How Cold Plunging Reduced My Stress and Anxiety (6-Month Results)

What if everything you thought you knew about cold plunging was simply incomplete? We all thought we knew why to do it. The testosterone benefits, the recovery, the fat loss, the mental resilience, the getting tough, all real, all backed by science. But what if some of the most powerful benefits of cold plunging were the ones nobody's even talking about? The stress that disappears in three minutes, the anxiety that just leaves with controlled breathing and extended exposure, the evening alcohol cravings that simply stop. Today, we're going to dive into all of the unexpected benefits of cold plunging so you know if this is the right tool for you. Well, hey, everyone. I'm Jesse Karajat. Welcome back to Stronger Weekly. If you're new here and for the first time joining us, thank you so much. Welcome if you are a regular listener or viewer of the show. Thank you so much for coming back to check in with us. Now I'm going to share something personal today because about six months ago, I started doing something that completely changed my life. And I don't mean that in a hyperbolic clickbaity kind of way. That's not my style. I mean, it literally changed how I parent, how I work, how I train, and yes, how I relate to alcohol. Origins of this show, if you've been here for a while, started back in 2023. we focused a lot about alcohol because alcohol was something that really impacted my life in a negative way. And we've evolved. So now we focus on fitness, mental health, addiction, parenting, all the things, but alcohol continues to be something that I need to focus on to make sure it doesn't creep back up as a problem in my life. And the thing that I've done that unexpectedly has helped me continue to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol and all those other benefits I stated is, believe it or not, cold plunging. And before you roll your eyes, if you didn't already, thinking that this is another just kind of bro science life hacky optimization episode about testosterone and ice baths, just stick with me because what I discovered had nothing to do with what I was looking for when I started cold plunging back in July of 2025. So today, I'm going to break down the neuroscience of why just three minutes in 48 degree water, give or take, became the most powerful tool in my entire mental health and almost my physical toolkit. How it reduced my anxiety, helped me regulate my nervous system, especially as a busy, often overstimulated, stressed out parent, and yes, significantly reduced my alcohol cravings. I'm going to share the moment that I had that breakthrough and I realized it can help me with those things. The exact ritual that I use, the science behind it will go into the physical benefits, practical protocols and mental health benefits. So stay tuned. That is the deep dive topic of the week. But first, as we do every single episode of Stronger Weekly, we are going to talk about the news, what's happening in the health and fitness world. Just a couple quick headlines here. There's a landmark trial that could fundamentally change how kids use social media in America. 3,000 lawsuits piling up against weight loss drug makers, surgeons performing operations 1,700 miles away from their patients. And of course, the Winter Olympics are coming up here soon in just a week. If you don't want to hear the news, you can just skip forward, get right into the deep dive on cold plunging. But I think you should stick around. We've got some good headlines and we're about to dive into them. So let's hit our health and fitness headlines of the week. Your first health and fitness headline of the week is a first of its kind trial that got underway this week in Los Angeles. One that could fundamentally change how social media companies design their platforms for young users. Let's dive into it. So Meta and YouTube are now defending themselves in court against allegations that their products are deliberately designed to be addictive to children. Of course they are. So some details. The case centers on a 19-year-old California woman identified only as KGM, who claims she became addicted to social media at the young age of just 10 years old and that that addiction contributed to depression and suicidal thoughts. The lawsuit alleges these weren't accidental outcomes. According to court documents, the platforms, quote, deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue, end quote, borrowing techniques from, quote, slot machines and the cigarette industry. Here's what makes this case significant. TikTok and Snapchat both settled with the plaintiff before the trial began. Terms, of course, undisclosed. That leaves Meta and YouTube to face the jury alone. So basically, TikTok and Snapchat said, I'm out of here. And these other two are fighting for it. So Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify this February 2026. The trial is projected to last six to eight weeks. And this is just the beginning. More than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and 250 school districts, have now filed similar lawsuits. Over 40 state attorney generals have also sued Meta. A federal trial representing school district is also scheduled for June. So how is Meta and YouTube responding? So Meta pushed back in a recent blog post stating these lawsuits, quote, oversimplify a serious issue, pointing to academic pressure, school safety and socioeconomic challenges as contributed factors to teen mental health struggles. I'm sorry, it's just complete bullshit. A meta spokesperson said the company is, quote, confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people. Right. YouTube spokesperson called the allegations, quote, simply not true. And of course they did. What this means for you, especially if you're a parent, this trial is worth watching very closely. legal experts say the outcome could force tech companies