One scroll through social media lately and you may stumble on videos of fitness influencers or celebrities dunking themselves in cold water in the name of health. Say hello to the world of cold plunging — a practice that is said to come with a plethora of both physical and mental benefits.
While there is not an exact, one-size-fits-all definition for cold plunging, the water tends to be between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit and is usually done for no more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time, said Dr. Tracy Zaslow, a primary care sports medicine physician at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. However, some people are taking their dunks in temps lower than that, with some showing themselves breaking a layer of ice off the top of their bath before climbing in. Normally, everything except your head is submerged.
“The premise is that it provides health benefits,” according to Dr. John Whyte, the chief medical officer at WebMD. But is that really true? Are the perks of submerging yourself in icy water really worth the chill? We asked experts to weigh in on some of cold plunging’s purported benefits:
Claim 1: Cold plunging helps with muscle soreness.
Many athletes have been practicing various forms of cold plunging for years, but you may have heard them called ice baths. The premise is essentially the same, and the goal is usually to eliminate muscle soreness after a tough workout.
“There [are] some studies that did show if you submerge for about 10 minutes after exercising that there may be less soreness in the days to follow,” Zaslow said.
But, oppositely, other studies show stretching or doing some active recovery after a workout is more beneficial than a cold plunge, she added. “So, I think that it’s mixed on that.”
Claim 2: It boosts your immune system.
Brands like Plunge, which sells a cold plunge tub, claim cold plunging benefits your immune system — which is also a common idea among people on TikTok and Instagram.
“The claim about boosting immunity I think is a little more theoretical,” Zaslow said.
Different studies have looked at cold plunging’s impact on the immune system but have paired the activity with meditation and deep breathing.
“And so, when those were [done] together, there was some decrease in infection rates, but it wasn’t clear which one of those was the most significant,” Zaslow stated, “and there was definitely some thought that it was the breathing versus the cold water immersion that was a…
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