Hop on social media these days, and it’s not uncommon for a video to pop up of someone looking meditative in a cold plunge pool. In the caption, they wax poetic about the innumerable benefits, both physical and mental, of these icy dips. 

Once seen as a recovery practice for professional athletes, the trend has gone mainstream. People are immersing themselves in personal cold plunge pools, taking frigid showers, dunking in the ocean year round — and even swimming in Tahoe during the winter. But what does it really accomplish?

“The cold temperature can help reduce inflammation, muscle soreness, and swelling by constricting blood vessels and decreasing metabolic activity,” explains Hudson Wilvers, a physical therapist at Barton Rehabilitation in South Lake Tahoe. “Cold water therapy may help with short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) pain by lowering inflammation and blocking nerve cells that signal pain in the body.” 

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The cold exposure also affects the brain by causing a significant release of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. 

“These neurochemicals make us feel alert, increase energy and focus, elevate mood, and enhance focus and attention,” notes Wilvers. “In addition, cold exposure also helps to stimulate your vagus nerve, which carries signals between your brain, heart, and digestive system. By stimulating the vagus nerve, your internal organs may be sent into a resting state, which can give a feeling of mental clarity and a sense of well-being.”

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Cold plunges may also temporarily boost metabolism, adds Wilvers, though there is individual variability. 

The cold pool at the Barton Center for Orthopedics and Wellness is usually set between 50-55 degrees. An example treatment for an athlete with joint and muscle pain may include deliberate cold water exposure for 1-5 minute sessions for a minimum of 11 minutes in a week, according to Wilvers.  

While cold water plunges are used in recovery, a growing number of people have made it a regular part of their mental and physical upkeep. For several winters, Kimberly Harter, a wellness coach, hosted a weekly cold plunge at William Kent Beach in Tahoe City. 

The icy dunks in Tahoe, where the surface water temperature ranges from 42 degrees in the winter to over 70 degrees in the summer, are an integral part of the wellness routine that has kept her healthy and out of the hospital. For a decade, Harters struggled with symptoms of various autoimmune disorders, among other conditions, which forced her to drop out of school and put her life on hold. 

After exhausting a range of pharmaceutical and natural treatments, Harter began exploring ayurveda, brain retraining techniques, breathwork and cold therapy. 

“I was very cold sensitive at first,” explains Harter, who learned the accompanying breathing methods from Wim Hof, a Dutch extreme athlete known as “The Iceman.” Hof filmed an episode of the 2020 Netflix show The goop Lab about the benefits of cold exposure through a polar plunge in Lake Tahoe. 

“I’m going to intentionally put myself into a stressful situation — cold water — and allow my system to learn to reset itself. After about 45 seconds to a minute, the body calms. You’re still cold, but there’s a calmness that comes over the mind and body,” says Harter. “I think the biggest thing is the mental part of it beforehand. Thinking, ‘I’m going to get into this water, and it’s going to be really freaking cold.’ It’s getting past that barrier and allowing yourself to feel the shock of the cold. Over time, you learn to strengthen that more and more to where you can just walk into the lake, and you’re not going to have this crazy experience where you feel like you need to scream.” 

PULL QUOTE: “You’re still cold, but there’s a calmness that comes over the mind and body.” 

Though more examination is needed, initial research indicates that cold water therapy may even aid in the treatment of anxiety and depression. A 2020 study found that 61 people who participated in a 10-week course in cold-water ocean swimming had improvements in mood and well-being. Another British case study examined a 24-year-old woman who, after four months of cold-water swimming, no longer required medication for depression and anxiety. 

“It is an amazing way to shock the system out of patterns of behavior that you don’t want it to be in,” adds Harter. 

But cold water therapy doesn’t come without its risks. 

Cold water shock can cause an involuntary gasp reflex and hyperventilating, which could result in drowning, so ease in, do not jump into deep water and don’t go for a dip alone. The American Heart Association also warns that the cold water exposure can put extra strain on the heart, so it’s not recommended for those with a cardiac history. 

“Before engaging in cold water immersion or any other therapeutic practice, it is always advisable to consult with a medical provider or healthcare professional who can assess your unique circumstances and provide personalized guidance,” concludes Wilvers. “They will be able to take into account any underlying health conditions, individual sensitivities, or potential risks to ensure that the practice is safe and appropriate for you.”

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Winter 2023 edition of Tahoe Magazine.