Cold water therapy is the practice of using water that’s around 59°F (15°C) to treat health conditions or stimulate health benefits.

What is Cold Water Therapy?

Cold therapy, also called cryotherapy, uses exposure to cold temperatures to cool the body’s tissues for therapeutic reasons. This could take the form of: swimming, immersions, showers, or localised application. ​ ​​ ​ ​Bodily benefits of cold water therapy are: improved blood circulation, boosted immunity, increase of metabolism, reduction of inflammation and alleviation of muscle pain.

History

Evidence of cold-water immersion on human physiology dates as far back as 3500BC, which was documented in the oldest medical text known as the Edwin Smith Papyrus. ​​ ​​ ​ ​Ancient Greeks utilised cold-water for therapies, which Hippocrates documented, explaining the benefits of the use of cold for medicinal and analgesic purposes. ​ ​​ ​ ​Traditionally, cold-water immersion was used as a treatment for fever and similarly-related ailments.