Cold Plunge Benefits: Does Chilling Out Bring Better Health?

Have you been dunked or doused in ice-cold water lately… on purpose? Many people are giving it a try.

A cold plunge, also known as an ice bath or cold-water immersion, is a dip into cold water for a few minutes at a time. “Plungers” partially or fully submerge their bodies in water below 60°F (16°C) — even as low as 38°F (3°C).

The purpose of a cold plunge is to stimulate the body and mind through cold exposure, as well as reduce muscle soreness and improve circulation. But do people who “chill out” in this way truly experience cold plunge benefits?

Let’s see what research indicates.

Cold Plunge Research Is Challenging

To explore potential cold plunge benefits, recent studies encompass a wide range of testing goals around health or recovery. But their methodologies and results are often questionable.

For example:

• It’s difficult to conduct a placebo-controlled trial on cold plunging because there’s no way to mimic it in a placebo.
• Most studies are small and varied — some may be conducted in 40-degree water; others, in 60-degree water.
• Some test plunges last 30 seconds; others, a couple of hours.
• Certain cold plunge studies focus on healthy athletes trying to recover from injury or illness. Others involve weightlifters seeking to maximize what they lift.
• Some research looks at the effects of occasional cold plunging; others, of daily plunges.

These multiple unrelated study designs make it challenging to collect a solid data set or assess a meaningful number of test subjects. Through meta-analysis, it’s often possible to incorporate data from several studies, but if one set of research looks at a 30-second plunge exposure and another at a two-hour exposure, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.

Studies may also have each individual function as their own control. The research team checks the person’s blood work, tests their ability to lift weights, or asks how they feel on a subjective scale. Then, the researchers subject the “plunger” to a cold plunge of a particular duration or temperature and re-measure the original variables to see what, if anything, has changed.

But again, it’s difficult to draw consequential conclusions from an array of unique test subjects.

Does Research Show Cold Plunge Benefits?

Has any research proved cold plunges effective?

Interestingly, the results are not very promising. Most are either negative or neutral:

• When researchers considered cytokines and C-reactive protein, which measure inflammatory response, there was either no effect or a deleterious one. It seems that cold plunging doesn’t decrease the inflammatory response; it actually increases it.
• In research considering any boost to immune function from T cells or B cells, results were disappointing or even detrimental.
• Cold plunges seem to reduce the amount of weight a subject can lift.
• Plunging appears to have little, if any, beneficial effect on a person’s aerobic performance.

In a positive vein, cold plunging has been found to reduce stress and improve mood in test subjects.

When Athletes Take the Plunge

It’s worth noting that ice baths are often used for “recovery” in sports locker rooms. But do they really work?

For athletes battling over-exerted (fatigued or sore) muscles, repetitive cold plunging may encourage recovery — say, for a professional basketball player who just played for 60 minutes and must play again two nights later.

(Data is far less compelling for non-athletes who simply practice normal resistance or aerobic activity once or twice a week.)

And it appears cold plunging can improve muscle recovery after high-intensity exercise by reducing perceived delayed-onset muscle soreness, possibly by reducing lactate levels at 24 and 48 hours post recovery. However, the optimum duration and temperature for CWI to achieve these benefits are unknown.

Is Cold Plunging Risky?

We’re all aware of the growing popularity of Arctic and polar plunges. There’s also a recurring trend toward running in the snow barefoot. And Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, known for his ability to withstand low temperatures, encourages followers of his method to do the same.

Are such cold plunge fads worth pursuing?

Unless you have cardiovascular challenges, there’s very little risk or downside associated with cold plunges and other cold-related challenges. And there’s evidence that the more you plunge, the higher your tolerance for it.

But my advice about plunging — whether for recovery, enhancement, or a general feeling of well-being — is the same as for many experimental therapies: If swinging a dead chicken over your head makes you feel better the next day, swing a dead chicken over your head.

If you feel better after an ice bath — whether it’s a placebo effect or not — continue to pursue it. Your body won’t let you engage in an activity that’s giving you frostbite or another cold-induced injury.

But if you feel no personal benefit from taking a five-minute plunge three days a week, there’s no need to keep trying, hoping for a different result.

Let’s Talk About Cold Plunge Benefits

Still curious about cold plunge benefits? It’s my job to give you the science behind it. As a concierge physician, I can give you honest, informed recommendations about what works, with low risk, and what doesn’t.

Ten years from now, we may have more compelling data about the effectiveness of the cold plunge, and if that’s the case, we’ll relay it. But as of today, the data just isn’t there.

Your Signature Healthcare doctors are always happy to chat with you about current exercise trends and activities. Get in touch any time with your questions or concerns!