I Took The Plunge: Cold Water Therapy

It's 34 degrees this morning. My body temperature is the lowest it'll be all day. I'm about to walk outside and do something that most sane people fear. I'm about to take the plunge! Stepping into 35-degree water when your body is already cold is awful. I know there are many proponents out there who advocate for cold water therapy or cold water immersion and will tell you that it's invigorating, or that they can't go a day without it. I do agree that it can become almost addictive, but I bet the fear is there for each and every one of them before they dip a toe into the arctic water. It's a bit masochistic if you think about it. I will say, though, it can be invigorating and stimulating, and it can also give you a sense of pride that you conquered the cold water and lived to tell about it.

Cold water therapy dates back to ancient Egyptian and Greek practices, but in recent years it has been popularized by the "Ice Man" Wim Hof, along with many other celebrities and influencers. To be completely honest, I first heard about it on the Joe Rogan podcast, and I thought it would be a great way to test my mental and physical resolve. If it came with health benefits, great. If not, at least I could have something to brag about at parties.

Living in Phoenix, AZ at the time, I didn’t have quick access to an ocean, lake, or river. I guess I could have jumped into a golf course pond, but I wanted to see some health benefits, not create new health issues. I heard that some people use their pools to plunge during the winter, but I didn’t have easy access to a pool at the time. I started to research how much it would cost to purchase a cold plunge. After seeing the price, I knew that wasn’t the route I could afford to go. So, I typed in "DIY Cold Plunge" into the YouTube search bar, and the journey began.

Before spending any money on materials to create my DIY cold plunge, I had to ease my way into cold water. I started by turning the shower knob to the cold setting for about 30 seconds after my warm shower. That sucked. I did notice a little pep in my step afterward, though. That pep didn’t last long, because I had to sit in traffic and head to a job I hated for 8 hours. After about a week of this, I decided it was time to try a cold shower from beginning to end. That was definitely harder. I wanted to make it to 3 minutes in a freezing cold shower. When I reached that milestone, I would feel comfortable enough to start spending money on this cold plunging journey. It took me about 3 weeks to consistently get to 3-minute showers. I was ready. After almost a month of taking cold showers, I became a little addicted to it. I wasn’t fully sure of the health benefits, but the initial shock of the cold water woke me up in a different way than a warm shower did. It kept me more motivated in the morning. The feeling didn’t last all day, but taking on the cold in the morning made me feel a bit more courageous about the day ahead.

DIY COLD PLUNGE:

In my search for the perfect DIY cold plunge, I came across quite a few options: a horse trough, a kiddie pool, and a deep freezer were the most common. I went with the deep freezer. It seemed like the easiest and cheapest way to do it. I found a deep freezer on Facebook Marketplace for $150 and purchased all the other items on Amazon. Along with the freezer, you need a temperature regulator, the most common being the Inkbird ITC-308; an ozone machine for water sterilization (I used the Airthereal AH1000); and a water filter. The filter is used to keep the water moving so it doesn’t freeze over. I purchased a MarineLand canister filter. I watched many videos on the best way to do this, but I got some good information from a video called "DIY Chest Freezer Cold Plunge for $618.89". After about a week, all the items arrived. I followed the steps from the videos, filled it up, and was ready to jump in.

It was time to take the plunge. I had to wait about a day after filling the freezer because the water had to cool to the temperature I wanted. I initially set it to 45 degrees. I remember it was March 31st—my birthday. It was probably in the 70s outside, because, remember, I was in Phoenix, and springtime there is usually pretty spectacular weather-wise. I went outside around noon, disrobed, and got in. Once I put my feet in, I knew this was going to suck. I sat down, and as the water inched up my body, I could feel my adrenaline spiking. My breathing started to increase to the point where I was having trouble catching my breath. Holy shit, this was a mistake, I thought to myself. Once I was fully submerged, I started to slow my breathing and heart rate by taking deep inhales and long exhales. I DID IT! My breathing became more regular, and though I was still shivering, I felt a sense of calm and accomplishment. I lasted about 2 minutes. When I got out, I felt great. At the time, I wasn’t sure if that feeling was because I actually did it, or because the cold therapy had done its job. Maybe it was both, but I know it was a great feeling. After that day, I went a full month without missing a day of plunging. I worked my way up to 8 minutes at 35 degrees. I felt very proud of myself. Now, I try to get in about 2-3 times a week, usually after a gym session. I will say that I've never really done it consistently before 8 a.m. I'm sure there are certain benefits to getting in before then, but I think 8 a.m. fits better with my lifestyle.

BENEFITS:

The experience of cold water therapy has been great. If I'm in a bad mood or feeling sluggish, a quick 3 minutes in the plunge can turn that around. Mental clarity and mood enhancement are some of the major benefits I’ve experienced. When you initially get in, everything escapes your mind. The only thought you’ll be having is how much the cold water stings and how much time is left. Your cortisol will balance out, and your dopamine will skyrocket while you're immersed in the cold water. You’ll feel like the Energizer Bunny when you get out. On top of those benefits, it has helped with my sore muscles and sinuses. I would submerge my head for a few seconds each time I got in, and I noticed that I wasn’t as congested throughout the day. I also saw that it helped boost my immunity. For a good 6 months while doing this, I didn’t get sick. There were a few weeks when everyone in my house was sick, and it didn’t get me. Yes, this could be good luck, but I am normally the first one to catch an illness, and I didn’t. I was also battling non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which I was diagnosed with about 3 weeks before I started plunging. I changed my diet for 3 weeks before setting foot into the cold plunge, and my ALT levels went down a bit. But 2 weeks after I started, my levels fell back to normal. As I mentioned, I was eating well, but I do believe that pairing a healthy diet with cold water therapy helped me fight off the NAFLD.

In conclusion, cold water therapy is worth a try. Whether in a horse trough, kiddie pool, deep freezer, or a $4,000 cold plunge, the benefits are there. I’m not saying it’ll cure all your ailments, but I do believe it can benefit your body in many different ways. I have become a proponent of cold plunging, and I do recommend it to everyone I brag about it to at parties. Just kidding... kind of.