Cold therapy is the act of exposing of your body to cold temperatures. This can be through fresh-water swimming, ice baths, cryotherapy or more simply turning your shower temperature dial to it’s minimum. The benefits of cold-water therapy are endless; scientists have even found evidence to show that exposure to cold water speeds up metabolism. Other health benefits include; reduction in inflammation, swelling and easing of sore muscles, which explains why athletes swear by ice baths to speed up muscle recovery time. Cold therapy has also been linked to improved sleep quality, focus and upgraded immune response.
The first step to getting rid of stress is identifying what is causing it in the first place.
Our bodies are constantly reacting to different types of stress triggers. For example, if when on a walk, a bird flies out of a near-by tree (an environmental trigger) this causes an initial reaction and after your body establishes there is no immediate danger, you should return back to a relaxed state. But sometimes when our body’s fight or flight system gets triggered, we aren’t able to fully shake the feeling of dread/ anxiety. This is why cold-water therapy is such an effective method of stress relief, because it essentially acts as a reset on your body’s fight or flight response. By subjecting your body to a sudden change in temperature, electrical impulses are sent to your brain, (effectively acting as a gentle electro-shock therapy) causing increased alertness, clarity and energy levels, and even a release of endorphins- the hormone responsible for feelings of happiness. And it allows you to practice controlling your body’s response, through putting mind over matter and be able to apply this in other stressful situations. A clinical trial using a group of people with depression in America revealed that, by taking a 5-minute cold shower 2-3 times a week, symptoms of depression were alleviated.
A year ago, after constantly reading about all of the amazing benefits of cold showers, I worked up the courage to try them, and haven’t stopped since. Not only does cold water therapy instantly help with mindfulness and focusing present, but the sudden release of endorphins literally causes a smile to appear on my face. When I feel low mentally, I know nothing helps me more than a big walk and a cold shower.
Wim Hof, also known as the ice man, is a prime example of how through focused breathing and cold exposure the human body can be capable of impossible things. Just a few examples of his astonishing achievements by hacking cold exposure and breathing are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot, and standing in a container while covered with ice cubes for more than 112 minutes. Wim Hof has famously said “fear does not go away by itself. You have to confront your fear, mould it, then learn to control it in its own irrational reality. Every human being has the power to do just that.” This is an amazing viewpoint. Fear and pain are inevitable, but how much power we give them is completely under our own control.
Words By: Maisy Healey
Edited By: Yasmine Moro Virion