to overhaul their entire platforms, particularly features like infinite scroll, autoplay videos, and notification systems that critics say are engineered to keep young users, your children, hooked. Meanwhile, France just voted to ban social media for children under 15, and Australia became the first country in the world to ban it for those under 16. The regulatory landscape is shifting fast, and thank God it is. It'll be better for our children, better for society at large. Next up, thousands of lawsuits, more lawsuit news here, are now stacking up against the makers of popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wagovi. It feels like we've been covering this topic of GLP-1s for the last three to six months. And what started out as lots of excitement is turning out to be lots of concern. So as of this month, there are now over 3,000 active lawsuits in federal court and legal experts estimate total liability could exceed $2 billion. And that's just the start of it. So here's what's driving the litigation. Plaintiffs, people that use these medications, allege that drugmaker Novo Nordisk failed to adequately warn patients about some serious side effects, particularly gastroparesis, also called stomach paralysis, as well as intestinal blockages, and in some cases, permanent vision loss from a condition called neon. Hope I'm saying that right. Otherwise known as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. The numbers are striking. According to a RAND survey, about 12% of Americans have now used Ozempic or another GLP-1 drug. I'll say that back. 12% of Americans. That's crazy statistics for something that's so new. That is one in eight adults. Among women ages 50 to 64, it's one in five. Between December 2024 and February 2025 alone, 143 new lawsuits were filed. Look, I always say when something blows up this fast, do not be an early adopter because there could be consequences. It's starting to look like there could be consequences for using these GLP-1s, especially if it's not done under the medical supervision of a professional. In October 2025, the Wagovi warning label was finally updated to include severe gastrointestinal adverse reactions. And in June 2025, the World Health Organization, otherwise known as WHO, or WHO, warned that semi-glutide drugs, GLP-1s, may rarely cause neon, a sudden painless vision lost in one eye. One doctor called it, quote, in effect, a stroke of the optic nerve. And what this means for you, if you are taking or considering taking these medications, don't panic yet, but do have an informed conversation with your doctor. The drugs have helped millions lose significant weight, but like any medication, especially a new one, they do carry risks. Symptoms to watch out for include nausea, vomiting, bloating, or any sudden change in vision. The key takeaway, these are powerful drugs. They can be effective, but the emerging lead goal picture suggests the risk profile may not have been fully communicated or known for early patients. So be careful, folks. Next up, here's a sentence I never thought I'd say. A new study published this week in the British Medical Journal shows that robotic surgery performed by a doctor 1,700 miles away is just as safe and effective as having the surgeon in the room with you. So Chinese researchers conducted the first ever randomized controlled trial of telesurgery enrolling 72 patients into some complex surgeries such as partial kidney tumor removal. Half were randomly assigned to telesurgery, meaning done remotely via teletechnology like a video, where the surgeon operated remotely via robotic arms and a secure video link, while the other half in the study had conventional robotic surgery with the surgeon present. The results, staggering. Telesurgery was, quote, not inferior to local surgery and surgical success. The system remained stable at distancing ranging from 600 to 1,740 miles. Blood loss, complications, recovery time, and even cancer outcomes showed no significant difference between the two groups. This builds on a remarkable milestone from last year. In June, a surgeon in Orlando, Florida successfully removed a prostate cancer tumor from a patient in Angola. That's nearly 7,000 miles away, in case you were wondering, I was wondering, as part of the first FDA-approved trial of transcontinental robotic telesurgery. Amazing stuff. So what this means for you. The implications here are profound for both people needing these surgeries, access to the surgeons who perform them, all those things. This is exciting stuff. And it's especially, especially exciting for rural and underserved communities. So just imagine a world where you don't have to travel hundreds of miles to access a top specialist, especially if you have a life threatening condition, they can operate on you while you stay close to home and family. We're not quite there yet. Researchers caution that larger trials are needed before a wide-scale rollout, but this week's study does establish the foundational evidence that remote surgery can be safe, precise, and reliable. So stay tuned. More to come on this one. Next up, good news for you. Cannabis users. Looks like it's going mainstream at the arena near you. So Chicago's United Center, home of the Bulls and Blackhawks, and the largest indoor arena in the country just became the first major U.S. venue to sell THC-infused drinks at concession stands. So starting in February, concert goers, 21 and older, will be able to purchase hemp-derived THC beverages alongside beer and cocktails. The arena announced a multi-year partnership with Rhythm a Chicago company to sell drinks containing five milligrams of THC in flavors like Lime Jalapeno Margarita and Grapefruit Paloma Notably these drinks won be available at Bulls or Blackhawks games so no sport games yet The NBA and NHL rules prohibit that, but they'll be sold at concerts and live events at multiple locations throughout the venue, including dedicated branded THC bars. This move reflects broader consumer trends in America. