Cold Water Immersion, Yes or No?
Harika Maganti
August 2025
Cold plunges and cold showers have long been popular in healthy living circles although originating from traditional practices in many northern cultures. It involves either immersion or showering in cold water for a given period of time. This is done mainly to improve focus, circulation, and many other purported health benefits. However, is it truly helpful for women? Let’s take a plunge into the research and find out.
General Systemic Effects
The main effect one can notice immediately with a cold shower or plunge is that the body tries to regulate heat production to maintain the normal temperature. So, although at first you might feel cold, after some time the water feels more bearable. What exactly is happening here? Our skin gets heat from the underlying blood vessels (our blood is warm!). When we get exposed to cold, our body first tries to preserve warmth by restricting the vessels, then after a few minutes it dilates the vessels to try and get that area warm again. [1] A secondary response to cold exposure is shivering, which attempts to increase heat production by continuous contraction of the skeletal muscles.[1] This activity in turn increases the body’s metabolism and makes us warmer. Typically shivering starts when the body’s core temperature falls between 36.2°to 36.5° C. [1]
Pros and Cons
Now coming to some benefits of cold water immersion, the first noticeable benefits are mental. Many people report that they feel sharper, more alert and focused after just a few minutes, and in a study the participants also had significant positive changes in their mood. [7] There is also evidence that regular cold showers can help boost our immunity, specifically through increasing immunoglobulin, interleukin levels, and T-lymphocytes. [1] Another key benefit of cold water immersion is increased insulin sensitivity due to the changes in fat cells. [1] There are also cardio-protective effects in cold-adapted individuals; research participants were found to have reduced levels of homocysteine and oxidative-stress markers in their blood samples. [1] So as we can see, this is a practice that can help improve general well-being, but are there any downsides? The answer is yes. Staying in the icy water for too long may lead to hypothermia, but how long is too long? [2] That may vary based on a person’s weight, body fat percentage, and other factors. Generally in water at 0°C, it takes less than 30 minutes for the body’s core temperature to decrease to the point of entering into a hypothermic state. [2] There are also cardiovascular risks, especially in individuals with pre-existing heart conditions, caused by the shock of icy water leading to arrhythmias and even cardiac arrest. [2] And studies show cold water swimming can increase blood pressure and cardiac troponin even in healthy individuals, which can lead to cardiac arrhythmias. [2] Finally, there is also the risk of drowning when plunging into cold water, caused by the initial shock and subsequent hyperventilation [2]
Effects on Women
Studies show that there are some differences between the genders when it comes to bodily responses to the cold water, men tend to have more of a metabolic response while women tend to have more of an insulative response. [1] Meaning men’s bodies increase heat production via shivering while women’s bodies prioritize the basal temperature and reduce the skin temperature. [3] This is because women tend to have more body fat, and men tend to have more skeletal muscle. [3] Men also have more neuroendocrine and immune responses compared to women. [1] Cold water immersion is used to help muscle recovery after exercise, however a recent study determined that it did not have a similar effect for women. [6] In another small study, it was shown that women tend to have more cardiovascular strain compared to men when doing cold water immersion. [4] It’s also interesting to note that general exposure to cold is a factor (among many) that can increase dysmenorrhea. [5] In general there are fewer gender-specific studies on the effects of cold water-immersion, so more research is needed to get a clearer picture.
Conclusion
Cold water immersion is a practice that has the potential to improve our health when done safely, it is best to start small at first and slowly let the body get adapted to the cold water. After all, research indicates that cold adapted individuals tend to experience more benefits compared to others. [1] It may be helpful for women to avoid the practice during and a few days before menstruation. People with cardiac conditions should use caution when attempting cold plunges, and should talk to a medical professional before starting.
References:
[1] Esperland, D., de Weerd, L., & Mercer, J. B. (2022, September 22). Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debate. International journal of circumpolar health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9518606/#s0003
[2] Knechtle, B., Waśkiewicz, Z., Sousa, C. V., Hill, L., & Nikolaidis, P. T. (2020, December 2). Cold water swimming-benefits and risks: A narrative review. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7730683/#sec14-ijerph-17-08984
[3] Solianik, R., Skurvydas, A., Vitkauskiene, A., & Brazaitis, M. (2014, May 6). Gender-specific cold responses induce a similar body-cooling rate but different neuroendocrine and immune responses. Cryobiology. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001122401400087X?via%3Dihub
[4] Tsoutsoubi, L., Loannou, L., Mantzios, K., Ziaka, S., Flouris, A., & Nybo, L. (2022, July 5). Cardiovascular stress and characteristics of cold-induced vasodilation in women and men during cold-water immersion: A Randomized Control Study. Biology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36101432/
[5] Wang, L., Yan, Y., Qiu, H., Xu, D., Zhu, J., Liu, J., & Lu, H. (2022, May 3). Prevalence and risk factors of primary dysmenorrhea in students: A meta-analysis. Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35523614/
[6] Wellauer, V., Clijsen, R., Bianchi, G., Riggi, E., & Hohenauer, E. (2025, May 7). No acceleration of recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage after cold or hot water immersion in women: A randomised controlled trial. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0322416#:~:text=The%20findings%20of%20this%20study,72%20h%20follow%2Dup%20period.
[7] Yankouskaya, A., Williamson, R., Stacey, C., Totman, J. J., & Massey, H. (2023, January 29). Short-term head-out whole-body cold-water immersion facilitates positive affect and increases interaction between large-scale brain networks. Biology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9953392/#sec4-biology-12-00211
