An inquest into a tragic death has highlighted the fact that such activities, while invigorating for many, may be hazardous for certain individuals.
Ice baths, cold showers, winter swims: challenging your body in crisp temperatures has become routine for the health-conscious.
The 39-year-old died of an undiagnosed heart condition triggered by the water, a coroner ruled. Her family have called for the regulation of cold water therapy after she collapsed while taking part in a cold-water immersion session in the River Goyt in Derbyshire in April last year; the water temperature on the day was recorded as 10.7C. Her death was one of several around the world which have been linked to cold water therapies.
You can habituate to the cold-water shock response, which will make the experience safer and less likely to result in cardiac problems or drowning. But Tipton says: “Going into cold water as a precursor for drowning or cardiac problems is well established with definitive research.”The benefits, meanwhile, are mostly anecdotal. “The definitive studies are yet to be done,” he says. “There are hypotheses, speculation and anecdotes. But research just hasn’t been done.
I wondered whether the reason was not only because I am a relative cold-water novice, but also because of my lack of body fat.While fat doesn’t protect from the initial responses, because the cold receptors that initiate that response are just 0.18mm below the surface of the skin and lay over the top of subcutaneous fat, that subcutaneous fat does start to help with the cooling of the deeper tissues.
“The evidence shows that if you get too cold it actually diminishes your immune system,” says Tipton.And yet – full disclosure – I have interviewed the cold water guru Wim Hof in the past and found some of what he said sensible. UK homes are kept 4 degrees warmer than in 1970. Modern, cosy lives mean that our thermoregulation, metabolism and cardiovascular systems have become sluggish. That we’ve become sedentary and thermostatic is also a point Tipton agrees with.
“I have never enjoyed winter swimming,” Rew admits. “I’m really rubbish with the cold, so I have full sympathy with people who’ve not got on board with this trend.”
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