The claim

“Cold plunges reduce inflammation in your body.”

Stretched. A 2025 meta-analysis found that inflammatory markers rose right after cold water, and both studies behind that result had people lift weights first. Studies of weeks of regular dips found cytokines unchanged or slightly higher.

Updated Sep 24, 2026 · 2 studies reviewed

A real finding has been pulled well past what the study showed.

People say it in places like these

Huberman Lab podcast
Deliberate cold exposure can reduce inflammation.
See an example ↗
Lizzo (AP report)
Lizzo says cold plunges reduce inflammation.
See an example ↗
Cold plunge brands
The norepinephrine from regular ice baths can dramatically reduce inflammation.

The research found this

The widest summary is a 2025 meta-analysis in PLOS ONE of 11 randomized studies with 3,177 participants.Source 1 · Meta-analysisEffects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysisCain T, Brinsley J, Bennett H, et al.. PLOS ONE, 2025.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Of those participants, 3,018 came from a single cold-shower trial, and the other ten studies each enrolled 7 to 26 men. The review pooled each study's change from before to after cold water inside the cold group, and it did not subtract what happened to the comparison group.

By that measure, inflammatory markers rose right after immersion (standardized mean difference 1.03) and were still up an hour later (1.26).Source 1 · Meta-analysisEffects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysisCain T, Brinsley J, Bennett H, et al.. PLOS ONE, 2025.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Both estimates rest on two studies in which men got into cold water after resistance exercise. In one of them, IL-6 rose 4.9% at 30 minutes in men who took a 15-minute bath at 15°C after squats and 47.5% in men who rested instead.Source 2 · Crossover trialCold-water immersion blunts and delays increases in circulating testosterone and cytokines post-resistance exerciseEarp JE, Hatfield DL, Sherman A, et al.. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

Studies without a workout are small. In young men followed for 48 hours, ten minutes at 14°C lowered TNF-α and changed IL-6 only after a delay.Source 3 · Crossover trialResidual effects of short-term whole-body cold-water immersion on the cytokine profile, white blood cell count, and blood markers of stressEimonte M, Paulauskas H, Daniuseviciute L, et al.. International Journal of Hyperthermia, 2021.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Finnish women who dipped in 0–2°C water for 20 seconds three times a week for 12 weeks showed no change in any of the three cytokines measured.Source 4 · Clinical trialEffects of long‐term whole‐body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta‐endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy femalesLeppäluoto J, Westerlund T, Huttunen P, et al.. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 2008.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ After six weeks of hour-long immersions at 14°C, athletic young men had small rises in TNF-α and some immune cells, which the authors called slight and of unclear significance.Source 5 · Clinical trialImmune system of cold-exposed and cold-adapted humansJanský L, Pospíšilová D, Honzová S, et al.. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 1996.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

Reviews of cold water after exercise find little movement in blood markers. A meta-analysis of cooling after exhausting exercise found no significant change over 96 hours in objective recovery markers such as cytokines.Source 6 · Meta-analysisThe Effect of Post-Exercise Cryotherapy on Recovery Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisHohenauer E, Taeymans J, Baeyens JP, et al.. PLOS ONE, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ In a 2026 trial, regular cold baths after interval training left inflammatory markers unchanged.Source 7 · Randomized trialRegular Cold‐Water Immersion Following HIIT Does Not Affect Intramuscular Adaptation Markers, Inflammatory Profile or Endurance PerformanceMalta ES, Neto JCR, Beck WR, et al.. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2026.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

A 2022 review of 104 studies in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health concluded that small single-sex groups and varied water temperatures prevent clear conclusions about cold water's effects on health.Source 8 · ReviewHealth effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debateEspeland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2022.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

