How Cold-Water Therapy Can Transform Your Life
Part 2 of the Monday May Mindfulness Challenge
Why your body needs and seeks uncomfortable situations to grow and sharpen the mindful mind.
Despite popular belief, not every Canadian loves the cold. In fact, I would be willing to explore that common hypothesis further, and I’m sure when presented with the data from a poll of Canadians, most would say they’re not a fan either.
However, despite what I believe to be the majority vote, once a year in the month of January to kick off the New Year, I would have the pleasure of witnessing a group of around 100 Canadians eagerly partake in an unordinary ritual to demonstrate their affinity with the cold. What I did not know then, was that I was observing a powerful wellness tool that I would later incorporate into my everyday life.
This New Years ritual is what is called The Polar Plunge. They happen all over, not just in Canada, but anywhere with a natural body of water close by. What would happen is they would break a sheet of ice that had formed over the body of water, like Lake Ontario, and then 100 or so people would sign up and pay (for charity) to take off all their clothes (wearing a swimsuit) and run (sometimes dive) into the freezing water that is typically around 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) in similar freezing weather conditions.
Now, my mind during these events was typically “why in the world would anyone do this…?”; however, present-day cold-water plunges are my latest obsession, and the wellness world took Polar Plunges a step further (and made it a little safer) to create the phenomenon of cryotherapy.
So as always let’s first take a look at some of the fun science about the why and how of cold-water hydrotherapy.
I first learned about all of this from the great cold-water expert: Wim Hof. He is a sought-after oracle with knowledge on everything to do with cold water immersion and how it can impact of mind and body on a microscopic level.
In an episode of The Goop Lab on Netflix. Gwyneth Paltrow had done a deep dive into the wellness world and what can naturally promote healing in our body. She shared an episode all about Wim Hof and the mystery behind his madness. What I learned was that similar to how we developed a healthy functioning immune system and microbiome in our body by exposing our young selves to various bacteria and viruses, the same enhancements can apply through controlled stressors and uncomfortable situations (like freezing temperatures).
At the end of the day, it is how we evolved as a species. “Survival of the fittest” was coined off the idea that our body can adapt to any virus or situation if it is familiar with it; because then, it is a learned habit that the body already developed… it is a battle the body has won before and will win again.
Therefore, we become stronger through controlled stressors. This strength develops in all areas of our body and enhances those areas as well.
Our circulatory system develops an improved cardiovascular circulation throughout the body when exposed to the cold. Cold exposure stimulates an acute stress response from our body that yields compensatory vasodilation (decrease in blood pressure) which increases blood flow to our tissues and promotes healing in distressed or inflamed muscles. Therefore, cold exposure (CE) provides a relief for those suffering from chronic pain or inflammation in the musculo-skeleton system.
Healthy blood flow also leads to better brain function in memory and decreased brain fog. So, CE can be used as a powerful bio-hack in the mornings to help alert the mind and prepare the body for the day, much like the effects of a cup of joe.
In terms of immune, daily CE leads to a reduction in the frequency of infections since our immune system is being exercised and is operating optimally. Our lymphocyte, B and T cell count will increase from this natural medicine thus, arming our body with a healthy defense. This defense is useful in the fight against many chronic diseases including heart disease and cancer.
Studies have also shown that CE increases our T-lymphocytes and NK cells which are responsible for our innate tumor immunity. Cold stress has also shown its ability to lower serotonin which is a hormone that can often be out of balance and lead to heart damage which can be an issue for someone suffering from NETS (neuroendocrine tumor) cancer.
If you pair CE with the breathing techniques taught by Wim Hof, which is essentially deep abdominal breathing, it can enhance all these positive effects even more. Breathing deeply while exposed to a stressor can teach our bodies about how to react when the stress comes from an un-controlled, sporadic outlet which life is guaranteed to have. This can then have a profound effect on our mental health.
Lastly, it has been proven to aid in weight loss since the cold signals our HPA axis (responsible for fight or flight response) to release the hormone norepinephrine which goes after brown fat in the body and burns it for an energy expenditure.
As science continued to evolve this concept and the number of benefits one can attain, companies began capitalizing. Even though it is easy and free to hop in a cold shower every day at home, going to a cryotherapy clinic still has its purpose if you are extremely active and need a strong treatment to fight any injuries or inflammation.
I love taking cold showers in the morning after I workout or do a yoga practice. It took me months to make it a regular, mindfulness practice but here are a few things I do that help enhance the experience:
1. Before I enter the cold water, I can already feel my body try to convince me out of it. I had listened to a podcast with Tony Robbins who is an avid cold therapy advocate, and he described how before submerging he says to himself “the mind says go.” I tell myself that now as well because it is important to remind your subconscious who is in charge and making the decisions, despite them sometimes being uncomfortable or out of routine.
2. I stay in the water for at least two minutes every day because that is the recommended time to really get the health benefits.
3. I like to practice my visualization techniques while I enjoy the cold water by envisioning the water as light washing over my skin and cleansing my entire body and mind.
4. I sometimes perform the Wim Hof Method breathing if I feel like I need the extra energy in the morning because that method really wakes you up but most of the time I like to take long, deep breaths and I don’t let my breathing get away from me even though in cold water we tend to gasp for air.
The rejuvenation you feel after a cold shower is like you just got birthed back into the world. Although that is a dramatic way to describe the feeling, I seriously can’t emphasize enough how important it is to keep your mind as the commander and mindfulness as your guide as you explore different modalities of health and healing; because more often than not our body will lean on the comfortable situation even if its not the ideal, most beneficial one. Not everything is for everyone but trying is always better then not.