The Mental Edge of Cold Exposure
By, Matt Susca, O2X Integrated Specialist - Pueblo Police Department
With the rabbit hole of biohacking growing in popularity by the day; more and more of us are being bombarded with the image of a Dutch man buried up to his neck in ice cubes with the biggest smile on his face. This is Wim Hof, a health and wellness advocate who has become better known as “the ice man” across social media. Hof’s popularized cold exposure has taken off for a huge population of individuals who are coming around the benefits of extreme cold exposure. Humans have been subjecting themselves to cold exposure since the dawn of time; most commonly associated is an ice bath after a hard training session for athletes as a means of physiological recovery. Yet now we are seeing a growing trend in ice baths for the cognitive benefits as well as the physiological.
To explain why more people, especially high stress individuals such as first responders and tactical athletes are taking time to chill out, we need to understand the human stress response first. The human stress response evolved to help us stay alive. It activates our fight or flight response through our autonomic nervous system to turn on our sympathetic nervous system. This happens from identification of a threat which makes a spike in cortisol, the stress hormone, which articulates to adrenaline, diverting blood flow away from the brain and gut to prepare the body for physical action (fight or flight). Once the threat is neutralized, the body is then allowed to relax into a parasympathetic response or recovery mode. Blood flow returns to the gut and brain, turning the metabolism back on and transferring information from short term to long term memory. Cortisol levels drop and the body relaxes and even releases melatonin to help induce better recovery through sleep. That's how the human stress response is supposed to work.
The issue of modern stress is that modern stress is not intensely life threatening, stress is not acute or short term, modern stress stretches on for a long time, and modern stress is not primarily visual and actionable. The human stress response is supposed to act like a pressure plate. Intense, acute, and actionable stress triggers the plate, stress is neutralized, the body can relax. Modern stress being less intense but constant and unactionable piles up and stops the body from going into recovery mode. As stress accumulates; metabolisms break down, muscle composition decreases, nutrient absorption drops, and cognitive faculties suffer. Simply because modern life has become too good.
The human stress response can handle a potential grizzly bear attack better than a big pile of emails at work or a surprise bill. How does taking an ice bath solve this? Realistically, it is one of many options we call “eustress” which is simply positive or facilitative stress such as exercise, sport, or challenging hobbies like jui jitsu.
The ice bath starts with how you approach it; seasoned ice bathers talk about “the fear” or anxiety that begins as they approach the cold water. This is simply your body’s reaction to a threat. Your body senses a threat to homeostasis and begins to respond with an elevated heart rate to begin pumping more blood to extremities. The desired water temperature for an ice bath per the recommendation of Soberg is a third of your body temperature which is just about 40 degrees fahrenheit. Preferred time in full body submersion is three minutes, five times a week. This cold exposure acts as a reset to the brain to induce your body to break down that cortisol from modern stress and progress towards that parasympathetic recovery mode. The human stress response is designed to be like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets. When you are that cold, the only thing you can do is remain calm, control your breathing, and relax your mind. The goal is to handle the stimulus of discomfort with calm.
Much of taking an ice bath is looking at how you react to discomfort and stress. Remaining mindful through the process and developing introspection about what kind of person you become when you are uncomfortable is an added bonus to the physiological reset. Most people will only experience stress that is not on their own terms, as opposed to deliberately choosing controlled discomfort that builds resilience, self-awareness, and confidence in their ability to stay calm under pressure.
References:
- Søberg Institute. (n.d.). About. Søberg Institute. https://soeberginstitute.com/pages/about
- Wim Hof Method. (n.d.). Science. https://www.wimhofmethod.com/science
About O2X Integrated Specialist Matt Susca:
Matt Susca is an O2X Onsite Human Performance Specialist specializing in Mental Performance for Pueblo Police Department. In this role, he supports officers in building resilience, sharpening focus, and enhancing decision-making under pressure. Drawing on his background in sport and exercise psychology, Matt provides evidence-based strategies to help law enforcement professionals manage stress, improve performance consistency, and sustain long-term well-being.
Before joining Pueblo PD, Matt spent over two years consulting with active duty infantry at Fort Drum, NY, where he developed mental performance programs tailored to the unique challenges of military operations. His work also includes experience supporting Division I football athletes and NFL draft prospects, helping them optimize mental readiness for high-stakes competition. Beyond tactical and sport environments, Matt has consulted with business professionals in industrial settings, translating performance psychology principles to workplace success.
Matt holds advanced training in sport and exercise psychology, with over five years of applied experience in the field. Outside of work, he enjoys weightlifting, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with family and friends. His approach blends professional expertise with a passion for helping others realize their full potential in any environment.