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 54% of Americans now say they drink alcohol. Man, these times are a changing. The lowest level since 1939. Among younger generations, the shift is even more pronounced. A Drug Rehab USA survey found 66% of Gen Z and millennials have tried alcohol alternatives in the past six months, with 24% saying they've at least partially substituted alcohol for cannabis-infused drinks. So, if you attend events at the United Center or similar venues in the future, you'll now have another option beyond beer and cocktails. The CEO of Rhythm made an interesting point. Americans are familiar with self-dosing a drink and moderating, unlike gummies where, quote, it's hard for most Americans to eat only one. That said, Congress did pass legislation last year that could effectively ban most hemp-derived THC products starting in November 2026. I read a different article that what the government's trying to do is say, okay, fine, manufacturers, distributors, whatever, if you want to make these THC drinks, you really got to limit it. I heard 0.5 milligrams of THC per drink, and that could go into effect November, which could effectively derail this whole trend of these THC drinks. So stay tuned, watch the news, but it is exciting to see for you cannabis fans out there that you'll be able to purchase this at arenas near you. And your last headline, the Winter Olympics are coming back in exactly one week. The Olympics kick off in Italy, and here's your quick hit guide to what you need to know. So the Milana Cortina 2026 games run from February 6th through the 22nd with the opening ceremony at the legendary San Siro Stadium in Milan. It's the first Olympics to be officially co-hosted by two cities. Milan will host the ice events while snow sports will take place in the alpine resort town of Cortina of Impazzo. The big debut this year, ski mountaineering, a new sport also called SkiMo, which combines skiing uphill and downhill in a race format. Sounds terrible to me. no thanks it's a demanding endurance sport that's been growing in popularity and now it gets the olympic spotlight all due respect i'm sure it's a great sport but sounds terrible and painful other new events include women's large hill ski jumping women's doubles in the luge mixed team skeleton and dual moguls in freestyle skiing over 3 500 athletes from 93 countries will compete for 195 255 medals across 16 disciplines. For American viewers, this is a great chance to catch some of our top athletes in action. The U S cross-country skiing team made history at the last winter games with their first ever Olympic gold and athletes like snowboarder Chloe Kim continue to dominate their events. So if you're looking for some winter, uh, entertainment, or maybe even some fitness inspiration, the Olympics deliver every time. I just love them. There's all sorts of cool things. Bobsled, uh, is a great one. Of course, we all know cool runnings back in the day. That's probably why I like bobsledding. And then there's curling, which is an interesting one to watch. Those quote unquote athletes are pretty cool to see them getting after, but lots of great stuff coming out of the Olympics every year. So the opening ceremony is Thursday, February 6th. Don't miss it. Hope you enjoy watching those throughout the month of February. So that is it for our health and fitness headlines of the week. All right, let's be honest. You're probably not a professional athlete with a personal chef and unlimited recovery time. If you're like me, you're hitting the gym at 5 a.m. before work or squeezing in training between meetings, just trying to stay consistent while life keeps throwing you curveballs. That's exactly who Purist Nutrition was made for. Purist keeps it simple. NSF certified supplements with minimal clean ingredients that actually taste good. No artificial ingredients and no proprietary blends where you're guessing what you're taking. Just premium actives like Creapure, the purest creatine on the planet, whey isolate protein that is US sourced and easy on the stomach, and hydration that keeps you going without all the extra sugar or sodium. Whether you're a parent juggling kids in training or just someone who refuses to compromise on quality, Purist Nutrition fits your routine. Built for tomorrow, science backed, tested and trusted by athletes, and most importantly, effective. Visit puristnutrition.com to see the full lineup of quality supplements. That's puristnutrition.com because your nutrition should work as hard as you do. All right. So if you are a busy parent or busy anybody who's ever found yourself just sort of standing somewhere in your house, the kitchen, garage, just feeling completely dysregulated, overstimulated, ready to just fall asleep, right? After a busy day, things feel chaotic and maybe you do, maybe you don't, but you reach for a drink just to cope with that kind of transition into the next part of the night. And this is particularly relevant for parents, right? Because when you take off your workout or where you put down whatever you've been doing for the day and you have young kids and they all have needs, you still got to show up, but there is no space sometimes. And we can all just kind of get overstimulated and dysregulated and use things like alcohol or social media, doom scrolling to cope. I've 100% been there. And as I alluded to in the intro, what I was so shocked to find out is that something like a cold plunge can actually, A, help with that transition so you feel more calm and in control, and B, so that you don't turn to something like alcohol. Now, this whole episode is not about alcohol, but I'm trying to get the point across that something like a cold plunge, a tool like a cold plunge can change your entire headspace so that you feel better and just have a better evening and