Cold Plunges for Anxiety: Using Cold Therapy to Reduce Stress and Improve Well-being

While cold therapy may be frightful, it can help you relax and soothe your anxiety. Many people are incorporating cold plunges into their wellness routine to reduce stress and improve overall wellness. Read on to learn about cold plunges and how they impact mental health. 

How are Cold Plunges Connected to Mental Health?

When you immerse yourself in cold water, your body responds in various ways, impacting your stress levels, mood, and overall mental health. These responses include changes in neurotransmitter release, hormone production, and the nervous system, which are vital in controlling mental health and emotions. To understand the role of a cold plunge tub in reducing anxiety, you must evaluate the physiological impact of cold water immersion on the body. 

What Happens to the Body Upon Cold Exposure?

When exposed to cold water, your body triggers the fight-or-flight response, also known as the sympathetic nervous system. This activation stimulates several physiological changes to help you manage the threat of cold.

Vasoconstriction is one of the body’s core responses to cold therapy, where blood vessels constrict and circulate blood flow to vital organs. This process aids heat conservation, enabling the body to maintain core temperature. Further, cold water immersion activates the discharge of norepinephrine and cortisol, which can have short-term and long-term effects on your mental health. 

It is worth mentioning that the body’s initial response to cold water exposure is stress. However, cold plunging regularly can reduce anxiety and stress levels, a contradictory effect that researchers believe occurs through hormesis. This is a theory where exposure to modest stress can result in adaptive responses that enhance resilience and overall well-being. 

Cold immersion has been found to activate the discharge of endorphins, associated with mood regulation. Also referred to as the body’s natural painkillers, endorphins can induce feelings of joy and improved well-being. The discharge of feel-good hormones can complement the mood-boosting impact of cold plunges. 

Can Cold Therapy Boost Mental Health?  

Studies suggest that cold water immersion can provide emotional benefits. In a 2021 study, undergraduate students immersed themselves in cold water for 20 minutes while others did not.

The students who immersed themselves in cold water reported a mood boost and a decline in negative emotions like confusion, fatigue, depression, anger, and tension. They also experienced an improvement in positive emotions like self-esteem and strength. 

In another study, more than thirty adults engaged in cold-water swimming for the first time and reported experiencing alertness, attentiveness, and increased inspiration and activity. These studies established that cold exposure can improve mood and overall well-being. 

Cold Therapy and Anxiety 

The benefits of cold water immersion surpass mood improvement and stress reduction. Some clinicians and researchers are investigating cold therapy as a possible treatment for particular anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety, panic, and generalized anxiety disorders.

For people struggling with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), cold therapy can help them master the art of managing and overcoming discomfort and fear within a controlled setting. Voluntary cold water immersion can help you develop coping skills and resilience that you can apply to various anxiety-evoking circumstances. 

Cold plunging can directly impact panic attacks, with some studies suggesting that cold therapy can reduce the frequency and intensity of panic attacks in people with panic disorder. Researchers believe this effect is related to the stimulation of the diving reflex, which occurs when you submerge the face in cold water. The diving reflex is a physiological response that slows the heart rate and redirects blood flow, preventing panic symptoms. 

How Cold Plunges Help with Anxiety?

Are you considering incorporating the best cold plunge into your wellness routine but don’t know how they work? Various terminologies can help you understand how cold therapy works to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety. They include:

·       The Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is connected to stress-related and mental health conditions. It links the brain with other body organs and switches off the fight-or-flight response, which activates anxiety. Cold water immersion triggers the vagus nerve, slowing your breathing and heart rate and transitioning you into the parasympathetic mode, also known as the rest and digest mode. By switching your body to the rest and digest mode, cold water exposure helps reduce anxiety and related symptoms. 

·       Sensory Input

The surface of your skin has many cold receptors. Once these nerve endings are activated simultaneously, your brain receives a high inflow of sensory information, which can have an antidepressant effect. This sensory information can pause the neurological processes that trigger anxiety and depression. When you immerse yourself in cold water, you interrupt some neurological cycles that may trigger anxiety. 

·       Stress Resilience

Cold therapy is a short-term physiological stressor, temporarily switching your system into sympathetic survival mode. Repeated and temporary exposure to physical stress can improve your overall stress response through cross-adaptation.

Cold exposure activates the body’s adaptive stress response, enabling it to manage stress better. Regular cold plunging strengthens your body’s stress-management mechanisms. 

·       Hormones

Cold therapy activates the production of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, including dopamine, noradrenaline, and beta-endorphins. These change the chemistry in your brain and body, alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression.

·       Alleviating Panic Attacks

Cold plunges can help reduce panic attacks. If you experience symptoms of a panic attack, consider immersing yourself in cold water and holding your breath for approximately 30 seconds. Doing so increases blood flow to the heart and brain, alleviating panic attack symptoms.

Alternative Natural Methods of Reducing Anxiety and Stress

You can use other natural methods to complement your cold plunging approach for reducing anxiety and stress. These include:

·       Physical Activity and Exercise

Physical exercise and regular exercise can reduce anxiety, boost mood, and alleviate symptoms of depression. Consider activities like strength training, yoga, swimming, and running to improve your mental health. 

·       Proper Diet and Adequate Sleep

A balanced diet with essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and whole foods can support brain health and boost mood. Adopt better sleeping habits and get adequate rest to reduce anxiety and improve mood. 

·       Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation practices, such as muscle relaxation and breathing techniques, can help alleviate stress and anxiety symptoms. Reading is a form of mindfulness that can relieve anxiety. 

·       Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a psychotherapy approach that can help reduce the symptoms of anxiety and stress. It enables you to identify and evaluate the impact of your thoughts and emotions on your actions. After establishing these patterns, you learn to change your actions and develop coping strategies. 

Finally

Cold plunging can help reduce anxiety and stress by activating the sympathetic nervous system, stimulating the discharge of endorphins, and regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin. These responses can help improve your mental health and overall well-being. Still, you must be cautious when using cold plunges.

Consult your doctor before incorporating cold therapy into your wellness routine. Remember, cold water immersion doesn’t work for everybody. While cold plunges can effectively relieve anxiety and stress-related symptoms, you should prioritize your health and safety when using them.