Get your Mind and Body Right - Cold Therapy Works

We can all hopefully say that 2020 has taught us a thing or two!  The articles I am reading as the year closed and the New Year began are showing me that many of us are seeing one or more “silver linings” to the year.  For myself personally, 2020 was a time to really put intent focus into exploring new, healthy methods to best work through stressful moments.  We are closing in on one year of this pandemic, and while It is easy to apply the quick fixes and band-aids, those options are temporary.  In my personal exploration for healthier, long term strategies, I came across the practice of cold exposure therapy.  I’ve learned the benefits end up being much more expansive than for only managing stress!

It is a well-known fact that an ice bath will help speed up recovery of a sports injury and provide relief to sore muscles, but there are many other key benefits.  I learned much about these benefits from the Wim Hof Method. Wim Hof is a Dutch extreme athlete, also known as “The Iceman”.  Among his many feats include standing in a container of ice for close to an hour and a half, running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle without shoes and climbing much of Mount Everest in nothing but shorts and tennis shoes! He has mastered the technique of controlling his mind and body which leads to overall physical and mental well-being.  

The three pillars of the Wim-Hof Method:

• Cold Therapy

• Breathing Techniques

• Commitment

Benefits of Cold Therapy:

• Opens up the vascular system so your heart doesn’t need to pump as much. This reduces your heart rate which creates an environment where stress symptoms cannot thrive.

• Blood flow improves, and nutrients and oxygen get better delivered to the cells. This is what makes you feel more energized when you take a cold shower, for example.

• Reduces the negative impacts of inflammation.

• Improves sleep quality.

Mental Benefits:

• The stress of immersion in cold water stimulates release of norepinephrine, which is critical for alertness, focus, and attention.

• Train yourself to stay calm during fight or flight situations – when you practice and learn how to control your responses, you will feel empowered and confident which can lead to better emotional regulation in many aspects of your life.

• You can adapt your body to the cold by putting yourself in these scenarios often (even by just ending your shower with a minute of cold water), ultimately prolonging the stress reducing impact. The sense of achievement of being able to withstand the cold for prolonged periods of time will help build your mental fitness. We can do hard things!

Wim Hof himself has scientifically proven that using the power of your mind by focusing and using his breathing techniques can help you to regulate your own body temperature.  If you can use your mind to regulate your body temperature in an extreme cold environment, you can also teach your mind to be able to manage stress. Ultimately in turn, this will help to avoid illness.  One study showed that those practicing this method had increased release of epinephrine, which led to increased production of anti-inflammatory mediators.  

If we can “control” our immune system through breathing, that would be an amazing tool for those who are afflicted with disease.  Stress can cause changes to our DNA and result in sickness and disease.  If we learn how to control stress with the power of our mind through breathing, then we are ultimately able to control our health. 

There is so much to learn about cold water therapy and meditative breathing technique combined!  The science of it all is extremely intriguing.  I have been practicing these breathing and cold water techniques and am only up to 30 seconds in a freezing cold shower, but definitely feel the positive results.  My goal is to be to take a swim in a local lake mid-winter – my own personal “polar bear plunge.”  I am thankful for what I have learned so far and continue to practice the method for the benefits of my overall health.