uncertain, and if not done correctly, it can be dangerous.
Let’s take a look at what medical literature, and experts, have to say about this practice and how it affects the body.
The Mind
Dan O'Conor can be considered an amateur authority on cold water immersion. Since June 2020, the 55-year-old man from Chicago has taken a daily dip in Lake Michigan, even on bitter winter mornings when he had to shovel through the ice.
On a recent chilly morning with a temperature of 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 Celsius), O'Conor is reported to have said, “The endorphin rush … is an incredible way to wake up and just kind of shock the body and get the engine going.”
Endorphins are hormones that promote feelings of well-being, released in response to pain, stress, exercise, and other activities.
The Everyday Health site explains that previous studies have shown that submerging the body in cold water can result in a 250% increase in dopamine levels. Dopamine, commonly referred to as the "feel-good" hormone, is responsible for regulating mood, the Cleveland Clinic states.
Speaking about his daily dips in the lake, O’Conor reportedly said “My mental health is a lot stronger, a lot brighter. I found some Zen down here coming down and jumping into the lake and shocking that body.”
Mike Tipton, Ph.D., MBE, a professor of human and applied physiology at the University of Portsmouth’s extreme environments laboratory in the UK, told Health in an earlier report, “Cold water immersion does activate the stress response, so you will feel alert and awake because it’s part of the fight or flight response and a side effect of cortisol and adrenaline being released.”
He adds, “But it can be therapeutic or dangerous, depending on the circumstances.”
According to Tipton, who reportedly investigates the impact that extreme environments like cold water have on the body, nearly all the available research on the benefits of cold-water immersion is based on anecdotal evidence, meaning people self-report their benefits without undergoing a rigorous, controlled scientific examination.
“We have lots of very good evidence saying this is a hazardous thing to do if you do not do it properly, but you can do it safely,” said Tipton. “Whether you can get benefits from it is still the question.”
The Heart
Cold water immersion elevates blood pressure and places additional stress on the heart. Although studies have indicated that this is safe for healthy individuals and the effects are temporary, it can pose a risk to individuals with heart issues, sometimes resulting in life-threatening arrhythmias, said Dr Will Cronenwett, chief of psychiatry at Northwestern University’s Feinberg medical school, who tried cold-water immersion once.
Before taking a cold plunge, individuals with heart conditions or a family history of heart disease should consult with a doctor, Cronenwett advises.
Metabolism
James Mercer, a professor emeritus at the Arctic University of Norway and co-author of a recent scientific review of cold-water immersion studies notes that repeated cold-water immersions during the winter months have been found to enhance the body's response to insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels.
This could potentially decrease the risk of diabetes or improve its management in individuals who have already been diagnosed, although further research is needed to confirm this.
In addition, cold water immersion stimulates the activation of brown fat, which helps maintain body temperature, regulate blood sugar and insulin levels, and aids in calorie burning.
As a result, there have been studies investigating whether cold water immersion can be an effective weight loss method. However, at present, the evidence is inconclusive.
Immune system
According to anecdotal research, individuals who frequently swim in cold water tend to get fewer colds. There is evidence that cold water immersion can elevate levels of certain white blood cells and other substances that fight infections.
However, whether infrequent dips in icy water can produce similar results reportedly remains uncertain.
One of the largest uncertainties in determining the temperature at which water needs to be for any health benefits to be achieved.
Another question is whether a brief dip would produce the same results as a prolonged swim.
“There is no answer to ‘the colder the better,’” Mercer is quoted as saying. “Also, it depends on the type of response you are looking at. For example, some occur very quickly, like changes in blood pressure. … Others, such as the formation of brown fat, take much longer.”
O'Conor engages in cold water immersion throughout the year, but he claims that winter dips provide the most "mental clarity," even if they only last for 30 seconds at a time.
On those chilly mornings, O'Conor supposedly focuses solely on the task at hand, "blocking everything else out" and focusing on getting into and out of the water.
