Cold water therapy is a promising therapy for managing anxiety, a common mental health disorder. People who are anxious often feel worry and fear, and that can manifest on the body too. The cold and calm water from the ice bath offers relaxation and diminishes feelings of anxiety.
Cold water therapy is an excellent way of managing anxiety, relaxing, and calming down. It can help you deal with daily issues and those pesky nerves, and even offer a good night of sleep.
The Science Behind Cold Water Therapy
The efficacy of cold water therapy against anxiety lies in its ability to influence different physiological systems at the same time. Ice baths influence the nervous system, of course, but they also have an effect on the immune system, and they activate thermogenesis.
What is Thermogenesis?
When exposed to colder temperatures, our bodies engage in a process known as thermogenesis. This process burns fat to produce heat and maintain a stable core temperature. The tissue responsible for this function is called brown fat. It is only activated in cold conditions and supports non-shaking thermogenesis only. That means that brown-fat thermogenesis does not include the heat produced when you shiver and shake your muscles to warm up.
Brown fat is different from regular white fat, which doesn’t induce cold-induced thermogenesis. It’s activated when we take a cold shower or an ice bath, leading to an overall increase in energy expenditure. This cold water therapy stress reduction technique is scientifically proven. With more brown fat, the body can efficiently burn off stress-induced energy spikes resulting from anxiety.
In response to cold, the body also releases hormones, including endorphins. Often called “feel-good” hormones, endorphins can elevate mood and decrease stress. This surge of hormones can boost stress resilience, facilitating cold water anxiety reduction.
Cold Water Therapy for the Nervous System
Cold water therapy can stimulate our nervous system and target crucial networks that influence anxiety levels. An important player in this dynamic is the vagus nerve, a key highway of communication between the brain and most major organs.
Vagus Nerve and Anxiety
The vagus nerve is heavily involved in the body’s relaxation response. It also plays a significant role in fear and anxiety and shapes how our body and mind respond to stress. Anxiety disorders are often connected to a non-functional vagus nerve.
Interestingly, the vagus nerve is sensitive to temperature changes. Cold water exposure, either through showers or ice baths, can stimulate the vagus nerve, as proven scientifically (1). This stimulation:
- promotes relaxation,
- decreases heart rate,
- reduces stress.
Furthermore, cold water therapy can influence the shaping of new connections in the brain, which improves cognitive abilities (2). Therefore, it’s no surprise that cold therapy has become an increasingly popular natural stress and anxiety relief strategy.
Cold Water Therapy – Practical Advice
Once you see how many health benefits behind cold water therapy there are, you might want to learn how to incorporate this practice into your daily routine. This section will guide you through various types of cold water therapy, suggested practices created for beginners, and maintaining regular habits of taking ice baths.
Types of Cold Water Therapy
For cold water therapy to work, it’s crucial to approach it using the right methods. These methods include cold showers and ice baths, each offering distinct, refreshing experiences.
Cold showers are a straightforward, accessible introduction to cold hydrotherapy for anxiety. Regularly taking cold showers can train your body to manage stress better while stimulating thermogenesis and enhancing mood.
Ice baths offer a more intense but equally beneficial experience. Entering a tub filled with ice-cold water can:
- stimulate brown fat,
- enhance mood,
- boost the immune system,
- promote vagus nerve stimulation.
Read more advice about proper preparation for your first cold plunge in our following articles:
- Optimal Guide: How Many Ice Baths A Week for Maximum Benefits,
- Discover the Top Cold Plunge Benefits for Health and Wellness,
- Ice Baths – Discover the Benefits of Cold Water Immersion Therapy.
Cold Water Therapy – Safety Tips
If you’re new to cold water therapy, don’t dive in headfirst, both literally and figuratively. Consider a gradual approach to ensure your body adapts appropriately and safely.
Start with slightly chilly showers, then progressively decrease the temperature over several weeks. Once comfortable, you can consider short immersions in ice baths. This slow adaptation ensures your body adjusts safely to the new temperature regulation demands.
Remember to listen to your body too. If you start to feel dizzy or excessively uncomfortable, stop and warm up. Anyone with chronic health conditions, particularly involving the heart or blood circulation, should consult a healthcare provider before taking up cold water therapy.