not have to use something to cope. So that's exactly what we're going to get in today. Why? What is a cold plunge? What are the physical benefits if you're not familiar with them? And what are the mental health benefits and the exact protocols that you can use to get those benefits? And then the science behind all of that, right? So first, why does cold plunge help for anxiety and stress? The actual neuroscience, not that just that it makes you tough. Like what does it actually do? What's happening to have those benefits. And then I would say, secondly, what we're going to focus on is the surprising unexpected benefits and why specifically can it help with something like alcohol cravings? And that's my subjective experience and I'm sticking to it. And then third, we're really going to focus on how to start, how to get started with cold plunging as a busy parent or professional. You don't need fancy equipment, even if they think you don't have time and you hate the cold. there are things that you can do to move towards trying it out. And I'm going to be really honest with you about my own journey because this show started as Sober Strength. For those who have been here for a while, my journey with alcohol was a big part of why I started this podcast. It's a big part of who I am and what I've overcome. And this tool, it's been one of the most powerful things that I've added to my entire recovery, if you will, toolkit, which is why, of course, I'm sharing it today. So just a bit of context, if you don't know me, I'm 41 years old, father of three, I'm running, obviously, this podcast. I'm the chief operating officer of a health center here in Colorado. I'm trying my best to stay fit, trying to be present all the time, right? That's just who I am. I think that matters, that context. And I've been cold plunging four times per week since August of 2025. So that's about six months now. And a couple other measurables. A lot of people jump into cold plunging for the physical benefits. I myself got my first comprehensive blood panel done in November of 2025. So at the time of this recording, it's only three months ago. And I had already been cold plunging for three months at that time. Now that said, I'm 41 years old. My total testosterone I learned in November is 882 and my free testosterone is 125.3. Those are, objectively speaking, in the optimal range. The total in particular is quite high for a man, especially a man at 41 years old. I don't know what it would have been if I had not been cold plunging. One of the more commonly talked about benefits of cold plunging is testosterone support, recovery, and all those things. But my testosterone is objectively high. My VO2 max is 53, which is very high for someone in my age. It has a lot to do with my training, but also my sleep and my, I would say, less alcohol consumption actually helps with that. This is all relevant to cold plunging. I promise I get a lot of quality sleep. I don't get a lot of quantity. So on average, I get about six and a half hours of sleep. I'm in bed for about seven and a half to seven. But in that small quantity, I get a ton of really good quality sleep, and that's REM sleep and deep sleep. And those numbers don't lie. They are all good and things to be encouraged about. And some of it is a direct effect of cold plunging four times a week for three minutes. More on that later. But one of the things outside of the physical benefits that I've noticed since I started cold plunging about six months ago is I'm calmer. I feel more present after I do it, which is really important to me with three young kids, all three of them under seven years old. I'm not reaching for alcohol to cope as much, particularly when I cold plunge in the evening versus the morning and just a slew of other benefits. But I think just to get into why I started, I had been hearing about cold plunging for what feels like three or four years. Andrew Huberman from the Huberman Lab has been talking about it. All the biohackers are doing it. Joe Rogan's got his cold plunge right in his studio. And honestly, I just thought, wow, another trend. We're also inundated with the newest fads that are out there. Like one more thing that I need to evaluate, consider and potentially purchase and invest my time in. So I was a little turned off, but I kept seeing the research particular on testosterone, on physical recovery and on inflammation. And at 41 years old, I do want to stay strong. I want to increase my health span. So I was interested, but I was sort of just monitoring from afar, if you will. So I thought, all right, at one point, let me just try this thing. I've heard enough good things about it. So with cold plunging, here's the truth. I started cold plunging for the wrong reasons. I wanted the higher testosterone, the better recovery from workouts, maybe some fat loss, it's debatable, but to feel like I was doing something to optimize myself and to build mental resilience, that's what everybody talks about. So I bought a tub. I was doing three times a week, about one to one and a half minutes at like 52 degrees. And if anyone's listening, that's an avid cold plunger. You're probably shaking your head like that's nothing. It was something for me. And then I found that really quickly. Like in the first three to four weeks, I was able to just extend the duration that I was in there. I got up to three minutes per session very quickly, but also decreased the temperature. Now I've read and I've heard and back this up with science that below a certain temperature, there's really no additional benefits other than mental resilience. And so it seems to be that around 48 degrees, if you go colder than that, it's not going to be any more benefits. So why torture yourself? And I didn't want this to become something that I just dreaded. So I landed in a place where I started doing it four times a week, three minutes per session each time around 48 