Cold Water Therapy: Wellness trends come and go, but every so often one captures global attention and sparks widespread curiosity. Cold water therapy has become one of the most talked-about health habits of recent years. From elite athletes and biohackers to wellness enthusiasts and everyday people, this method is being hailed as a powerful tool for physical resilience, mental clarity and overall wellbeing.
This article analyses what makes cold water therapy so popular and whether the claims truly hold up.
Is Cold Water Therapy a New Trend?
Although cold water immersion may seem like a modern craze, it is far from new. Civilisations of the past valued cold water for its restorative effects. They used it as a natural way to refresh the body and invigorate the mind.
There are records Greeks and Romans incorporated cold baths into their bathing rituals, while Scandinavian countries have long paired sauna sessions with icy dips in lakes. Today, this age-old practice has resurfaced as an instagrammable trend. But is this a doable trend for every individual?
The Science Behind Cold Water Therapy
When the body is exposed to cold, science believes it goes into survival mode. Blood vessels constrict, quickening the heart rate and the nervous system activates a ‘fight-or-flight’ response. While this does sound stressful, in controlled doses it can actually be beneficial, as suggested by cold water therapy advocates.
Research highlights that exposure to icy water and therapeutic cold baths could:
- Boost circulation: Cold therapy is believed to improve vascular function and blood flow by constricting and reopening blood vessels.
- Reduce inflammation and muscle soreness: Athletes often use ice baths after intense workouts for faster recovery.
- Strengthen the immune system: Regular cold exposure can increase white blood cell activity, enhancing the body’s defence against illness.
- Improve mood and focus: Cold plunges trigger the release of endorphins and norepinephrine, boosting mental clarity and energy.
How People Practise Cold Water Therapy
This practice can be approached through several techniques and routines:
- Cold Showers: The easiest way described is finishing a shower with 30–90 seconds of cold water.
- Ice Baths: Immersion in a tub of ice and water, usually only two to five minutes.
- Cold Plunges Outdoors: A favourite in Nordic countries, involving dips in rivers, lakes, sea, typically done in winter.
- Contrast Therapy: Alternating between hot and cold exposure, such as moving from a sauna to a cold plunge
However, as a cautionary note – even for healthy individuals, experts recommend a cautious approach: start slowly, limit the time spent in cold water, and avoid pushing past personal limits. Checking with a doctor before beginning cold water immersion is strongly advised, especially for those with underlying health issues.
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The Rise of Influencers and Biohackers
Another reason cold water therapy has become a cultural obsession is its strong presence on social media. Videos of athletes, celebrities and influencers ‘bravely’ sitting in ice baths while talking about resilience and focus have gone viral. Figures like Wim Hof, known as ‘The Iceman’, have also popularised the method, promoting breathing techniques alongside cold exposure.
This visual, sharable nature of the practice has helped it spread rapidly in wellness communities.
However, reports have tied multiple deaths to the Wim Hof Method, where breath-holding exercises combined with water exposure have led to loss of consciousness and drowning. In fact, legal cases are ongoing, including a multimillion-dollar lawsuit related to the drowning of a teenager during unsupervised practice.
The Contradictions and Risks
The growing popularity of cold water immersion should not overshadow its possible hazards and contradictions:
- Health Risks: People with existing health conditions should be cautious, as sudden immersion may trigger dangerous reactions. Individuals with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, circulation problems, peripheral neuropathy, venous stasis or rare conditions like cold agglutinin disease are particularly at risk. The sudden shock of icy water can trigger irregular heart rhythms, spikes in blood pressure or even cardiac arrest in extreme cases. What seems harmless or strengthening for one individual can be hazardous for someone else.
- Placebo or Proven? Some experts argue that many reported cold plunge benefits may be due to placebo rather than lasting physiological change. Critics caution against overhyping cold therapy as a cure-all without more rigorous scientific evidence.
- The Stress Paradox: While experts say it may reduce stress for some, we cannot ignore the fact that the sudden shock can heighten anxiety or panic in others. For individuals especially prone to anxiety or panic, the shock of immersion may intensify stress rather than alleviate it.
- Exercise Recovery Debate: Frequent ice baths may reduce inflammation but could also blunt long-term muscle growth and adaptation. By reducing inflammation, cold exposure may also suppress some of the natural recovery processes that help the body grow stronger after exercise.
- From Simple Practice to a Commercialised Trend: Another contradiction lies in how a traditionally simple practice has been turned into an expensive wellness trend. High-end ice bath systems and spa treatments are being marketed at premium prices, contradicting the idea that this is an accessible, back-to-nature habit. Moreover, some enthusiasts push themselves into extreme exposures, turning a health practice into a test of ego, which undermines its intended benefits.
Medical experts stress that not everyone is a good candidate for cold plunges or ice baths.
Cold Showers and Stress Management
One of the biggest ‘propelled’ studies of cold showers and plunges is their impact on stress. The practice involves entering cold water intentionally to help the mind build resilience. Many describe it as mental training, believing if you can remain calm in icy water, everyday stressors feel more manageable.
The question that supersedes here is why is there so much stress in reality? And even if, suppose, a cold plunge may help cope with stress, that would be only momentary. What is the method to get rid of stress in life forever? Does such a solution exist?
The Cold Truth About Stress and Suffering
The root of human anxiety and unrest is clearly explained by Tatvdarshi Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj. No soul in the realm of the 21 universes can ever find lasting peace, for this domain is ruled by the unjust Kaal Brahm, who deliberately enforces inequality and scarcity. By keeping resources unevenly distributed, he ensures constant struggle, anxiety and suffering for every soul trapped here.
What does Kaal Brahm gain from torturing us? If the so-called ruler of 21 worlds is not the Almighty, then who is our genuine Creator? What is the way to attain freedom from Kaal’s rule? Uncover answers to all these spiritually significant questions through the following discourse by Jagatguru Tatvdarshi Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj:
