Benefits of Cold Exposure

I had my first introduction to cold exposure therapy years ago at a small Scandinavian spa in Montreal. These spas are cherished around the province of Quebec and are slowly expanding across Canada. 

The concept of these types of spas is to cycle between periods of hot, cold, and rest. The benefits are said to be deep relaxation and rejuvenation - and for sun-starved Canadians, the opportunity to bask in an outdoor hot tub in the middle of winter.

Since I moved to downtown Toronto in the past year, my access to these spas is more limited, but I have noticed that Toronto still has some pretty hardcore cold exposure fans. As the weather this year grew colder, I convinced my designated spa friend that we should try a new place downtown with a sauna and ice bath. 

We told ourselves that since we were well-practiced at Scandinavian spas, the cold plunge should not be too difficult. Admittedly, our confidence wavered as an attendant dropped a large bucket of ice into the near 0° C tub while we were already trying to psych ourselves up to get in. Getting in the ice bath and resisting the urge to leap out and run back to the sauna is challenging. Still, the feeling you have when you get out - pride, rejuvenation, and relaxation, for the next twenty minutes is blissful.

History of Intentional Cold Exposure

We know that ice swimming has been practiced in Russia at least as early as 1525, both by the court and peasants alike. The practice is called morzhevanie, and is known to make the body more resilient to illness. 1 The Vikings adopted the practices that they witnessed during invasions in Russia and brought them back to Scandinavia, where a vibrant ice swimming and spa culture developed. 

In another part of the world, Tibetan monks continue to practice Tummo breathing, a practice dating back thousands of years, while undergoing cold exposure of 40 F/4 C draped in cold, wet sheets. 2 The Tummo breathing technique is so powerful that the monks can warm their bodies to the point of producing steam, drying the sheets draped over them.

In Japan, there is an ancient tradition in the Shinto faith called misogi, meaning water cleansing. Misogi consists of standing underneath a very cold waterfall and is said to cleanse the soul. Misogi is also at the heart of the martial art Aikido, to enable one to enter a state of clear body and mind. 3

Types of Cold Exposure

Various types of cold exposure therapies are used for therapeutic purposes:

Cold Water Plunge

Cold plunging is the practice of immersing oneself in a cold body of water. The water temperature may vary - some pools may be as high as 15 degrees Celsius, while other bodies of water are near 0 and will be accessed by literally cutting through a layer of ice on a frozen lake. As such, times spent in the cold water will vary as well. 

I have heard a rule of thumb to spend the same amount of minutes in the water as the temperature of the water is. (Ex: 3 degrees Celsius - 3 minutes) Of course, you should only remain in the cold plunge as long as you feel it is safe to do so.

Cryotherapy Chamber

Touted by many as superior to an ice bath, a cryotherapy chamber drops to -100 to -160 degrees Celsius of dry cold. People generally spend approximately 3 minutes inside a cryotherapy chamber.

Cold Shower

Probably the most accessible of the three methods - a cold shower is also a way to obtain some of the benefits of cold exposure. A cold shower probably won’t decrease your core body temperature as quickly as an ice bath or a cryotherapy chamber, but it can still have positive effects on muscle soreness, stress, circulation, inflammation and sleep. 4 People generally will cold shower anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes.

Benefits of Cold Exposure

Improves Mental Resilience

Voluntarily subjecting yourself to uncomfortably cold temperatures increases your mental resilience and reinforces to yourself that you can surmount difficult challenges. Pregnant women are often given an exercise to hold an ice cube or immerse their hands in a bowl of ice water. Although submersion in ice water does not feel like a labour contraction, it helps to teach her how to manage her mind and build coping skills to deal with uncomfortable sensations. Cold water immersion is a similar, albeit larger scale exercise to an icy hand bath.

