Does Cold Plunge Increase Cortisol?

Imagine stepping into a tub of ice-cold water. Your breath catches, your heart races, and your body jolts awake. It’s an intense experience hailed as a powerful tool for everything from muscle recovery to mental clarity. But what about the effect on your stress levels? 

With all the talk about cold plunges boosting wellness, there’s a lingering question: Could this chilly dip be spiking your cortisol, the stress hormone? 

Before you take the plunge, let’s discuss whether this icy practice is increasing your stress or helping you manage it.

Keep reading to find out everything there is to know about cold plunges and cortisol. 

What is the Function of Cortisol in the Body?

Cortisol is a vital glucocorticoid hormone produced by the adrenal glands that plays several key roles in the body's endocrine system. 

It is crucial for regulating metabolism, managing blood pressure, modulating the immune response, and enabling the body's stress response. However, while cortisol is beneficial in short bursts, prolonged elevation due to chronic stress can lead to various health issues.

Here are the various roles that cortisol plays in the human body: 

Regulating Metabolism

Cortisol affects how the body utilizes carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, ensuring these nutrients are effectively converted into energy. This regulation is crucial for maintaining a steady energy supply throughout the day.

Managing Blood Pressure

Cortisol helps manage blood pressure by influencing the constriction of blood vessels. This function is critical for maintaining cardiovascular health and ensuring the circulatory system operates effectively.

Modulating the Immune System

Cortisol significantly impacts the immune system by suppressing inflammation and modulating immune responses to various threats. This helps the body defend itself against infections and heal from injuries.

Stress Response

Often referred to as the "stress hormone," cortisol plays a pivotal role in the body's response to stress. During stressful situations, cortisol is released into the bloodstream, triggering physiological changes such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels to help cope with the stressor.

Effects of Prolonged Elevated Cortisol Levels

While cortisol is helpful in short-term stress situations, chronically elevated levels due to prolonged stress can negatively affect health.  

These effects include weakened immune function, impaired cognitive abilities, mood disturbances, and disruptions in metabolic processes, potentially leading to insulin resistance, weight gain, and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Now that we know cortisol's role, let’s determine which factors affect its levels. 

Factors Affecting Cortisol Levels

Various factors can affect cortisol levels in the body by increasing or disrupting the production and release of this crucial hormone. These factors can be psychological, physical, environmental, or lifestyle-related. Understanding these influences is essential for managing cortisol levels and maintaining overall health.

Let’s start with psychological stress. 

Psychological Stress

Emotional stress is one of the most significant triggers for cortisol release. Situations such as work pressure, relationship conflicts, or financial worries can surge cortisol as your body prepares to handle the perceived threat. This is part of the body's natural "fight or flight" response, designed to help you navigate stressful situations.

Physical Stress

The body also responds to physical stress by increasing cortisol production. This includes intense exercise, illness, injury, or undergoing surgery. In these cases, cortisol helps facilitate the body's natural healing processes, aiding recovery and maintaining the energy levels needed to overcome physical challenges.

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep is important for regulating cortisol levels. When you don't get enough sleep or have poor sleep quality, it can disrupt the normal rhythm of cortisol secretion. Instead of decreasing at night, cortisol levels may stay high, causing various health problems over time, such as increased stress and impaired immune function.

Caffeine and Alcohol

The consumption of stimulants such as caffeine and depressants like alcohol can impact cortisol levels. 

Excessive caffeine intake can stimulate the adrenal glands to release more cortisol, mimicking the body's stress response. Similarly, alcohol, especially in large quantities, can disrupt the natural rhythm of cortisol production, leading to imbalances that affect mood, sleep, and overall health.

Environmental Changes

The body's response to environmental stress can also affect cortisol levels. Extreme hot and cold temperatures can lead to a surge in cortisol as the body strives to maintain its equilibrium. 

Moreover, high altitudes can increase cortisol as part of the acclimatization process, and jet lag from traveling across time zones can disrupt cortisol rhythms as the body adapts to new light-dark cycles.

Now that we understand cortisol, what it does, and how its levels are affected, let’s discuss how cold plunging can affect cortisol levels. 

How Cold Plunging Affects Cortisol Levels

Although the initial stress response to taking a cold plunge may increase cortisol levels in the moment, many studies indicate that cold water immersion helps lower cortisol levels for significant periods of time following the cold plunge. 

Let’s take a closer look at some notable pieces of research on this front. 

Study #1

Here's a study that examined how cold-water immersion impacts emotional states and brain connectivity. 

The findings suggest that cold-water immersion can help lower cortisol levels over the long term by improving the brain's regulation of stress and emotional responses.

