Can Cold Plunging Boost Mood?
Some studies suggest that cold water swimming can improve mood and diminish negative emotions.
That raises a key question: is it the exercise that improves mood, or can immersing yourself in cold water alone do the trick?
Susanna Søberg, Danish winter swimmer and foremost researcher of cold water's effects on the body, says that just like antidepressants, dipping yourself into cold water can increase levels of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine in the body. These neurotransmitters are known to improve mood.
What Studies Show About How Cold Plunging May Boost Mood
A 2021 UK study was conducted to gain further insight to whether cold water exposure alone can improve mood.
Researchers recruited 64 University of Chichester students to join one of two test groups: 1) a cold-plunging group or 2) a control group that would not participate in a cold plunge.
Each member in both groups was asked to complete three questionnaires: a basic survey of questions related to demographics, a Connectedness to Nature scale, and a Profile of Mood States (POMS), which would detail subjects’ mood levels.
Both groups completed the POMS twice, before and after the cold plunge experiment in the ocean.
The experiment took place over the course of a week. After everyone filled out the questionnaire, the cold plunge group of 42 people was split in three and scheduled across three days. On their day, the test subjects were invited to wade into the 56°F ocean and stay up to their necks for about 20 minutes without swimming. Upon exiting the water, they filled out the same mood questionnaire. The control group also filled out the questionnaire while indoors at the university campus, as they didn’t participate in the cold plunge.
Results were fascinating.
The POMS evaluated levels of anger, depression, fatigue, confusion, vigor, and esteem-related effects. At baseline, the cold water immersion group had higher levels of each negative emotion. But after the plunges, that group reported lower levels of anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion, and higher levels of vigor and esteem.
On the other hand, there wasn’t as much of a change in the control group, except those subjects on average had higher levels of depression the second time they filled out the POMS. The cold water group even surpassed the control group in vigor and esteem after their immersion in the ocean.
Cold Plunging Alone May Help Improve Mood
According to these results, one deliberate immersion in cold water, even without swimming, can significantly reduce negative emotions and improve positive ones.
Perhaps similar effects may occur with people who immerse in much colder water for shorter periods of time.
Countless PLUNJers experience a boost in mood even after getting neck-deep in cold water for just 1-2 minutes.
If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, or complex negative emotions, try a plunge into cold water or cold shower. There's a chance it will help you relax, get out of your head, and feel better.
SOURCES
John S. Kelly, & Ellis Bird. (2022). Improved mood following a single immersion in cold water. Lifestyle Medicine, 3(1). https://doi-org.ezproxy.uvu.edu/10.1002/lim2.53
Søberg, S. 2022. Winter Swimming (E. DeNoma, Trans., 1st ed.). MacLehose Press. (Original work published 2019).