degrees. It could be 50 it could be a little bit less depending on the air temperature outside And I got those from Dr Andrew Huberman protocols So I was originally only doing this in the mornings I just loved the idea of getting up it still dark out jumping in the tub a couple times a week, drying off, and then doing my warmup to warm up my body and then training. It just was an energizing, great way to start the day. Now I did that for about three months and then I got that blood work done and I had all the numbers that I told you. and I was just elated. So I did that for a while, but the real pivot for me happened when my therapist recommended to me that cold plunging could be extremely useful in the evening, especially if the evening is a stressful time for you. And what she explained to me was that cold water immersion, especially when you submerge all the way to your neck, activates what's called the vagus nerve. It's this long nerve that runs from your brain to your gut, and it's responsible for the parasympathetic nervous system, which is your rest and digest mode. Most of us probably remember this from science class in either high school or college, right? But when you are dysregulated, and this is key, especially for a lot of us, your sympathetic nervous system is running the show, fight or flight, right? You are in survival mode. Now, the cold plunge, she said, forces a reset. It forces you to focus on your breath, on the present moment, on regulating yourself through discomfort. For anyone that's ever tried a cold plunge, this resonates with you, right? So I thought, all right, let me try it. So I looked at my calendar, and I remember it vividly. There was this one day where I looked at the end of the day, and I saw the last meeting that I had, and it butted right up with some pretty chaotic family logistics. I knew, because I've seen this movie before, I knew exactly how I was going to feel. I wasn't going to be able to have wrapped up my workday and kind of put that in a box and behind me I was still going to be getting notifications and I would immediately take off my work hat Put on my parent hat step into dad mode and then i'd have needy kids lots of sounds logistics all those things I thought you know what i'm going to be stressed in that moment So let me try flipping my cold plunge for the morning And put it right at that transition point and just see what happens because my therapist was saying hey This could help you feel regulated because what I had done in the past even when I'm moderating my alcohol, is I go, okay, you know what? I'm going to grip my teeth. I'm going to get through this. I'll be fine, right? Just kind of self-talk. And then things feel hard. I'm overstimulated and I reach for a familiar foe, a wine, beer, something just to kind of calm my mind. So I thought, you know what? This is when I'm going to try it. So I put down my work laptop. At this point, it was a little bit colder. So I'd move my cold plunge into the garage. I get in there, 48 degrees, set a timer, three minutes, dropped in. Of course, the first 15 seconds is always the worst. Kind of settled in and just started really focused on box breathing, right? Four seconds in, hold for four seconds, four seconds out, hold for four seconds. And I did that like I always do. And I was amazed at how quickly, and I encourage anybody to try this, you could do with a cold shower as well, but how quickly I went from this fragmented, almost like foggy focus to just laser focused on how cold the water was and my breathing and my body. So it just kind of sucked in my focus and made me, even though it's cold, relax. I dry off, right? I get out of it. I grab, and this is my routine. If I do it at night, I grab an NA. My fridge is right there. Hop water is my go-to. I grab an NA. So between the cold plunge and the laser focus it created, and then the NA, the placebo effect of having something that tastes hoppy. I'm drinking that. I dry off. I go back into the kitchen. It's the same kids with the same needs, the same sounds, the same dinner that has to get put on the table, the same chaos. And I felt completely different than the frigging hundred other times I've been in that same scenario when everything just feels tense. And that's when I knew this, that was the moment where I was like, Whoa, I didn't read this anywhere other than my therapist. No one was talking about it online. Nobody was pitching cold plunges for mental health benefits and alcohol cravings, particularly. And I said, whoa, I found something here. This is helping me. And that's my experience. And I know that if something like a cold plunge, cold shower, whatever, it could be a sauna. I don't know. I haven't tried it, but something that physically changes your state and forces you to focus can be such a powerful tool to help with alcohol cravings and mental health. And just a reset in general, I knew I wanted to talk about it on the show and encourage other people to try it if that's something that you struggle with. So ever since I've been mixing it up, I've been doing cold plunges in the morning. I've been doing it at night sometimes based on my schedule. And I wanted to share that, but here's the science, right? Here's the science behind all of it. So when people talk about cold plunges, they focus on the physical benefits too much. Again, reduced inflammation, improved circulation, faster recovery, maybe testosterone. And that all can be true. And I've seen that be true too. And the science backs that up. But I wanted to focus on today's what happens in your brain when you get into cold water, because that's where the magic happens for stress, anxiety, and mental health. So we're going to cover three main mechanisms here, the norepinephrine and dopamine boost, the vagus nerve activation, and the stress reduction. And of course, the beta endorphin effect on cravings. That's the last piece, the alcohol part. Let's be