Starting as a pain reliever for athletes, cold plunge therapy has become a popular wellness treatment for all sorts of people, especially since it’s known to reduce inflammation and improve sleep and mental clarity. One category of individuals who are “breaking the ice” and spreading the word about it is wellness keynote speakers. They see just what it does for them and can’t keep quiet.
Improves Mental Clarity and Focus
With the nature of a keynote speaker’s job, articulating their thoughts with superb mental clarity is a must. They’re forever needing to switch up their approach throughout their presentations to keep the audience engaged, meaning quick thinking is a regular part of their days. These individuals now recognize the importance of natural ways to improve their mental clarity and focus.
And one of those methods is cold plunge therapy, a chilling way to keep them on their toes. The frigid temperature elevates oxygen intake, increases the release of dopamine and norepinephrine, and heightens alertness by putting your body in fight-or-flight mode.
Whenever a person regularly undergoes cold plunge therapy, they essentially train their brains. They then remain calm, cool, and collected even when the pressure is on or during their mentally demanding job.
After experiencing this benefit for themselves, they want to share it with others, such as when speaking to an audience of educators. These individuals are communicating constantly, so keeping mentally sharp helps them excel at presenting information clearly and effectively for maximum efficiency.
Cold Plunge Therapy for Stress Relief
While these speakers get in front of a crowd and give it their all every time, complete with energy that rates an 11/10, it’s not an easy job. Every time they get in front of a room, it’s not just about going over each topic point they have; it’s about assessing the sentiment of the room and using that to guide the lecture. Specific example: when a speaker notices all eyes and ears aren’t on them, they must find a way to command attention, which is, by no means, a simple task.
Not to mention, they’re always on the road, going from place to place, and living out of hotels much of the time. Being away from family and the constant changes are stressful aspects of the job for anyone.
Cold plunge therapy slows your heart rate, which will soothe your nervous system and put your body into a relaxed state by initiating your parasympathetic nervous system, an aspect of your body that regulates your digestion, rest, and respiration.
The cold from the ice bath shifts your body into “fight-or-flight” mode, as your body considers the cold a threat. Once the initial shock of submerging yourself into cold plunge therapy is over, your body goes into “rest and digest mode”, when your adrenaline and cortisol decrease while your respiration and heart rate slow down.
Moreover, when your parasympathetic system takes over, recovery begins. You ultimately feel more relaxed, and your mood will improve.
Regulates Mood
Bringing energy is essentially a core responsibility of a speaker to maintain the attention of all guests (or at least as many as possible). In order to bring that enthusiasm and passion every time, keeping their mood in check is a necessity.
Through cold water therapy, the individual regulates their mood once the parasympathetic system takes over and causes a feeling of relaxation.
Because so many professionals, including those in healthcare and education, need to remain positive and calm even when life isn’t going right, a speaker can educate these professionals on the powers of cold plunge therapy to improve deep breathing techniques to help manage stress.
A wellness keynote speaker is often not only talking the talk but also walking the walk. When they use cold plunge therapy to improve their work performance and destress, they’re going to make it a talking point to educate others in various industries on how they can also use it. Recently, cold plunge therapy, a component of contrast therapy, has become more popular with presenters because of its natural benefits and ease of use on the road (many gyms and spas across the country now offer it).
This article was written for WHN by Anthony Ciabarra, M.D., Ph.D., who has been practicing neurology and supervising neurology clinical trials in Fullerton for over 20 years. As a graduate of Yale University School of Medicine, he participated in the Medical Scientist Training Program, receiving an M.D. degree and a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Ciabarra has participated in the development of a number of breakthrough treatments, including new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, migraine headache, and other neurological conditions.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement.
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