Public Health

How To Personalise Cold Water Exposure To Enhance Recovery

From a daily cold shower to a dip in an ice bath, immersing your body in cold water has become one of the most prolific health trends in recent years. Over the centuries, pursuing cold water swims guarantees a sense of wellness and improved health.

Today, the cold pandemic is led by Wim Hof, the crazy Dane who almost reached the peak of Mount Everest in just shorts(!) — he still holds the title for the highest ascent in shorts. To cope with the cold, Hof focuses on three pillars: breathing, cold water exposure and commitment.

Together, these pillars can build a stronger immune system, increase longevity and enhance recovery from exercise. One primary mechanism is an increase in cortisol levels — the stress hormone — which if activated under control (using breathing to control the body’s response), can help you and your body respond to stress better.

In the scientific literature, exposing yourself to the cold is termed “cold water immersion” or CWI. However, CWI doesn’t help everyone. Not every study published has shown an improvement, or even any effect at all. Is this because CWI is simply a health trend like Goop labs’ latest product recommendations? Or, is it harder to do cold water immersion properly? It appears that CWI is more complex than…