As it turns out, my fear of looking like a quitter is more powerful than my fight-or-flight, so I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing until I was able to somewhat regulate it. I can’t say I was relaxed, but I no longer felt like I was going to die. Gu told me that if I could make it to 90 seconds, it’d be smooth sailing for the remainder. And despite the foot pain I was experiencing and the ridiculous amount of tension I was holding in my shoulders, it sort of was.
Honestly, the biggest positive outcome for me was the sense of achievement. Staying under that water for five minutes did not feel easy, but I pushed through and reached my goal. I was proud of myself and had a newfound sense of confidence that I could breathe through other stressful, uncomfortable situations. And according to Tipton, I’m not alone in that feeling.
“One of the things that people report and part of the reason they benefit from doing cold exposure is they feel that they’ve conquered the challenge,” he said. “They have the ability to control their breathing when they once couldn’t, and it’s a sense of satisfaction and achievement that makes them feel good about themselves.”
Tipton divided the other main beneficial claims into three categories — feeling more awake and alert (an obvious one that doesn’t require scientific proof), boosting your immune system, and reducing inflammation. I would add that the other I hear a lot about is an improvement in mood and mental well-being.
When it comes to scientific evidence, most of the existing studies are either too broad or not designed adequately to determine if there is a physical or mental benefit to cold plunging.
For example, in one case study published by Tipton and colleagues, a 24-year-old with treatment-resistant depression eventually was able to stop taking medication after doing weekly swims in cold water. However, it’s not clear if she felt better after swimming because of the cold or the exercise itself (which has been shown to help depression).
One study that Tipton mentioned showed that swimmers had fewer upper respiratory tract infections than non-swimmers, though that benefit was the same whether they swam in cold water or warm pools.
Tipton said that at least anecdotally, many people do seem to experience benefits, like one woman who found that cold water immersion helped with her extreme migraines. And though he believes that anecdotal evidence is valid, he wants to do more research to be able to back it up scientifically.
“We don’t have a lot of great research yet, but we do know what neurochemicals are being released when you do a cold plunge, and that’s increased endorphins, increased norepinephrine, increased dopamine, some early studies have found,” Justin Puder, a South Florida psychologist, told BuzzFeed News. “Just at that blanket level, if you told me as a psychologist there’s an activity you can do that increases those neurochemicals, I would say it’s got a great chance of improving mental health.”
That chemical release suggests there might be a benefit, but again, we still don’t know for sure if there is one or how long those benefits might last, according to Puder.
I will admit that the challenge and satisfaction of it all made me want to come back for more. Since I don’t have regular access to a natural body of water or a personal plunge tub, I may try making the water as cold as possible for the last 30 seconds of my daily shower.
While you could fill your bathtub with icy water and try a DIY cold plunge at home, as Tipton said, it’s probably safer to try these techniques in an environment that’s more regulated.
Even if it starts to feel easier at some point, Tipton warned that more isn’t necessarily better when it comes to cold plunging. When people think something is good for them, they tend to assume doing it twice as much will be even better, but too much cold exposure can actually cause more harm than good, he said.
I’m eagerly awaiting any new studies, which I’m sure will come out given how trendy cold water immersion has become in the wellness space. If I feel like I experience any health benefits, I may want to do it (safely) even more. Maybe someday I’ll be able to have my own Plunge, but until then, I’ll stick to briefly cold showers and the occasional winter dip in the ocean.
You can buy the Plunge from the Cold Plunge for around $4,990.