Oh no! I’m sorry to report that cold plunges are great
IIn the basement, past a weight room, at the end of a fluorescent-lit hallway is a portal to human potential, a gateway to maximum physical performance and mental mastery. It is a bathtub filled with cold water.
“It’s probably about 47F (8.3C),” says Carmen Sturniolo, the owner of Ambitious Athletics, a gym and training center in Washington DC with one of the few public cold dive sites in the city. He drops a small rubber duck, equipped with a thermometer, into the water to check the temperature. Across the room is a framed photo of a swimming diplodocus: “The most important thing is that I believe in myself.”
I wonder if I believe in myself enough to subject my soft, fragile body to the icy depths – and decide I will when Sturniolo tells me that his four- and seven-year-old daughters have both done it.
What is a cold plunge?
Cold dipping, also known as cold therapy or cold water immersion, is the practice of completely immersing your body in cold water – whether that’s in a lake, ocean, tank, pool or, in this case, a large rectangular tub that can be comfortably warmed up. It fits two head-to-toe NFL linebackers.
The practice is not new: references to the benefits of cold therapy date back that far as 3500 BC. The Roman physician Claudius Galen reportedly used cold water immersion to help treat fever. Athletes have long immersed themselves in ice baths to speed up their recovery. And since 1903, members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club have gathered every winter to dive into the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Why is everyone talking about cold diving?
There has been something of a renaissance lately. Lizzo Do it. Hailey Bieber claims it helps with her fear. Harry Styles posted a picture of himself immersed in an ice bath during a tour last year. Joe Rogan is a seasoned and meme cold plunger.
But perhaps no one is more responsible for the growing interest in cold exposure than Andrew Huberman, the Stanford neuroscientist whose wildly popular podcast, Huberman Lab, is gospel among biohackers. According to Sturniolo, the clients who come to his facility to take advantage of the cold plunge — “Mostly guys,” he says — almost inevitably mention Huberman, who has a episode about cold exposure in 2022.
What would cold diving be good for?
The benefits of cold therapy are numerous, according to its supporters. Huberman argued that 11 minutes of cold water immersion per week could potentially “be used to safely stress the body, improve attention, mood and cognitive focus, and boost metabolism and reduce inflammation.” An article about UCLA Health says that taking cold showers can do everything from improve your mood to boost your immunity against colds (though it’s careful to add, “Cold showers are not the primary treatment for any condition”) . The Ambitious Athletics website claims that diving can help improve my energy, resilience and physical recovery. “A quick cold dip every day can push the boundaries of your mind!” the site is crowing.
The actual scientific evidence of the benefits of cold diving is murky. “The question is: is that beneficial to your health or not? We don’t know,” said James Mercer, professor emeritus at the Institute for Health Sciences at UiT, the Arctic University of Norway. In 2022, Mercer and his colleagues published a summary paper in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health, which looked at the health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water. The group reviewed more than 100 studies and found that there were certain trends in the findings that suggested cold water immersion could have beneficial health effects, such as boosting the immune system and improving insulin sensitivity and mental health. Mercer especially emphasized this last point.
“The feel-good effect is also important,” he says. Overcoming the ‘Should I? Shall I not?” According to Mercer, this factor makes many people feel euphoric and accomplished.
Does a cold dip have side effects?
There may be drawbacks to cold water immersion, Mercer warned. It can be dangerous for people with a history of heart problems; Some studies have shown that swimming in cold water increases the level of blood troponin, a protein released into the bloodstream during heart attacks. Cold diving or deep water swimming should only be undertaken in groups because the body’s response to cold shock can be so powerful that a person is at risk of drowning.
Although the study results were promising overall, Mercer cautioned that the studies were too different in how they were conducted – the number of participants they used, how long participants spent in the water and the temperature of the water. water itself – to draw meaningful conclusions from it. conclusions. “It is clear that there is a need for new controlled studies specifically focused on this topic,” the article concluded.
