In the past few years, more and more people have been trying out “Cold Water Therapy”. They take cold showers in the morning, swim in chilly lakes and oceans, and even hop into baths filled with ice. But why? Cold water lovers swear by the benefits of this activity. They emerge shivering from the water, but with smiles on their faces. Dutch cold water pioneer Wim Hof, nicknamed “The Ice Man,” has even climbed Mount Everest wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and shoes! While it would be unsafe for you to just hike up a freezing mountain with zero experience and hardly any clothes on, there are actually a number of scientifically proven benefits of cold water therapy. First, it increases circulation and decreases inflammation in your body, helping to relieve pain. Getting into cold water also improves our mental health and resilience, as it triggers the release of “feel-good-chemical” serotonin in the brain, while it also forces us to deal with an uncomfortable or scary situation. Finally, contrary to popular belief, taking a cold water plunge won’t make us sick, it actually fortifies our immune system. This is because the shock of getting into cold water forces our body to produce more white blood cells, which fight off viruses like the common cold. As The Ice Man says, “A cold shower a day keeps the doctor away!”
