This very elaborate, very scientific magazine says... mmm, nah.
The setup is nice:
the practice of regularly soaking in cold water is booming and has even become fashionable.
The Wim Hof method, allegedly,
...burns fat, reduces inflammation, strengthens the immune system, balances hormones, improves sleep and lifts the mood. By exercising the heart, vessels and muscles, it also supposedly remedies cardiovascular diseases.
Like most quick-fixes, the benefits are too strong to really sustain.
A study in 2023 of 33 adults given a five-minute chilly bath and a brain scan found that they “felt more active, alert, attentive, proud and inspired and less distressed and nervous”.
That finding, at least, seems to justify the movement’s enduring popularity. For those seeking a break from the pampering of modern life, cold water can be ruggedly seductive.
Can't say I've noticed any specific benefits (#873759), except feeling quite good beginning about 45 minutes after getting out of the water.
Worth it? Pff, who knows. Funzies for now
Sounds like I should start taking ice baths
Riiiight! Contrarianism at its best
This came as a surprise because I had always believed that wh's claims where validated by science, at least that's what he writes in his book, the wh method...
LOL!
Epic comment
Definitely helps, if you ever played sports you would know :-) Even for recreation, jump into icecold bath after sauna, then you will know you are alive....lol
Works great. I light a candle and practice breathing
Maybe it doesn't boost "body sturdiness", but it definitely burns fats and reduces inflammation (other things equal, of course).