Reduces Depression and Anxiety

A small study suggested that whole-body cryotherapy could be a suitable treatment for mood and anxiety disorders. Patients underwent a 2-3 minute cryotherapy session between -110C and -160C degrees on a daily basis for 15 business days. 34% of the study group experienced a 50% decrease in depression, and 46% of the study group experienced a decrease of 50% in anxiety. 5

Improves Cardiovascular Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA, with one person dying every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease. 6 Cold water swimming may help to maintain cardiovascular health, as it has been shown to positively impact cardiovascular risk factors such as lipid profile and blood pressure. 7

Aids Physical Exercise Recovery

There is a reason why you have heard of top athletes making ice baths a regular part of their routine. That’s because cold water immersion therapy is an effective recovery tool after intensive exercise. Cold water immersion has been demonstrated to affect muscular power and reduce soreness positively. (9)

Supports the Immune System

There is some evidence that winter swimmers are more resistant to infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract, with a 40% lower incidence of infection. 7 Cold water swimming differs from immersion in an ice bath, so different types of cold exposures may yield varying results. However, this evidence aligns nicely with the traditional knowledge that the Russian practice morzhevanie reduces vulnerability to illness.

Improves Insulin Sensitivity

1 out of 3 adults in the USA are considered prediabetic - a condition caused by insulin resistance. Prediabetes is a precursor to full-blown type 2 diabetes, which is also linked to other conditions like heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. Cold exposure can be a tool to help maintain a healthy level of insulin sensitivity.

Cold water immersion has been demonstrated to reduce insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity. Cold exposure appears to increase the production of a key protein called adiponectin which plays a significant role in protecting against insulin resistance and diabetes, as well as atherosclerosis. 8

Takeaways

Cold exposure has been shown to have both mental and physical benefits, as many modern studies demonstrate. This complements the traditional practices and knowledge of several societies worldwide that have long believed in the power of cold exposure.

  • Cold exposure benefits can be experienced through various methods, from an easily accessible cold shower, bath or natural body of water, to a high-tech cryotherapy chamber.

  • Cold exposure is as good for the mind as it is for the body - improving mental resilience and serving as a tool to reduce and manage depression and anxiety.

  • Cold exposure can be a preventative tool for increasingly common chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

  • Cold exposure can improve your everyday life by helping you recover from physical exercise and supporting a healthy immune system. 

Disclaimer

The information on Better Health Project is intended for educative and informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as professional or medical advice. The content of this site is not written by a medical professional. Always seek the advice of a trusted and qualified healthcare professional before making health changes.


Sources

  1. Perov, V. (2018, January 16). Ice Swimming: Russia Celebrates Epiphany. ITMO News. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://news.itmo.ru/en/news/7243/

  2. Haghighi, A. S. (2022, September 16). What to know about tummo breathing. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/tummo-breathing

  3. Misogi –. (n.d.). MISOGI DOGI. https://misogidogi.com/about/misogi/

  4. What to Know About the Benefits of a Cold Shower vs. a Hot Shower. (2022, September 5). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/benefits-of-cold-vs-hot-shower

  5. Rymaszewska J, Ramsey D, Chładzińska-Kiejna S. Whole-body cryotherapy as adjunct treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz). 2008 Jan-Feb;56(1):63-8. doi: 10.1007/s00005-008-0006-5. Epub 2008 Feb 5. PMID: 18250970; PMCID: PMC2734249.

  6. Heart Disease Facts | cdc.gov. (2022, October 14). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

  7. Knechtle B, Waśkiewicz Z, Sousa CV, Hill L, Nikolaidis PT. Cold Water Swimming-Benefits and Risks: A Narrative Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 2;17(23):8984. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17238984. PMID: 33276648; PMCID: PMC7730683.

  8. Esperland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water - a continuing subject of debate. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2022 Dec;81(1):2111789. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2022.2111789. PMID: 36137565; PMCID: PMC9518606.

  9. Moore E, Fuller JT, Buckley JD, Saunders S, Halson SL, Broatch JR, Bellenger CR. Impact of Cold-Water Immersion Compared with Passive Recovery Following a Single Bout of Strenuous Exercise on Athletic Performance in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis and Meta-regression. Sports Med. 2022 Jul;52(7):1667-1688. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01644-9. Epub 2022 Feb 14. PMID: 35157264; PMCID: PMC9213381.

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