Participants who underwent a 5-minute immersion in 20°C water reported increased positive emotions (such as feeling more active, alert, and attentive) and decreased negative emotions (such as feeling less distressed and nervous). 

These mood improvements were associated with brain connectivity changes, particularly in attention control, emotion regulation, and self-regulation. 

This adaptation suggests that cold-water immersion can lower cortisol levels in the long run by enhancing the brain's capacity to manage stress and regulate emotions effectively.

Study #2

This study examined how a single 15-minute session of cold water immersion (CWI) at 10°C affects cortisol levels and mood in healthy adults. 

The results showed that cortisol levels, a biomarker for stress, significantly decreased 180 minutes after immersion compared to pre-immersion levels. This reduction in cortisol suggests that cold water immersion can help lower stress hormone levels after the initial exposure.

In addition to cortisol reduction, participants reported a decrease in negative mood 180 minutes post-immersion. 

This suggests that CWI might contribute to psychological well-being by alleviating negative emotions like stress or anxiety. Interestingly, positive mood ratings did not change, indicating that the primary mood benefit from CWI may lie in reducing negative feelings rather than enhancing positive ones.

Study #3

This study provides evidence suggesting that regular exposure to cold water immersion (CWI) can help lower cortisol levels in the long run by promoting physiological adaptations. 

The review highlights that regular CWI decreases cortisol levels, possibly due to the body's acclimation to cold stress. This adaptation involves improved stress management and reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation, which governs cortisol production.

Moreover, the study indicates that repeated cold exposure significantly increases norepinephrine levels, which supports improved cold tolerance and potentially helps alleviate stress. 

These changes suggest that the body becomes more efficient in regulating stress responses over time, thereby reducing cortisol production. The review also notes that while other hormonal responses, like growth or thyroid hormones, remain mostly unchanged, the consistent decrease in cortisol levels points to a long-term stress-reducing effect of cold exposure. 

It is clear that cold plunges have great potential to lower cortisol levels and, therefore, provide many other benefits. The time to start taking the icy plunge is now. Shop at Icetubs to get your dedicated cold plunge tubs. 

To help keep those cortisol levels low, let’s discuss how to incorporate cold plunging into your routine. 

Incorporate Cold Plunging Into Your Routine

To reap the potential cortisol-lowering benefits of cold water immersion, begin with short sessions of 30 seconds to two minutes in water between 50-59°F (10-15°C). 

As your body adapts to the cold over time, you can gradually increase the duration of your plunges and decrease the water temperature for an added challenge.

Aim to incorporate cold plunging into your routine two to three times per week for optimal stress-modulating effects. 

Consistency is key to adapting to the cold and improving your body's resilience to stress. However, having a convenient way to cold plunge at home matters, too, especially as far as consistency is concerned. 

Making Cold Plunging Convenient at Home

While you can pour ice into your tub or seek out natural bodies of cold water for your plunges, having a dedicated cold plunge setup at home makes it much easier to maintain a regular practice. Options like the IceBath or the IceBarrel XL provide a convenient way to access cold water immersion whenever needed.

This is because these cold plunge tubs have various features that make the experience more convenient and effective. 

Look for features that enhance the cold plunging experience, such as:

Precise Temperature Control

Adjustable cooling systems allow you to set and maintain your desired water temperature for optimal results.

Durable, Insulated Construction

High-quality materials like stainless steel and thick insulation help keep the water cold longer, reducing energy consumption.

Filtration and Sanitation

Built-in filtration and ozone or UV sanitation systems keep the water clean and hygienic for regular use.

Compact, Space-Saving Design

Smaller footprints and portable options make incorporating a cold plunge into your home wellness setup easier, even if space is limited.

With the right equipment and a consistent routine, you can use cold water immersion to help regulate cortisol levels, build stress resilience, and support overall health and well-being.

Final Thoughts

While cold plunges may initially trigger a temporary spike in cortisol due to the body's acute stress response, research indicates that consistent cold-water immersion can help lower cortisol levels in the long run. 

This reduction is linked to improved stress management and enhanced emotional regulation as the body adapts to the cold and becomes more efficient at handling stress. Over time, these physiological adaptations may lead to reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation, resulting in decreased cortisol production. 

Furthermore, cold plunging also promotes increased levels of norepinephrine, which supports stress resilience and overall well-being. 

By incorporating regular cold plunges into your routine and using specialized cold plunge setups at home, you can effectively harness the benefits of cold-water immersion to manage stress, lower cortisol levels, and improve physical and mental health.

To reap these benefits, shop now at Icetubs.