Inhale deeply through your nose, focusing on expanding your belly rather than your chest, and then exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your stomach contract. Try to make your exhale longer than your inhale to promote relaxation. Repeat this process as needed, allowing your body and mind to relax and unwind.
Cold water shock makes you gasp so to prevent water being inhaled, pinch your nose closed between thumb and forefinger and use the other fingers to cover the mouth, breathing through the gaps.
When you're in the water, keep focused on your breath. You want slow and controlled inhales through the nose and extended exhales through the mouth. This tells your body to stay calm, that you're ok and in control.
Try to take deep breaths through your nose while you're in the cold water, which can help you relax and stay calm. Avoid taking shallow breaths, which can make you feel tenser or even hyperventilate.
Cold Water Immersion can trigger involuntary gasping, rapid breathing or hyperventilating due to the “shock” of sudden immersion. This uncontrolled rapid breathing can quickly create a drowning emergency if you inhale water and cannot stay afloat. Cold water can cause a sudden spike in heart rate and blood pressure.
Inhale deeply through your nose, focusing on expanding your belly rather than your chest, and then exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your stomach contract. Try to make your exhale longer than your inhale to promote relaxation. Repeat this process as needed, allowing your body and mind to relax and unwind.
Cold-water immersion (CWI) elicits the cold shock response (CSR). The hyperventilatory component of the CSR causes a decrease in cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFv) potentially causing sensations of dizziness and increasing the risk of becoming unconscious and consequently drowning [1].
After a cold plunge, dry off and warm up by getting dressed in dry clothes. You can sip a warm beverage and move to a heated area. But don't head straight for a sauna or hot tub, because the extreme heat could cause too much stress on your body.
Frigophobia is defined as a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of coldness, despite conscious understanding by the phobic individual and reassurance by others that there is no danger. It is also known as cryophobia, cheimaphobia or cheimatophobia.
Entering an ice bath can be an intense experience, but proper techniques can make it more bearable. Before getting in, take a few deep breaths with slow and long exhales to relax your body. Slowly lower yourself into the water, and try to keep your body as relaxed as possible throughout the session.
Start Ice Bathing Slowly
If you're new to ice bathing, it's essential to start slowly and build up your tolerance gradually. You can begin by taking a cold shower for a few minutes and then gradually decrease the temperature until you can comfortably tolerate the cold water. From there, you can progress to ice baths.
The Wim Hof Method®
Fully inhale through the belly, then chest and then let go unforced. Repeat this 30 to 40 times in short, powerful bursts. After the last exhalation, inhale one final time, as deeply as you can. Then let the air out and stop breathing.
Water: Water is very important for keeping you hydrated. It also thins mucus in your respiratory system so that the body can rid itself of it and prevent build-up that can cause breathing difficulties. It is usually recommended that adults get up to eight glasses of water a day.
Plunging the body into cold water triggers a sudden, rapid increase in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure known as the cold shock response. That can cause a person to drown within seconds if they involuntarily gasp while their head is submerged. The shock also places stress on the heart and makes it work harder.
Slowly Begin the Warm-up Process: Drying Off and Covering Up
To prevent this, take your time to dry off thoroughly and wear warm, comfortable clothing immediately after the ice bath. Wrapping yourself in a cozy towel or robe and wearing dry socks can help retain body heat and initiate a gentle warming process.
Common responses during cold water immersion are: Shallow breathing or breath-holding — This occurs due to the activation of the vagus nerve, which signals the body to conserve heat. Shallow breathing is characterized by rapid, shallow inhalations and limited exhalations.
When it comes to overcoming fear of cold water , the most important thing is to take it step by step. Start by taking a cold shower up to 30 seconds at a time, gradually increasing the time as your body gets used to the cold temperature.
Breathe through pursed lips, as if you are whistling. Or pinch one nostril and breathe through your nose. It is harder to hyperventilate through your nose or through pursed lips because you can't move as much air. Slow your breathing to 1 breath every 5 seconds, or slow enough that symptoms gradually go away.