Can an Ice Bath Cure my Depression?
I did my first ice plunge as part of an obstacle event. I thought I was going to die. The cold water felt like an elephant on my chest and I started to panic. But I heard a friend's voice repeating, “just breathe”. As I took several deep breaths, the panic subsided and I was able to tolerate the icy water. I swore I would never do that again. I never dreamed I would make cold therapy part of my regular routine.
Cold plunges have been a tradition in Nordic and Eastern European countries for centuries. Research supports the use of cold therapy for improving physical and mental health.
According to Dr. Susanna Soberg, metabolic researcher and founder of the Soeberg Institute, cold exposure provides mental health benefits in two ways.
First, exposure to extreme cold creates a two and a half fold increase in the stress hormones noradrenaline and dopamine, as well as endorphins. These chemicals increase our energy and drive, and lift our mood. And unlike the short lived kick we get from caffeine or other stimulants, this response can last throughout the day.
Second, she explains that we need to ‘stress up to stress down’. Essentially, short exposures to stresses like the cold can improve our long term ability to manage stress. When faced with a stressor such as an ice plunge, breathing through the physical discomfort and panic and allowing ourselves to acclimate to the stressor creates adaptation; increasing our stress threshold and making future stressors easier to handle.
Soberg studied ‘adapted winter swimmers’- individuals who had participated in regular cold water plunges for at least 2 seasons. She found that these individuals reported more positive outlook on life than non swimmers. In addition, they had improved metabolic markers such as increased insulin sensitivity, decreased blood pressure, and reduced systemic inflammation. Based on these swimmers’ routines, she determined the minimum effective dose to be just 11 minutes per week over 2-4 sessions, and states that results can be seen after just 3 plunges.
In a study published in January of 2023 in the UK, researchers found that after spending just 5 minutes in 68 degree F water, participants felt more active, alert, attentive, proud, and inspired, and less stressed and nervous after having a cold-water bath.
Today, cold therapy is being offered in many spas, cryotherapy centers, and cold water immersion groups in the form of ice baths, cold plunges, and cryotherapy chambers, and home ice baths are available from a variety of retailers.
The good news is that we don’t have to jump in a frozen lake or purchase your own ice bath. While the best results appear to come from immersion up to the neck in cold water, simply ending a hot shower with 30-90 seconds of cold water appears to provide stress relieving benefits.
And for those of you who, like me, HATE being cold, frequent cold exposure can actually help us acclimate to the cold better and can make us feel warmer in cold environments.
Unwinder challenge: Take the (cold) plunge******
If you have just 5 minutes:
You can get benefit from short exposures to cold water by doing the following:
Splash cold water on your face several times
Wash your hands in cold water several times throughout the day
End your hot shower with 30-90 minutes of the coldest water available, ideally sitting under the stream so that it flows down your entire body
If you have 10 minutes or more:
Use any of the above techniques often
Fill your bathtub with cold water and sit in it up to your neck for up to 3 minutes. At first, you may only be able to tolerate a minute. Each time you repeat, you should be able to tolerate a longer session.******
Take a short walk outside during cold weather without a coat. When you come back inside, allow yourself to warm up over time, rather than jumping into a hot shower or getting under the covers.
If you’re up for more…
Try sleeping in a 65 degree F room each night. You can use covers. But even just head and neck exposure can help you acclimate to cold, and create the metabolic effects of cold therapy to strengthen your immune system and mental resilience.
Try adding ice to your bath. You can get the benefits discussed above at temperatures as high as 68 degrees F, but if you can tolerate temperatures as low as 35 degrees F, your time in the tub can be shorter. (check out the video below to see how to acclimate to the cold water) ******
If you have access to a sauna and shower, and have 20-30 min, try the contrasting routine Dr Soeberg recommends: 2-3 min cold shower followed by 10-15 minutes in the sauna, followed by another 2-3 min cold shower, 10-15 min sauna, and finish with 2-3 min cold shower.******
******If you have uncontrolled hypertension, a heart condition, have other chronic medical conditions or are pregnant, discuss these therapies with your physician before trying.
Resources:
Dr Susanna Soeberg learn more about her work
https://vimeo.com/277427285 watch this researcher experience cold shock therapy
Short term whole body (head out) cold water immersion and positive affect
Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder
Adapted cold shower as a treatment for depression
The 5/10/15
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