honest. Most of us don't have a private gym, a full-time trainer, or hours every day to lift. If you're like me, you don't even have time to commute to a local gym. You're training early in the morning or carving out 40 minutes between work, kids, and everything else competing for your time. And when fitness matters that much to your well-being and your health, you've got to have home fitness equipment that's as strong and reliable as you are. That is exactly why I use Rep Fitness. Rep is built for people who train with purpose, people who need high quality, reliable equipment engineered for real strength. Designed right here in Colorado, USA, Rep Fitness provides racks, benches, bars, and plates that offer commercial grade durability without commercial gym prices. Premium materials, smart engineering, and fair pricing. Whether you're outfitting your very first garage gym or upgrading your current setup to match where you want to go with your training, Rep makes gear that keeps up with your life and your goals. Visit repfitness.com to see their full lineup. Racks, benches, bars, plates, conditioning tools, and everything you need to build a home gym that works as hard as you do. That's repfitness.com. It's finally time to pursue your strength. So let's start with the dopamine piece. So when you immerse yourself in cold water, especially water between 46 and 52 degrees, which is what I use, your body has an immediate stress response. It's biological. Your heart rate spikes, your breathing gets rapid, and you want to get the hell out, which is a survival mechanism. It's your sympathetic nervous system kicking in and your body thinks, this is dangerous. We need to survive or get out of here. And in response, your body releases a massive amount of neurodrenaline. Studies show that cold water immersion can increase this by 200 to 300%. And some research shows even up to 530% increases. Now, what does this mean? This is a neurotransmitter responsible for focus, attention, alertness, and mood regulation. So basically, it's your brain's way of saying, wake up, pay attention, be sharp. Pay attention, be sharp, not things that you can just will yourself to when you're already dysregulated and overstimulated. And this is why when you get out of the cold plunge, you do feel incredible clarity and focus, like a mental sharpness. And it is not person to person or placebo. It is chemistry happening. But what's even more interesting is it lasts for hours after you get out. Research shows that the effects can last two to three hours, which means if I cold lunge at five, I'm getting that focus and clarity boost throughout the entire evening routine. And if you're a parent, you know this dinner sounds great with young kids and so does play time and bedtime. But when you're in it, especially when you're already tired, it can be hard and it's okay to just admit that. And that's why this particular tool, cold plunging, cold exposure works so well for that transition. So let's talk more about dopamine. So cold water exposure also triggers a release of dopamine, the motivation and reward chemical. One study found that cold water immersion can increase dopamine levels by up to 250%. Dopamine makes you feel good. And when you're feeling lousy or stressed, this is a good thing and cold plunging helps with that. It also hijacks alcohol reward system. So when you drink alcohol, you get a temporary dopamine spike. This is what we become addicted to, even in the anticipation of drinking. That is the, ah, I feel better. Help is on the way moment. But what happens after you have a drink, you do get that initial benefit, but then it crashes. You feel worse and you have two options. Keep drinking, which is a snowball effect, which is bad for you, or stop, which makes you feel lousy. Cold plunging, instead of reaching for that alcohol, gives you a natural sustained dopamine boost without the crash. You are training your brain to get that good feeling from a healthy stimuli instead of a substance, which is massively important, especially for people who are trying to cut back on their drinking. And for me, this was huge. I found that I was using alcohol to get that good feeling to help me feel better when I was stressed. And I could get a similar experience from just three minutes in cold water without the negative side effects of alcohol. And there are hundreds. So hopefully what I'm making clear is that this is chemistry in action and it's powerful. Now let's talk about the vagus nerve, which I mentioned earlier, because this is where my therapist blew my mind. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your entire body, and it runs from your brainstem all the way down to your gut. And it is the main nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system, your rest and digest mode. When your vagus nerve is activated, you feel calm, regulated, safe, and present. When it's not activated, you are in sympathetic overdrive, fight or flight, stress, anxiety. And here's the fascinating part, cold water immersion, especially when you submerge all the way to your neck, the back of your neck directly activates the vagus nerve. What this means in practice is when I get into that cold plunge at 5 p.m., my nervous system is in sympathetic overdrive from the workday and what is coming to me, which is busy parenting mode, right? The first 30 seconds, my body freaks out even more. The cold is a stressor, but then around 45 seconds to one minute in, I start controlling my breath, calming down, deep inhales, slow exhale, staying present, and my vagus nerve kicks in. And anyone that's cold plunged, you know this. It takes about 30 to 45 seconds and you get into almost like a deep relaxation because you just pass the hardest part, but you really start to settle in. By the time I hit three minutes and get out, my nervous system has effectively been reset. I'm regulated and that is why I can transition from work