Cold Plunging Tips, Common Mistakes and FAQs

There are a number of scientifically-validated reasons why cold plunging is healthy. Some of the key benefits I have personally experienced since I started plunging in 2021 include: 

• Improved sleep quality (more deep and REM sleep).
• Improved athletic performance when I plunge before exercising (which is called pre-cooling).
• Less muscle soreness after intense exercise.
• Better stress management (i.e., I get stressed out less frequently). 
• Better cold temperature resilience. 

In this article, I’ll share some of the tips I’ve learned after years of plunging, go over some of the common mistakes I see beginners make, and answer a few of the most common questions I get asked about cold water therapy.

How I Leverage Cold Plunging

I use my cold plunge several times a week, and usually stay submerged in the cold water for two to five minutes (and sometimes longer). Based on my research, you’ll reap most of the benefits if you accumulate 11 minutes of cold exposure weekly. 

I don’t follow a strict plunging schedule, but I sometimes time my plunges strategically to achieve specific benefits.

• Early morning plunge. Cold water immersion triggers your body’s fight-or-flight mode, which releases adrenaline and glycogen to prepare for the perceived threat. So even if I had a bad night, jumping into the ice cold water makes me alert and ready to tackle the day. Of course, that initial jolt of energy wears off after a while — but it certainly helps to overcome any remaining morning grogginess.
• Pre-workout plunge. As counter-intuitive as it may sound, jumping into ice cold water before a workout can actually improve athletic performance by pre-cooling the mitochondria and slowing down muscle fatigue caused by cellular overheating.
• Post-workout plunge. If I have sore muscles after a hard workout, I jump into my cold plunge to speed up my recovery as part of my post-exercise routine. 
• Afternoon plunge. If I’m super stressed because of work, the kids, or a combination of both, I jump into the cold plunge, followed by a 30-minute session in my infrared sauna to relax and down-regulate my sympathetic nervous system.
• Evening plunge. If timed properly, plunging in the evening can help you fall asleep quicker. The key is to plunge early enough before bed to allow the body’s core temperature to return to its baseline (and for the fight-or-flight response to wear off). If you plunge too close to bedtime (causing your core temperature to go below your baseline), you might have trouble falling asleep as your body tries to increase its temperature (the opposite of what’s required to fall asleep). 

I’ve also experimented with longer plunges (up to 12 minutes each) to see how they would impact my body. What I’ve noticed during these tests is that every time I spend an extended period in freezing cold water, my heart rate variability (HRV) increases and my resting heart rate decreases during sleep. 

As I explained in my article about ways to increase your HRV, a high HRV (as compared to your baseline) is an indication that your body is recovering well from previous days’ stressors.

I consider prolonged cold water exposure a significant (hormetic) stressor (depending on how adapted you are to the cold) that can make you stronger and more resilient over time. But it’s important to listen to your body and to not overdo it. Too much stress without allowing for ample recovery in between sessions is counter-productive and can significantly weaken your immune system.

Cold Plunging Tips

Here’s the thing: cold water immersion is supposed to be uncomfortable. In other words, your goal shouldn’t be to make plunging comfortable (e.g., by increasing the water temperature until it feels good). Instead, your goal should be to learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable. 

It’s also worth pointing out that everyone has a different perception of cold, and what feels cold today might feel doable tomorrow, depending on your hormone levels and various other factors. So consider the tips below a starting point, and don’t be afraid to adjust them based on your individual needs and your progression as a plunger.

1. Start with water that’s between 50 and 60 degrees if you have never cold plunged before. If you experience a gasping reflex when submerging yourself, the water is likely cold enough. If you don’t, you need to lower the water temperature.
2. Don’t hesitate. Step in and sit or lie down (depending on if you use a tub, barrel or other type of plunge) in one fluid motion without hesitating.
3. Submerge your entire body up to your jaw line. To elicit the proper nervous system response, you need to submerge your neck to expose your vagus nerve to the cold temperature. If you can’t do that, increase the temperature and try again.
4. Control your breathing. Focus all your attention on slowing down your breath. Your body’s natural response is to start hyperventilating, which is counterproductive (it can also make you pass out). Slowing down your respiratory rate gets you out of the fight-or-flight mode by engaging the parasympathetic branch of your nervous system.
5. Stay calm. I always jokingly recommend that new plungers run through the five stages of grief and reach “acceptance” as quickly as possible. Once you have accepted the cold and the fact that you feel uncomfortable, you can allow your muscles to relax and make the experience so much more “enjoyable.”
6. Get out when you start shivering (or before). There are no hard rules on how long you need to expose yourself to cold water in order to reap the benefits. While studies have shown that you’ll reap certain benefits (like brown fat activation) with 11 minutes of weekly cold exposure, I recommend staying in the water until you start shivering, or long enough to start shivering once you’re out. 
7. Don’t watch the clock. I recommend setting a timer or playing a song so you know when it’s time to get out. If you start watching the clock, you’ll feel like time is slowing down. If you don’t worry about the clock and just focus on breathing, time will go by much quicker.
8. Move or remain still. If you’re new to plunging, you’ll feel more comfortable staying completely still, because it allows some of the water that’s directly in contact with your skin to form a thermal barrier. If you’re an experienced plunger, move around to break that thermal barrier and make the water feel even colder.
9. Do it again the next day. It takes a few weeks or months to form a new habit, but I noticed that after about three weeks of daily cold exposure, it started feeling less terrible. At that point, I wanted cold plunging to be a regular part of my routine. 
10. Warm up slowly. Instead of taking a hot shower or jumping into the sauna, I recommend allowing your body to warm up slowly (unless you’re intentionally practicing contrast therapy). In other words, rub yourself dry with a towel, do some jumping jacks (or other types of exercise), put on warm clothes and stay in the sun. Shivering while you’re slowly warming up burns extra calories and helps activate brown fat. 