The dial reads 62°H for four reasons

How the reading adds up

14 + 18 + 22 + 8 = 62°H

EvidenceWhat kind of evidence exists in people?
14/25
The human evidence is small trials that measured blood markers such as IL-6 and TNF-α over minutes to days.Source 1 · Meta-analysisEffects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysisCain T, Brinsley J, Bennett H, et al.. PLOS ONE, 2025.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 3 · Crossover trialResidual effects of short-term whole-body cold-water immersion on the cytokine profile, white blood cell count, and blood markers of stressEimonte M, Paulauskas H, Daniuseviciute L, et al.. International Journal of Hyperthermia, 2021.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ None of them followed people with an inflammatory illness.
ConsistencyHas the finding held up?
18/25
Ten minutes at 14°C lowered TNF-α in one lab, and six weeks of hour-long immersions at the same temperature raised it slightly in another.Source 3 · Crossover trialResidual effects of short-term whole-body cold-water immersion on the cytokine profile, white blood cell count, and blood markers of stressEimonte M, Paulauskas H, Daniuseviciute L, et al.. International Journal of Hyperthermia, 2021.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 5 · Clinical trialImmune system of cold-exposed and cold-adapted humansJanský L, Pospíšilová D, Honzová S, et al.. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 1996.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Twelve weeks of 20-second winter dips changed none of the cytokines measured.Source 4 · Clinical trialEffects of long‐term whole‐body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta‐endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy femalesLeppäluoto J, Westerlund T, Huttunen P, et al.. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 2008.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
MagnitudeDoes the claim match the size of the effect?
22/25
The claim describes a lasting drop in inflammation across the body, which no study has measured. In the pooled short-term data, markers were higher right after immersion (SMD 1.03), though the people in those studies had just exercised.Source 1 · Meta-analysisEffects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysisCain T, Brinsley J, Bennett H, et al.. PLOS ONE, 2025.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
DoseDoes the studied protocol match how people use it?
8/25
Some studies used doses close to home use, such as 10 minutes at 14°C or 20-second dips at 0–2°C, and others used an hour at 14°C.Source 3 · Crossover trialResidual effects of short-term whole-body cold-water immersion on the cytokine profile, white blood cell count, and blood markers of stressEimonte M, Paulauskas H, Daniuseviciute L, et al.. International Journal of Hyperthermia, 2021.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 4 · Clinical trialEffects of long‐term whole‐body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta‐endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy femalesLeppäluoto J, Westerlund T, Huttunen P, et al.. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 2008.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 5 · Clinical trialImmune system of cold-exposed and cold-adapted humansJanský L, Pospíšilová D, Honzová S, et al.. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 1996.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

The claim drifts from the data here

The claim speaks of inflammation across the whole body. The studies measured a few cytokines in the blood over minutes to days and saw them move in both directions, and none enrolled people with an inflammatory illness.

The clearest dampening of an inflammatory response in cold-water research came from Wim Hof breathing, and cold training alone did not produce it.Source 9 · Randomized trialVoluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humansKox M, van Eijk LT, Zwaag J, et al.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 10 · Randomized trialThe Effects of Cold Exposure Training and a Breathing Exercise on the Inflammatory Response in Humans: A Pilot StudyZwaag J, Naaktgeboren R, van Herwaarden AE, et al.. Psychosomatic Medicine, 2022.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Right after lifting, cold water did trim the cytokine rise, and the same habit repeated for weeks came with smaller gains in muscle size and strength.Source 2 · Crossover trialCold-water immersion blunts and delays increases in circulating testosterone and cytokines post-resistance exerciseEarp JE, Hatfield DL, Sherman A, et al.. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 11 · Meta-analysisThrowing cold water on muscle growth: A systematic review with meta‐analysis of the effects of postexercise cold water immersion on resistance training‐induced hypertrophyPiñero A, Burke R, Augustin F, et al.. European Journal of Sport Science, 2024.Read the paper ↗

Put it to use

Plunge for how it makes you feel, and don't count on it to lower inflammation. If you lift for muscle, plan around the finding that cold water within minutes of training came with smaller gains.Source 12 · Randomized trialPost‐exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long‐term adaptations in muscle to strength trainingRoberts LA, Raastad T, Markworth JF, et al.. The Journal of Physiology, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 11 · Meta-analysisThrowing cold water on muscle growth: A systematic review with meta‐analysis of the effects of postexercise cold water immersion on resistance training‐induced hypertrophyPiñero A, Burke R, Augustin F, et al.. European Journal of Sport Science, 2024.Read the paper ↗

From our sister magazine

Sauna Monthly explains when to plunge around a training session

Sauna Monthly · Guide

Time your plunge around your training

Hard cold works best a few hours away from hard lifting.

Read it on Sauna Monthly

Sauna Monthly · Shop

Cold plunge tubs range from ice barrels to chillers

Sauna Monthly compares every tub it tracks on price and cooling.

Read it on Sauna Monthly

Check these claims next

30°H

Likely

Cold

“Ice baths help you recover faster after exercise.”

