Wellbeing

Get into Cold Water

Jayney Goddard shares the incredible health benefits of cold-water exposure and offers tips on how you can try it for yourself

It was a chilly morning in April, and I had an appointment to sit in an inflatable pool, filled to the brim with ice water, with ‘The Ice Man’ himself – Wim Hof. You’ve probably seen documentaries about this phenomenal human being, if not, do check him out online. Wim specialises in doing the seemingly impossible to prove to us that we are far more capable and resilient than we may realise. Holder of more than 50 world records for feats of endurance, Wim has created a system of breathwork, meditation and cold exposure that could, theoretically, enable any of us to replicate his feats. I was particularly interested in cold therapy as I’d first come across this concept many years ago, when it was suggested as a way of calming down my immune response, by the legendary naturopath Leon Chaitow. Cold exposure has been used therapeutically for thousands of years in many different cultures. Dr Chaitow explained that a daily cold shower would help to suppress my body’s overactive immune system (I have rheumatoid arthritis), and potentially reeducate it so that it would learn to behave in a more ‘normal’ fashion. From that day onward I incorporated cold showers into my daily routine.

Before you get totally turned off by the idea, let me first tell you about all the incredible benefits of cold exposure and then I will explain how to take a cold shower safely – and even somewhat enjoyably – so that you too can reap the many benefits!

Natural healing powers

Controlled cold exposure – cold-water immersion, or a cold shower, activates your body’s natural healing powers and can relieve the symptoms of many medical conditions, while promoting a sense of general health and wellbeing. When practised daily, it has been shown in trials to confer long-lasting benefits to your body’s immune, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive systems that have the potential to dramatically enhance your overall quality of life and, best of all, it costs nothing.

Cold exposure and your lymphatic and immune systems

Your lymphatic system is a network of tiny vessels that run throughout your body and is responsible for cleansing your body – flushing away waste, bacteria, and other pathogens and toxins. Your lymphatic system depends upon movement and/or muscle contraction to pump lymph fluid through the vessels. So, if you don’t or can’t exercise, the fluid in your lymphatic system stagnates and toxins build up, manifesting in colds, joint pain and infection. Cold water immersion triggers your lymph vessels to contract, helping to flush waste out of your body.

Circulation

Cold exposure dramatically improves circulation, strengthening blood vessels and improving their ability to expand and contract. When you immerse your body in cold water, the blood rushes to surround your vital organs and away from your extremities. Your heart then pumps more efficiently, pushing blood through all your vessels. Cold exposure is like a workout for your circulatory system. With improved circulation, everything else improves too – heart health, mental performance, sexual response, the immune system and our metabolism is vastly improved.

Reduced Inflammation

Any activity that drives your muscles beyond their normal limits causes microscopic tears in the fibres and inflammation of the tissue. This process is quite normal and is actually a desirable part of the exercise process if we are trying to build muscle. However, it can lead to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or ‘DOMS’. Cold-water immersion has been shown to assist in counteracting these side-effects. It can lower injured tissue’s temperature and constricts blood vessels. This reduces swelling and inflammation and numbs the nerve endings, bringing rapid relief to any perceived pain.

Mental Resilience

Doing any activity that moves you outside of your comfort zone increases your resilience, and having a cold shower is an ideal mental strengthening exercise. Forcing yourself to do things that you would generally prefer not to helps you to grow as a human being (provided the chosen activity is safe!). Taking cold showers for example, along with activities that challenge you personally, causes a form of stress called ‘eustress’, which actually contributes to making us healthier overall.

Try it for yourself

At the end of your morning shower, turn down the temperature as low as you can handle for just a few seconds to begin with and, starting at your feet, gradually work your way up your body. After a couple of years, I can now withstand five minutes. Don’t immerse your head as you could feel dizzy and fall. Take slow deep breaths, knowing that in just a few seconds you’ll turn the warm tap back on again. Enjoy!

Jayney Goddard is president of the Complementary Medical Association. Find out more at the-cma.org.uk

Article by

Jayney Goddard

President of the Complementary Medical Association

is the president of the Complementary Medical Association

Discover more

Article by

Jayney Goddard

President of the Complementary Medical Association

is the president of the Complementary Medical Association

Discover more