Still, Mercer said he rarely encountered a negative opponent. “They all think it’s the most beautiful thing in the world,” he said. “So then you have to ask yourself: Can hundreds of thousands of people be wrong?”
Can you take a cold dip at home?
Considering the potential dangers, it’s best for beginners not to just take a cold dip at home, but you can still enjoy a cold dip with an ice-cold shower. In the weeks leading up to my own attempt, I subjected myself to cold showers in the morning, just like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once tweeted that he does. The actor said the icy deluge “has a great morning bite to wake me up.”
At first, I spent the 30 seconds shivering in the cold spray (which is what UCLA Health recommended to start) after my usual hot shower were miserable and drained all the joy from my soul. Additionally, during my first week of DIY attempts, I came down with both a chest cold and a urinary tract infection, and even though these were completely unrelated, I hated the whole experiment because it didn’t help.
After a week I decided I had endured enough icy showers. But when I reached over to turn off the hot water, I realized that I actually wanted to take a cold shower. The Rock was right: those 30 chilly seconds did indeed have a great “morning bite.” Once my anger about the cold rinse subsided, I realized that it had made me alert and energetic in a way that I suspect would make me too talkative and annoying when I was around anyone other than my dog.
By the time I faced the cold plunge at the gym, I was taking a cold shower every morning and wondering what kind of person I was becoming.
Does a cold dip feel as terrible as it sounds?
When it came time for a longer session, Sturniolo walked me through the process: I had to shower before and after, and ease in and out of the water – no excessive splashing (more out of politeness than anything). For beginners, he suggests two diving sessions of two to four minutes each, with a seat in the infrared sauna in between to “think about the experience you just had.” He asked if I wanted him to stay and coach me during my session. I refused because I didn’t want anyone there to witness any embarrassing noises I might make. “I’ll see you on the other side!” Sturniolo said as he left.
I set the timer on my phone for four minutes and left it on a table. I lowered myself into the water and although the cold was a shock, I managed to remain still. The icy water stung my fingers, toes and shoulders, but was otherwise manageable. After four minutes I got out feeling alert and cheerful, just like after my morning showers.
In between dips in the sauna, I didn’t spend the time thinking about the experience I had just had. Instead, I spent it taking selfies of myself next to the tub and texting my friends about how easy it was. “That’s what I thought,” someone replied, and I was disappointed that they weren’t more impressed.
After the second dive I felt great, so I did a third. I felt like I could spend a whole day like this, climbing in and out of the icy bath, gaining more and more energy until I probably entered another dimension. But I wasn’t sure if that was medically advisable, and I had only paid for a 45-minute session.
When I returned to the lobby, Sturniolo congratulated me as you might congratulate someone who has just completed a triathlon. I felt so excited and smug that this felt like a fitting compliment for sitting motionless in a bathtub for a total of twelve minutes.
Any conclusions?
Burdened as I am with the powers of observation, I am confident that hundreds of thousands of people can be wrong about all kinds of things. How else do you explain the popularity of The Big Bang Theory? In this case, however, I found myself siding with the plungers.
I can’t say for sure if my immune system or mental health improved after this experiment. I can definitely say that I’ve become more annoying at parties because I’m now one of those people who talks about how great cold showers are.
Unfortunately, research hasn’t yet shown whether regular cold water immersion will stop your friends from inviting you to things. As Mercer said, “We need more studies.”
BOTTOM LINE
How much did it cost? $45 for 45 minutes; prices may vary.
How long does it take? Experts warn to proceed slowly. Start with 30 seconds and build up from there.
How cold exactly? It depends on what you can safely tolerate. (As Huberman put itthe temperature should trigger the thought, “This is really cold, and I want to get out, but I can safely stay inside.”) Experts generally recommend between 45F (7C) and 65F (18C).
Would I do it again? Absolute. I’m a diver now.
Did it fix me? No, but I liked that it made me feel energized.
Overall rating: Four out of five ice cubes.