In the past few weeks, social media has been buzzing over a provocative question raised by renowned women’s health researcher Dr. Stacy Sims: Are ice baths good for women?

Some headlines and hot takes twisted her message into an outright warning: “Women shouldn’t cold plunge!” But if you actually listen to her, that’s not what she’s saying. Interestingly, many women in the comments expressed relief at this misunderstood takeaway — they were saying, “Oh, I hated cold plunging, and now I have a scientific and biological excuse!” But this oversimplifies a much more nuanced point.

In reality, Sims’ point is more nuanced. She’s cautioning that women may need a different dose of cold exposure than men, not that they should avoid it entirely. Why? Because women’s stress responses to cold are often stronger, and their bodies start shivering at slightly warmer temperatures. For instance, Kaikaew et al. (2018) found that women began shivering at an average ambient temperature of 11.3°C, compared to 9.6°C for men. Additionally, research by Solianik et al. (2014) indicated that while both genders experienced similar cooling rates during cold stress, men exhibited greater metabolic heat production and shivering, whereas women relied more on insulative responses. Too cold, and you risk triggering shutdown instead of productive adaptation.

But here’s where it gets tricky: while Sims speaks from a deep mechanistic understanding of female physiology, there hasn’t yet been large-scale research directly studying cold plunging outcomes in women. Most of what we know comes from studies on men.

So what do we know? And what still needs exploring?

We know that:

• Women shiver at warmer temperatures.
• Hormonal fluctuations, particularly estrogen, shape how women generate heat and adapt to cold.
• As women age and estrogen drops, their reliance on muscular shivering increases.
• Cold exposure can benefit mood, resilience, and stress regulation.

What we still need to explore:

• How variables like temperature, time, and immersion depth specifically affect outcomes for women.
• How different life stages (e.g., pre-menopause vs. post-menopause) impact cold adaptation.
• The best ways to personalize cold exposure protocols for women’s health, athletic performance, and mental wellbeing.

What Cold Plunging Does: Metabolic, Nervous System, and Psychological Effects

Cold exposure affects us on several levels:

• Metabolic: Cold temperatures stimulate brown adipose tissue (brown fat), increasing calorie burning and thermogenesis. A 2024 study by Blondin et al. highlighted estrogen’s key role in how women generate heat. When estrogen drops, as it does in menopause (Davezac et al., 2021), brown fat slows down, and shivering — a muscular response — takes over. This means cold exposure could potentially help offset age-related metabolic slowdown.
• Nervous System: Cold plunging is a hormetic stressor — a small, controlled challenge that strengthens your resilience. It activates the sympathetic nervous system, but the real magic comes from learning to downregulate and switch into parasympathetic recovery while still in the cold. This builds nervous system flexibility and resilience.
• Psychological: Studies show cold plunging boosts dopamine (Sramek et al., 2000), improves mood and resilience (Yankouskaya et al., 2023), reduces stress (Kopplin, 2022), and lowers inflammation (Esperland et al., 2022). Many people use it as a powerful reset tool for mental clarity and emotional regulation.

In short: the benefits go beyond metabolism. Cold plunging helps train both body and mind.

What We See in the Clinic

How to Personalize Cold Exposure for Yourself

If you want to experiment with cold plunging at home, here’s how to do it safely:

1. Start with what’s cold for YOU: You don’t need an ice bath at 32°F. Try starting at 50-60°F and see how your body responds.
2. Keep immersions short: Begin with 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Build gradually.
3. Use partial immersion: Start by dunking just your feet, hands, or lower legs.
4. Monitor your response: Track heart rate, breathing, and how you feel afterward.
5. Focus on calmness, not toughness: The goal isn’t to grit through discomfort — it’s to practice self-regulation.

Safety Tips and Contraindications

• Avoid cold plunging if you are pregnant, have cardiovascular disease, severe Raynaud’s, or other conditions sensitive to cold stress.
• Never cold plunge alone.
• Always listen to your body — if you start to feel numbness, dizziness, or confusion, get out immediately.

We Need More Research

We urgently need more large-scale studies examining how women of different ages, hormonal profiles, and health conditions respond to cold exposure. At Ice Bath Boston, we hope to contribute to this research by gathering client data and collaborating with scientific teams.

If you’re curious about joining one of our workshops or being part of future experiments, we invite you to come experience a guided, personalized cold plunge session with us.

Together, we can explore how to make this ancient, simple tool work for everybody.

Want to experience it for yourself? Join us at Ice Bath Boston & Breath for a workshop and discover how calming your mind and body under stress can transform your resilience and wellbeing.