For everyone the thought of exposing yourself to ice-cold water sounds frightening, concerning, scary or something of the sort. Believe me, for everyone entering into ice water, the moment your body experiences the cold you will go into your STRESS response. 
This is the moment that counts…
 
By doing deliberate cold exposure you get the chance to tap into your body’s natural healing powers, activate interesting neurochemistry and open the doors to the following potential health and performance benefits:
 
1)    Learning how to manage your stress response and training your nervous system 
 
The human body’s response to the cold is similar to how we respond to other stressors in life. This includes reactions such as an elevated heart rate, feelings of panic, body contractions, and shallow breathing. Intentionally subjecting yourself to distress and learning how to regulate your mind and body through it helps you cope with stress better, and that’s precisely what makes cold immersion so impactful. It is also believed to trigger neurogenesis (the creation of new and better nerve pathways) which helps to improve memory. 
 
2)    To increase energy, focus and mood
 
Cold water unleashes a floodgate of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and epinephrine and norepinephrine which make us feel energetic, alert, perhaps agitated but motivated and an increased sense of well-being. It can certainly boost your happyness and help you start to battle depressive thoughts. 
Sleep patterns are often altered and we hope this is the start of enjoying your life more. 
 
3)    Building resilience and grit
 
As you embrace the cold as a meaningful self-directed challenge / stress, you are exerting a “top-down” control over your deeper brain centres controlling reflex action. You are training your brain to activate the parts for planning under pressure and suppressing impulsivity. This is where resilience and grit, willpower and confidence live! This is an important skill that can carry across to the stresses you face in your “normal” crazy life; allowing you to cope better, maintain a calm clear mind and act appropriately. Ultimately helping you to find inner peace and joy. 
 
4)    Impacting your metabolism 
 
There is a short-term increase in your metabolism which burns energy to produce heat to protect you against the cold. However the most important and exciting is converting white fat (stored fat) into brown fat which is far more user friendly. Brown fat allows you to develop cold adaptation (not only for the ice plunge but also for cold winters!) and triggers more sustainable increases in metabolism; stabilization in blood sugar levels has been noted by some participants in cold water therapy. 
 
5)    Physical Recovery 
 
Cold exposure can be a highly effective recovery tool after high intensity exercise or endurance training. 
It is noted to trigger anti-inflammatory norepinephrine release that reduces pain from injuries.
The blood vessel constriction that occurs during cold exposure reduces swelling, important to reduces muscle soreness (DOMS), muscle spasms and any damaged or inflamed tissues from exercise. 
Cold is also simply  a great analgesic, decreasing the perception of pain and fatigue. There is often an improve range of motion within the body afterwards and capitalising on this can boosts physical performance in sports.
 
6)    Immune system stimulation
 
An increase in the antioxidants glutathione and superoxide dismutase have been noted with Cold exposure. These support the liver functioning, optimize cellular processes and protect against oxidative stress. By forcing you to increases your tolerance to stress cold exposure may make you more capable of handling exposure to harmful stimuli.
 
7)    Enhanced circulation of the blood
 
As you enter the cold there is an alteration in localised blood flow and tissue temperature. This vasoconstriction flows through the body as you completely submerge, altering core temperature and your heart rate. Learning how to breathe through this process aids in strengthening your lung function. Somewhere between the cold exposure and warming up afterwards, lymphatic flow improves. Due to the reduction in swelling and oedema, blood and body alkalinity can be affected. 
 
8)    Other interesting effects
 
-       As a reaction to the cold, skin tone alters and the “goose-bump” effect may strengthen and nourish your hair. 
-     Higher levels of testosterone have been noted from cold exposure. 
-     Some anecdotal results evidenced that cooling human testicles can substantially increase total sperm count and sperm concentration.