How Do You Incorporate Cold Water Therapy In Your Daily Routine?
Turning a practice into a routine requires consistency, and cold water therapy is no different. Whether you want to take cold showers or ice baths, the trick is implementing them regularly into your daily lifestyle.
If you choose cold showers, starting your day with them could be invigorating. They might replace your morning coffee, offering a round of waking up and destressing instead of caffeine. If you prefer ice baths instead, the end of the day or a workout might be more suitable. Try cold showers at night or ice baths in the morning to learn which time of the day is best for you.
Implementing complementary practices such as deep breathing, meditation, or even light exercise can increase the benefits of cold water therapy. Deep breathing, for example, can round off the stress therapy, further promoting vagus nerve stimulation and enriching the overall experience.
The Science of Cold Water Therapy
Experimentation and scientific research deepen our understanding of cold water therapy’s efficacy as an anxiety management technique. Personal stories and reviews are also beneficial, as they speak about real experiences and benefits of cold water therapy. Read more about them below.
Millions worldwide find relief in cold showers and ice baths from stress and anxiety. Celebrities, including professional athletes and Hollywood actors, have also publicly acknowledged the benefits of cold water therapy. Their testimonies about engaging in ice bathing add more value to the practice as well.
Cold Water Therapy and Stress
Several scientific studies highlight the positive correlation between cold exposure and a reduction in anxiety. Investigation findings frequently demonstrate a decrease in self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms following cold exposure (3). Other studies reported that even a single immersion in cold water can boost your mood (4).
While enhancing our understanding, it’s vital to critically examine these studies’ methodologies and validity. The applicability and sample size of these studies play a significant role in determining our trust in their findings. More detailed and precise studies on the effects of cold water therapy on anxiety and mental health are needed.
Medical professionals often point to physiological changes, such as dopamine release (5), immune system stimulation (6), and vagal nerve activation (1), among other benefits. Several endorse cold water therapy as part of a comprehensive approach to managing stress. Psychologists endorse regular stress management for enhancing mental health and well-being.
Cold Water Therapy as an Anxiety Management Tool
Cold water therapy is an excellent tool to keep your anxiety, fear, and stress under control. There are plenty of other health benefits, such as brown-fat thermogenesis and stimulation of the nervous system.
However, the benefits of cold water therapy go far beyond anxiety and stress reduction. This novel approach offers effects that can potentially enhance your overall well-being. It’s not simply about exposing yourself to cold temperatures; it’s about developing resilience and learning to handle stress in a healthier manner. Each plunge into cold water serves as a testament to your strength and resilience in the face of stress.
Ultimately, whether you’re fighting anxiety, looking to boost your mood, or simply want to step into a refreshing new routine, the chill of cold water therapy offers a promising option. It might seem scary at first, but remember, it gets easier with time and offers so much! So, consider this your gentle nudge to try cold water therapy, and enjoy the power of the cold to alleviate anxiety, one cold shower or ice bath at a time.
Literature sources
- Richer R, Zenkner J, Küderle A, Rohleder N, Eskofier BM. Vagus activation by Cold Face Test reduces acute psychosocial stress responses. Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 10;12(1):19270. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-23222-9.
- Yankouskaya A, Massey H, Totman JJ, Lai LH, Williamson R. The Effects of Whole-body Cold-water Immersion on Brain Connectivity Related to the Affective State in Adults Using fMRI: A Protocol of a Pre-post Experimental Design. Bio Protoc. 2023 Sep 5;13(17):e4794. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.4794.
- Shevchuk NA. Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment for depression. Med Hypotheses. 2008;70(5):995-1001. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2007.04.052.
- Kelly JS, Bird E. Improved mood following a single immersion in cold water. Lifestyle Med. 2022; 3:e53. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lim2.53
- Srámek P, Simecková M, Janský L, Savlíková J, Vybíral S. Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2000 Mar;81(5):436-42. doi: 10.1007/s004210050065.
- Castellani JW, M Brenner IK, Rhind SG. Cold exposure: human immune responses and intracellular cytokine expression. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Dec;34(12):2013-20. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200212000-00023.
