The Science Behind Cold Plunge: Your Top Questions, Answered
Everything we do starts with the science.
All claims below are drawn from peer-reviewed research reviewed by our team and vetted alongside our Medical Advisor, Dr. Amy Price Neff of Mindstream Integrative Medicine. You can explore the full library of studies on our Science page.
Below, we break down your most common questions—what hot and cold exposure actually does for your body, who benefits most, and how to build the foundation for your health at Framework.
Q: What are the most notable health and wellness benefits of cold plunges?
A: Cold plunges deliver a blend of physical, mental, and metabolic benefits backed by decades of research on whole-body cold water immersion. Most studies show meaningful effects between 40–60°F.
Here’s what happens inside your body:
Reduced inflammation and soreness. Cold immersion calms the inflammation-healing system and helps your muscles recover more quickly after activity.
A clean, sustained mood lift. Cold triggers a remarkable 250% rise in dopamine and a 500% rise in noradrenaline, producing a clear-headed, espresso-like alertness without the crash. The dopamine increase tapers slowly, lasting hours—not minutes.
Deeper, more restorative sleep. Cold lowers sympathetic tone and helps reset the nervous system. Many people (including our founder’s wife) see the effects show up in their HRV data.
Metabolic support. Regular cold exposure encourages the formation of brown fat, a type of fat tissue that’s metabolically active and supports glucose management—one of the pillars of metabolic health.
Immune support. Early evidence suggests cold can positively influence immune function.
Resilience training. Beyond the physical benefits, cold plunging teaches your body and your mind to do something difficult on purpose. That “do hard things” muscle is one of the most transferable skills we see people gaining from consistent practice.
Together, these effects make cold plunging a surprisingly efficient tool for recovery, clarity, and vitality.
Q: How do the benefits of localized cold therapy differ from whole-body immersion?
A: Think of localized cold therapy (like an ice pack or cold compression device) as therapeutic, and whole-body immersion as preventative and systemic.
Localized cold therapy reduces swelling and pain in a specific area. Useful for acute injuries, sprains, or overuse.
Whole-body cold immersion, on the other hand, influences your entire physiology: your nervous system, metabolic health, cardiovascular strain, immune function, and neurochemistry.
Most people who plunge aren’t treating an injury—they’re training resilience, boosting mood and focus, or working toward long-term health outcomes. Like strength training, the benefits come from consistency over time.
Q: Who can benefit the most from cold immersion, and why?
A: Almost everyone, provided they approach it with awareness and proper guidance.
Cold acts as a mild, beneficial stressor, helping to fine-tune systems that depend on temperature cues: inflammation, immunity, circulation, and nervous system regulation.
At Framework, our members’ motivations for sustaining their contrast therapy is varied:
People looking to reset their nervous system. They come for the calm, clarity, and supportive community.
Social seekers. Cold plunge offers a new way to meet people and connect without relying on nightlife.
Longevity, fitness, and biohacking enthusiasts. They track the data and feel the difference in their biomarkers and daily energy.
Athletes. From marathoners to weekend warriors, cold immersion is a core recovery and conditioning tool.
People recovering from injury. Cold allows cardiovascular strain without high-impact movement.
Aging adults. Cold is a safe way to increase cardiovascular stimulus when joint pain or chronic conditions limit other forms of exertion.
(All also benefit from traditional sauna in their circuit—the other half of Framework’s contrast therapy experience.)
Q: Who should avoid or take extra precautions with cold plunges?
A: Cold exposure is powerful. For some people, it requires thoughtful pacing:
Individuals with cardiovascular disease (including hypertension or prior stroke) should speak with their medical provider before starting.
Anyone on kidney dialysis should avoid cold plunging without specialist guidance.
Pregnant individuals should receive medical clearance.
Anyone currently sick should pause plunging to avoid additional stress on the system.
People with cold-sensitive conditions like cold-triggered asthma or Raynaud’s should proceed carefully.
People with reactive nervous systems—including POTS, dysautonomia, orthostatic hypotension, or dissociative symptoms—should start very slowly. The initial bradycardic response (slowing of the heart rate) can cause fainting, but with gradual exposure and support, many can build tolerance.
When in doubt, go slow and get guidance. At Framework, guides help you choose the right temperature, pacing, and breathwork so your nervous system stays supported.
Q: What benefits does whole-body cold immersion offer that localized cold therapy doesn’t?
A: Whole-body immersion provides holistic, system-wide benefits that localized methods simply can’t reach—especially in the realms of mood chemistry, metabolic health, and nervous system regulation.
And then there’s the social health aspect. Plunging is hard, and it’s easier (and more enjoyable) with community. Framework offers multiple temperature options, coaching, and supportive groups, making practice more sustainable and markedly more fun. Plus, when paired with traditional sauna sessions, the benefits compound. Consistent sauna use alone has been linked with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, Hypertension, Alzheimer’s and dementia. (These conditions make up four of the seven CDC-recognized chronic diseases—40% of U.S. adults live with at least one.) Contrast therapy is a powerful way to train the systems that keep you functioning well for decades.
Q: Anything else we should know about cold therapy?
A: A few key guidelines help maximize benefit and minimize overwhelm:
Aim for 10 minutes of cold exposure per week in the 40–60°F range. The research suggests this is enough to achieve measurable effects.
Break it into 2–5 minute sessions, ideally several times per week. Consistency matters more than heroics.
Pair cold exposure with traditional sauna. Contrast therapy helps train your body to move smoothly between states of heat and cold—supporting circulation, cardiovascular health, and nervous system balance. It’s one of the reasons we offer both at Framework.
Colder isn’t better. Below 60°F, the benefits remain largely the same…the time just changes. (5 minutes at 60°F ≈ 2 minutes at 40°F.)
Your ideal temperature is personal. It depends on sex, body composition, prior cold exposure, time of day, menstrual cycle phase, and more.
Water feels colder than air. It conducts temperature 23x more efficiently, which is why a 50°F plunge feels far more intense than a 50°F cryotherapy chamber.
This is why we offer multiple cold plunge temperatures between 40–60°F, so you can calibrate your dose to match your body the day of your session.
