The practice of combining cold exposure and breathwork â known as the â has gained popularity as a wellness practice, with some research suggesting benefits for stress, energy and mental clarity, though evidence for treating chronic disease remains limited.
And now, a recent study published in the journal Nature appears to support the technique’s potential health benefits.
The research included more than 400 healthy adults averaging 37 years of age, who practiced either the Wim Hof Method (WHM) or mindfulness meditation daily for about one month.
The WHM practitioners were split into in-person and at-home groups, where one did ice baths and the other took cold showers.
The participants reported their energy, mental clarity, and levels. The researchers also measured heart rate, breathing and sleep.
Participants in the breathwork and cold group had greater improvements in energy, and ability to handle stress, benefits that were most noticeable right after their daily practice.
The study also found that meditation reduced stress early on, but the WHM showed gradual improvements in stress levels over a longer time period. Differences in sleep, cognition and measures were more subtle.
The short 29-day study period could pose a limitation in measuring long-term impacts, the researchers acknowledged.Â
The participants also knew which group they were placed in, which could have influenced the self-reported results.
“I felt that this was going to make a huge difference in people,” Wim Hof told Fox News Digital. “I had a lot of anecdotal evidence, but that doesn’t make it scientific.”
The Wim Hof Method is comprised of three pillars: cold, breathing and mindset.
“It is a combination of the three ⦠and when they come together, they reinforce each other and become stronger,” he said. “Use the cold well, and you bring the immune system, the energy system and your to an optimum [state].”
Breathing has been shown to lower inflammation, which is the main driver of disease, according to Wim Hof. Research has also shown that a change in mindset can re-circuit the brain to handle stress more efficiently.
Lowering stress levels is crucial to improving health, he noted, as high cortisol (the bodys stress hormone) and inflammation are drivers of .
Lead study author Dr. Jemma King, of the University of Queensland School of Psychology in Australia, said she entered the worlds largest Wim Hof study with a “healthy dose of scientific skepticism.”
“People are really anxious, people are really burnt out, and the world is very destabilized at the moment,” she told Fox News Digital. “People are increasingly dependent on , and profits keep growing and people keep getting sicker.”
“We’re glued to screens; we’re reaching for pills every time life feels hard. And so we really wanted to [find out] â is there a better way?”
Although meditation is an important tool for some, an alternative method that involves more activity may be a better option for those with “busy brains,” according to the researcher.
“You’re not sitting there just accepting energy,” she said. “You can actually face it head on, and you can overcome your aversion to the cold, which is very invigorating.”
“If you choose to do small doses of the right kind of stress, it doesn’t break you down. It actually makes you stronger,” King added.
Scientifically, breathwork can help flush the brain of toxins, clearing mental fog while increasing levels of the beneficial chemicals adrenaline and dopamine, she noted.
“We also found something really shocking and unexpected: The people doing the Wim Hof Method became more willing to speak up at work,” King shared. “They were more likely to raise hard issues or have a voice or take interpersonal risks.”
“If you train yourself to step into the cold water every morning, you kind of override that voice that says, Don’t do