mode to dad mode so smoothly. It's not willpower anymore. It's not trying harder to be present. It is my physiology. It giving my nervous system a tool to regulate itself And for busy parents dealing with constant stress I can recommend this tactic or this tool enough. Now let's talk about the part that might be the most surprising, how cold plunging affects alcohol cravings. Because when I tell people this, they are skeptical. It's like, come on, cold water cannot replace alcohol. And you're right. It doesn't replace it. It is not a magic cure, especially for those who are really struggling with alcohol. use disorder. But what the research shows is clear. Cold water immersion triggers the release of beta endorphins. Beta endorphins are your body's natural feel-good chemicals, and they're what give you that runner's high after intense exercise. But here's the key. Beta endorphins act on the same opioid receptors in your brain that alcohol acts on. When you drink alcohol, it binds to those opioid receptors and creates a feeling of relaxation, pleasure, relief, maybe a little bit of euphoria and excitement. Now, when you cold plunge, you are activating those same receptors, but naturally without all the downsides of alcohol consumption, without the toxicity, without the crash, the hangover, the inflammation, and the threat of becoming addicted to a really harmful carcinogenic substance. Huge. One study on cold water therapy for addiction recovery found that cold showers and ice baths helped reduce cravings by boosting beta-endorphine levels. So this is science-backed. The study noted, quote, this chemical acts on the opioid receptors in your brain, which can blunt cravings. I stumbled on this by just trying it and then found that there is research out there that backs it up, which makes me a huge believer. And I want to be really clear. I'm not saying cold plunging can cure alcohol use disorder. If you're struggling with alcohol use disorder, please seek professional help. If you've tried many times and keep failing to get better, therapy, support groups, medical intervention, even fitness are essential tools. But for me, someone who was essentially doing those things, I was in therapy and I exercise regularly. This was incredibly helpful to help me moderate my drinking and hit my drinking goals that I've established for myself, right? Because for me, the evening drinking, especially during the week was not about the alcohol itself. It was about what I was chasing, which is I wanted to feel more relaxed, less stressed, able to transition from work to home. But why? Why does that matter? Because that feeling was robbing me of the joy of being a dad and being home with my family and having dinner time and play time and cleanup time, right? I mean, I was really feeling like I was missing the moments that matters. And alcohol gave me a shortcut to that feeling. And it was a fake shortcut. and it numbed me out and it made me less present and then worse the next day. And it interfered with all of my productivity and fitness goals. Cold plunging can help me get that same feeling of being present, but it actually doesn't hurt me long-term. I get out of the cold plunge and I genuinely feel calm, clear, energized, and regulated and ready to be present. In my experience, the cravings aren't always gone, but they are significantly reduced and manageable. I found a more healthy tool than alcohol. And that's the bottom line. And one last piece of science here has to do with sleep and recovery, right? So I mentioned earlier that I average about three plus hours of quality sleep every single night off of about six and a half total hours of sleep. Now for a 41 year old with three kids and essentially two jobs and big fitness goals, it's pretty remarkable to get that much deep sleep. And I believe that cold plunge plays a big role in that, especially if I'm doing it at night. Now, research shows that cold exposure can improve sleep quality by helping regulate your body's core temperature and encouraging deeper relaxation. So when you cold plunge in the evening, your body temperature drops significantly. Then as you rewarm, your body goes through a temperature regulation process that mimics the natural temperature drop that happens when you fall asleep. So again, science-backed, it helps you fall asleep faster and get into deeper sleep stages. And for me, I've noticed on those nights when I cold plunge, I sleep better, period. I wear an advanced sleep tracker. It's a whoop. I know what I'm getting. And there's a pattern between cold plunging at night, getting to that place of relaxation and calm, putting the kids to sleep, drifting into sleep. I just sleep better. And that's my experience. And the data backs it up and it's all connected. All right, let's get in some practical steps here. And for anyone thinking that's not currently cold plunging, let's talk about getting started. So let's think about like your first two weeks. Let's just say you have not invested in an actual cold plunge you want to try out. Let's just start with your normal shower. I would say do your normal shower as you normally would. Maybe try this three or four times a week. And at the very, very end, turn the water to cold, as cold as it gets, and stay in for 30 seconds. That's it. If you can handle it, I would put it on the back of your neck or your chest, but just jump in for 30 seconds. Focus on your breathing. You will feel a little bit shocked. Try not to gasp too much. Just deep breath in, deep breath out, 30 seconds, and then get out and dry off. You can even turn the warm water back on if you want, but 30 seconds, three to four times a week, that's your first two weeks. Give it a shot. Don't quit. Now let's go into weeks three and four. Let's go for a one minute cold shower. Same thing. start your normal shower do your soap your shampoo get cleaned up and then do one minute one minute straight your body