Some people also recommend that you listen to your body and to get out if you feel lightheaded, numb or uncomfortable. The problem is, cold water exposure will likely make you feel all of those things (especially in the beginning), and many of the benefits of cold plunging can only be achieved if you manage to overcome your panic response.

In other words, getting out when you feel uncomfortable defeats the purpose. That’s why I recommend plunging only under the supervision of another adult who can assist you in the event of a true emergency.

On a side note, if you’re hyper-sensitive to cold, there is no harm in protecting your fingers and toes with neoprene gloves or socks, or sticking them out of the water. You won’t reap any more benefits by having cold fingers or toes. I like to keep my fingers and toes exposed to the cold to improve blood flow and to make them more resilient to cold temperatures, but it’s much more important to keep the rest of your body (including your neck) in the water.

Cold Plunging Mistakes

While cold plunging is generally safe, there are a handful of mistakes that can make getting started more difficult and/or make it dangerous. In general, you should avoid the following:

1. Starting too cold. Don’t jump into a frozen lake if you’ve never experienced cold water immersion before. Instead, start somewhere between 50-60 degrees and gradually reduce the water temperature. All-in-one cold plunges allow you to dial in the exact temperature you want so that you can get used to the cold water over the course of a few days or weeks.
2. Staying in for too long. The sweet spot for cold plunging is somewhere between two and five minutes. Stay in any longer and the benefits diminish. If you stay in for too long, your body temperature may drop too low and you could suffer from hypothermia. As a rule of thumb, if you start shivering it’s probably time to get out. 
3. Lack of consistency. You get the most benefits from ice bathing if you do it consistently — especially in the beginning, when you’re trying to make it a habit. 
4. Breathing too fast. Many people hyperventilate when they get into an ice bath because of their overactive sympathetic nervous system. Doing so can make you light headed and can cause you to pass out. Instead of breathing fast, focus all of your energy on slowing down your breathing. I usually take eight breaths during my three-minute plunges, and I even hold my breath at the end of each exhale for several seconds.
5. Not submerging your entire body. You get the most benefits from ice bathing when you submerge as much of your body as possible. In other words, try to submerge yourself up to your jawline to get the vagus nerve in your neck exposed to the cold water. If you’re a pro, you can even submerge your head in the water, or at least splash some of the cold water on your face to trigger a cold shock response.
6. Ignoring pre-existing health conditions. Cold plunging can be taxing on the cardiovascular system. For example, cold water exposure causes the blood vessels in your extremities to constrict, thus temporarily increasing your blood pressure. If you’re already suffering from hypertension, that can lead to complications. So always check with a knowledgeable medical professional before making cold plunging a part of your wellness routine.
7. Plunging alone. I’m a seasoned cold plunger and have no issues sitting in 32-degree cold water with ice floating around me for five minutes or more. However, I never do that when I’m alone at home to reduce the risk of drowning in case I pass out for whatever reason.
8. Forgetting to unplug your chest freezer tub. If you converted an old chest freezer into a DIY cold plunge, make sure to unplug it before jumping in to avoid the risk of electrocution.
9. Ignoring your menstrual cycle. During your luteal phase, you’re likely less capable of enduring colder temperatures (and other stressors) than during other times of your cycle. So listen to your body and cut yourself some slack during certain times of the month.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve broken the first two rules several times (but on purpose). My first ice bath was in 32-degree water, and I stayed in the tub for 2.5 minutes. Since then, I’ve done plunges that lasted between 8 and 15 minutes because I felt comfortable, because I wanted to beat my buddy’s record, or because I wanted to record my entire Cold Plunge review while sitting in cold water. 

While not all of those longer ice baths were based on smart decision-making, I want to emphasize that I’ve never endangered myself. In other words, I always had assistance and means to warm up after the cold plunge. 

Cold Plunging FAQs

If you have any questions about cold plunging, drop them in the comments section below!

Final Thoughts

Cold water exposure offers numerous scientifically proven health benefits, making it an excellent tool for most people to improve their well-being. I hope the tips and tricks shared in this article will enable you to make cold plunging a part of your regular wellness routine. 

If you have any questions or would like to share you experience with cold water immersion, drop me a comment below.

Michael Kummer

Michael Kummer is a healthy living enthusiast and CrossFit athlete whose goal is to help people achieve optimal health by bridging the gap between ancestral living and the demands of modern society.