Across dozens of small trials, cold water after hard exercise eased soreness and helped muscle power recover by the next day. The soreness benefit averaged about 0.3 points on a 0–10 scale in one meta-analysis, and the largest review found no faster recovery of strength.

56°H

Early

Cold

“The Wim Hof Method lets you control your immune system.”

Men trained in the method had a smaller inflammatory response to an injected bacterial toxin, and the breathing did most of the work. Cold training alone left that response unchanged in a later trial, and no study has followed practitioners through real infections.

64°H

Stretched

Heat

“Sauna lowers inflammation in your body.”

Finnish men who took the most saunas had slightly lower levels of the inflammation marker CRP, and the link was weak. Trials that heated people for weeks found no change in CRP, and a single session nudges some inflammatory signals up.

We cited these sources

01Cain T, Brinsley J, Bennett H, Nelson M, Maher C, Singh B. Effects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. 2025;20(1):e0317615. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0317615 PMID 39879231
02Earp JE, Hatfield DL, Sherman A, Lee EC, Kraemer WJ. Cold-water immersion blunts and delays increases in circulating testosterone and cytokines post-resistance exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2019;119(8):1901-1907. doi:10.1007/s00421-019-04178-7 PMID 31222379
03Eimonte M, Paulauskas H, Daniuseviciute L, Eimantas N, Vitkauskiene A, Dauksaite G, et al.. Residual effects of short-term whole-body cold-water immersion on the cytokine profile, white blood cell count, and blood markers of stress. International Journal of Hyperthermia. 2021;38(1):696-707. doi:10.1080/02656736.2021.1915504 PMID 33910456
04Leppäluoto J, Westerlund T, Huttunen P, Oksa J, Smolander J, Dugué B, et al.. Effects of long‐term whole‐body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta‐endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy females. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. 2008;68(2):145-153. doi:10.1080/00365510701516350 PMID 18382932
05Janský L, Pospíšilová D, Honzová S, Uličný B, Šrámek P, Zeman V, et al.. Immune system of cold-exposed and cold-adapted humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology. 1996;72(5–6):445-450. doi:10.1007/BF00242274 PMID 8925815
06Hohenauer E, Taeymans J, Baeyens JP, Clarys P, Clijsen R. The Effect of Post-Exercise Cryotherapy on Recovery Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLOS ONE. 2015;10(9):e0139028. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0139028 PMID 26413718
07Malta ES, Neto JCR, Beck WR, Cornachione AS, de Poli RAB, Sigoli E, et al.. Regular Cold‐Water Immersion Following HIIT Does Not Affect Intramuscular Adaptation Markers, Inflammatory Profile or Endurance Performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2026;36(3):e70241. doi:10.1111/sms.70241 PMID 41742004
08Espeland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debate. International Journal of Circumpolar Health. 2022;81(1):2111789. doi:10.1080/22423982.2022.2111789 PMID 36137565
09Kox M, van Eijk LT, Zwaag J, van den Wildenberg J, Sweep FCGJ, van der Hoeven JG, et al.. Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2014;111(20):7379-7384. doi:10.1073/pnas.1322174111 PMID 24799686
10Zwaag J, Naaktgeboren R, van Herwaarden AE, Pickkers P, Kox M. The Effects of Cold Exposure Training and a Breathing Exercise on the Inflammatory Response in Humans: A Pilot Study. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2022;84(4):457-467. doi:10.1097/PSY.0000000000001065 PMID 35213875
11Piñero A, Burke R, Augustin F, Mohan AE, DeJesus K, Sapuppo M, et al.. Throwing cold water on muscle growth: A systematic review with meta‐analysis of the effects of postexercise cold water immersion on resistance training‐induced hypertrophy. European Journal of Sport Science. 2024;24(2):177-189. doi:10.1002/ejsc.12074
12Roberts LA, Raastad T, Markworth JF, Figueiredo VC, Egner IM, Shield A, et al.. Post‐exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long‐term adaptations in muscle to strength training. The Journal of Physiology. 2015;593(18):4285-4301. doi:10.1113/JP270570 PMID 26174323

People say it in places like these

The research found this

The dial reads 62°H for four reasons

EvidenceWhat kind of evidence exists in people?

ConsistencyHas the finding held up?

MagnitudeDoes the claim match the size of the effect?

DoseDoes the studied protocol match how people use it?