should be adapting by weeks three and four so that the initial shock is not as intense and you're learning to control your breathing so that's one minute again three to four times per week weeks five to six if you're still in it you're still sticking with it let's go with a two minute cold shower you're really starting to build tolerance your nervous system is adapting. Go for two minutes at the end of your regular shower, four times per week. Note the benefits, see how you feel, see if you're enjoying it, see if you're feeling some of those cognitive benefits I described. And if you're in it and you're seeing it at this point, you've built up enough tolerance to invest in a cold plunge, full immersion. There's more physiological and mental benefits if you can do a full body immersion versus a shower. shower is great if it's all you have but there's a reason why people invest in something that you can immerse yourself in fully so that's where you would look for a cold plunge and that's where you want to get to those protocols that i mentioned earlier that i myself do look for 12 minutes of total exposure per week you can spread them out across three sessions or four sessions i mentioned earlier, I really enjoy doing four sessions per week, three minutes each session. And I tend to do those on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. If on a given day, I don't, I'll just do it on a different day, but shoot for 12 minutes per week and make sure that you're immersing yourself all the way up to your neck. Your vagus nerve is huge. That's where you get all that central nervous system benefit. And that's what I would do. And you can choose to do it in the morning or the night if you're experiencing some of the challenges I do. In terms of the benefits physically, there doesn't seem to be a lot of research that points to either morning or evening being better. And look, guys, there's not a lot of barriers to this. You can think of some drawbacks as why you might not want to do this. You could say to yourself, I don't have the time. I would just argue with you. I guarantee you have 12 minutes a week. Most of us probably scroll on our phones for at least three minutes a day. Just sub it out for the cold plunge. You can do it. you might not have the equipment, you can start with a shower. And honestly, you don't need to move away from a shower. You can just always have a shower. There's no excuse there. If you live in a warm climate, you can get something with a chiller like I have. You can move it indoors or outdoors. If it's the wintertime, I move mine into my garage. In the spring and summer, I bring it back out. There are really not a lot of barriers. And if your main objection is, I hate the cold, this sounds miserable, guess what? It will be uncomfortable. It will be hard, but you get better at it. And look, if that's your main drawback is you don't want to do something hard, maybe you should challenge yourself a little bit and say, you know what? Maybe I can build some mental resilience because we all could benefit from being able to do harder things more frequently. And I have to say, that's one of the more, I didn't touch on this, but one of my favorite moments is when I get out of that thing in the morning and the hardest physical three minutes of my day is gone and you're starting your day with a massive win you checked a box early and you just feel like you can conquer the day that day and if you're wondering if it's safe yes it's safe you do have to kind of ease yourself into it at first don't jump into frigid temperatures from the start and don't try to stay in there for six or seven minutes ease into it use the protocols that i've laid out talk to your doctor if you have any existing health conditions which could make cold plunging problematic. I have heard and seen some research that if you have heart issues or anything going on with your cardiovascular system, you may want to talk to your doctor first. So if you have anything in your mind that could be or put you at risk for cold plunging, do please do some research, talk to your doctor, and I'm sure they will steer you clear. So hopefully this information was helpful for you. I appreciate you hanging on and listening to the whole deep dive on the topic. Cold plunging, look, it's here to stay. I don't see myself ever moving away from it. It's been incredible for me and I hope that you find benefit in your own life as well. All right, everybody, let's land this plane. Let's bring this thing home. I know it's been a longer episode. I was just really excited to share what I've learned in this whole journey of cold plunging. And again, there's unexpected benefits when you're buying something for one reason and you think it's more physical in nature and then it helps you in so many other ways. I just wanted to share it and get it out there with the audience. So here's what I want you to try. If you are at all interested or curious, or maybe even persuaded to give this a shot for the next seven days, just try cold exposure. You don't have to go out and buy a big expensive tub or do anything crazy. Even if it's just 30 seconds at the end of your regular shower, just try to turn that water cold and ease into it. See how you feel. See if it has any impact. Of course, it's going to be hard at first, but you just might find some of the benefits that I've talked about here on this episode, things like improved mood or even like reduced stress or just a little shock of the system just to get you more focused. So if you try that and I'd love to hear from you, shoot me a DM on Instagram at strongerweeklypodcast or shoot us an email at contactatstrongerweekly.com. Let me know how it went. I'd love to engage with you, have a conversation, see if I can help you kind of lean into the protocols that we practice here on this show. If you're still here, thank you. 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