Why You Actually Hate Cold Water Exposure

Cold water exposure is highly popular in among athletes and adrenaline junkies. The rise in popularity of unique personalities like Wim Hof and David Goggins have just increased public interest towards cold water exposure (at least the adrenaline junkies in the public). There has also been a recent increase in a movement towards the ‘cold showering is cool’ club. Cold water is not a new phenomenon for human beings. If that is the case, then what has changed in recent times that makes cold water so cool? Furthermore, the new movement has not made me (or arguably anyone else) enjoy cold water any more than before. If athletes, prominent personalities, and high performers are supporting cold water exposure for various health benefits, why am I not liking cold water? This article tries to explore answers to the aforementioned questions.

This essay is supported by Generatebg

The Allure of Cold Water Exposure

It should first be argued that Athletes and high performing people do not love cold water exposure. They do it because it serves specific purposes like reducing inflammation and increasing muscle recovery rate, among others. Clearly, the drive towards the ‘cold water exposure is cool’ club comes from the apparent health benefits of the ordeal. On the other hand, the typical human ego loves to be a bit of a rebel. And if you do something that all humans hate, you gain attention; something that the ego likes very much. And there are probably a bunch of other factors that add to the allure of the cold water exposure.

The Thermoneutral Body Temperature

The human body is designed (by nature? Or God?) to operate at a thermoneutral temperature of around 37 degrees Celsius. So, immersing the body in water that is less than 35 degrees Celsius has clearly apparent health risks. These risks have largely to do with the cardiovascular performance of the body, and partly to do with the psyche as well.

So, my body for sure does not like it when the cardiovascular systems are put under stress and worse, there is a non-insignificant risk of a cold shock triggered cardiac arrest. Having said that, if the environment is carefully controlled, both in terms of duration and psychological preparation, it could be a relatively safer approach with a skewed-upside towards the health benefits of cold water exposure. That doesn’t make it any easier for me. So, what are the other factors involved in such an ordeal?

The Psychological Factor in Cold Water Exposure

The obvious psychological aspect of cold water exposure is the initial shock. When the body is in contact with cold water, there is a non-insignificant drop in body temperature. This drop in body temperature is so drastic that it generates a cold shock response. This response involves vasoconstriction (the constriction of the blood vessels) and shunting (the diversion of blood flow away from non-essential systems like skin and towards essential organs like brain, heart, etc.). All this happens due to the release of adrenaline that is triggered by the cold shock response.

The cold shock response is one of the key psychological factors involved in non-voluntary cold water exposure. The initial response can be quite scary for some. Thus, exposing oneself to cold water could lead to an initial fear response. If repeated over time, this fear response could lead to an adverse psychological effect in some cases. In other cases, it could lead to the opposite response (yes, human nature is indeed complicated) akin to humans getting addicted to minor electric shocks and other such normally harmful phenomena.

Is Cold Water Exposure Worth It?

The answer is subjective. People who are looking for performance and health benefits at the cost of pain might be more interested in it than others. It is also to be noted that such people might have access to a very controlled environment that minimizes the dangers involved. It is important to understand that there are risks involved in cold water exposure. The duration of the exposure must be short enough to eliminate the risk of an involuntary cold shock response, but long enough for the benefits to manifest (which is not easy, and could vary from person to person; yes, not that straight forward). Similarly, the psychological approach to this ordeal must be considered carefully. Whether one does it for health benefits or just to attention-brag, it is not a cakewalk for sure.

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Further reading that might interest you: 5 Underrated Immunity Boosters and Can We Really Solve The Ageing Challenge?