Cold plunges seem to be popping up everywhere, and it’s not just because summers are getting hotter.
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summers → seem → ?
Research shows that cold water therapy can help reduce muscle soreness, decrease stress, sharpen mental clarity, increase blood flow, improve sleep quality and enhance mood.
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therapy → show → mood
The practice of immersing the body in frigid water for a few minutes at a time has existed for centuries in rituals that would be equally at home in modern Nordic spas as in ancient Greece bathhouses.
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that → immerse → bathhouses
But while climbing into an icy pool or jumping into a frigid stream may come easily for some, the mere thought of being that cold terrifies others.
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thought → climb → others
Luckily, experts have some tips to help you prepare to take the plunge.
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Start in the shower
To begin, you don’t have to go farther than your own shower or bathtub.
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Gradual exposure to cold water can get you ready to take a full plunge.
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Start with 15 seconds under cold water and work up to a minute or two, said Wim Hof, an extreme athlete and motivational speaker from the Netherlands known as “The Iceman.”
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Hof → start → Iceman
Get out in nature
Research says that spending time outdoors has been linked to improved mood and emotional well-being, and this applies to both green spaces and blue (aquatic) ones.
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this → get → spaces
If you have the opportunity to take a cold plunge into a natural body of water, such as a river, a stream, a lake or an ocean, you’ll be getting both emotional and physiological benefits.
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you → have → benefits
Be careful in open water, where you may face uneven footing, currents and waves.
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you → face → footing
Chill with others
Local wellness studios, urban bathhouses, spas, gyms and hotels have seized on the growing interest in contrast therapy — the practice of alternating between hot saunas and cold plunges to enhance circulation.
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studios → chill → circulation
Plunging in a group can also bring physical and mental benefits.
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Plunging → plunge → benefits
Dacher Keltner, a social psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, explained in his book “Awe” that the goose bumps you feel when you’re cold actually evolved as a signal for mammals to huddle together.
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mammals → explain → signal
That resulting touch and closeness, he wrote, initiate a rush of oxytocin — known as the bonding or love hormone — which can encourage openness and trust between people.
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which → result → people
If nothing else, being among friends can help distract you from the cold.
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being → help → cold
In the United States, spas like Othership, Alchemy Springs and Bathhouse offer classes and other communal experiences.
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spas → offer → classes
Social media and sites like Meetup.com can connect you with cold-plunging groups.
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media → connect → groups
Ease in and breathe
Guidelines from the Cleveland Clinic call for beginners to start with water temperatures between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and avoid going below 40 degrees.
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beginners → ease → degrees
Experts suggest starting with short exposures — the urge to escape the cold decreases with repeated plunges — and not staying in longer than five minutes.
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urge → suggest → minutes
If you’re feeling a sense of dread, deep breathing can be a game changer.
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“Take 10 deep inhales and exhales before taking a cold plunge or cold shower,” Hof said.
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“It will help you feel that you are ready to step over the fear and turn it into motivation.
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you → help → motivation
To get through the urge to bail, breathe through the cold shock, which usually occurs in the first minute, advised Susanna Soberg, a metabolic scientist who has studied exposure to heat and cold.
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who → get → heat
Then, she said, relax the shoulders to avoid restricting the vagus nerve, allowing for easier deep breathing and faster adjustment to the cold.
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she → say → cold
Repeating a mantra or counting breaths is another strategy to redirect the mind so it can’t focus on quitting.
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it → repeat → mind
“Submerging up to the neck brings ideal benefits,” Soberg said.
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Soberg → submerge → benefits
“Avoid dunking your head as this activates the body’s fight-or-flight response and can decrease blood flow to the brain, making it harder to breathe.”
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it → avoid → brain
Between plunge sessions, Soberg recommended gentle movements, such as brisk walking, to increase blood flow and warm up the body.
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Soberg → recommend → body
Know the risks
Spending a prolonged time in cold water can lead to hypothermia, a life-threatening condition that occurs when your core body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, so watch for signs like shivering, slurred speech and clumsiness.
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temperature → know → shivering
Low temperatures may also cause gasping, which can lead to hyperventilation.
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which → cause → hyperventilation
Anyone with heart disease, high blood pressure or an elevated risk of stroke should talk to a doctor before taking a plunge, because cold water constricts blood vessels, raising blood pressure.
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water → talk → pressure
Of course, cold plunging isn’t for everyone, and it might take a couple of dips to experience the benefits.
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it → take → benefits
But you may be surprised at how energized a little chill can make you feel.
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you → make → ?
The Aporia
