Cold Therapy · NuShape × Soho House

Cold Therapy

Cold exposure is one of the oldest hormetic stressors known to the human body. A brief encounter triggers a cascade of repair signals — norepinephrine, brown fat activation, sustained dopamine — that linger for hours after you step out.

Jessica Charles

Founder · NuShape

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Eleven minutes of cold water immersion per week produces norepinephrine increases of 200–300%. The cold doesn't need to be extreme. It needs to be consistent.

The Science

What Cold Does to the Body

Dr. Susanna Søberg's research at the University of Copenhagen established the 11-minutes-per-week threshold. Andrew Huberman at Stanford documented the specific pathways: the norepinephrine spike, sustained dopamine elevation, and how deliberate cold differs physiologically from incidental exposure. Wim Hof demonstrated that voluntary cold exposure can produce effects previously thought impossible — including voluntary influence over the autonomic nervous system and immune response.

Norepinephrine

200–300% increase in one session

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Cold water immersion is among the most powerful non-pharmacological norepinephrine triggers available. Norepinephrine drives focus, alertness, mood elevation, and pain relief. Effects persist 3–4 hours after a single session. This is why people describe sharp clarity after the plunge — not psychological toughness, a neurochemical event.

◈ Andrew Huberman, Stanford — Dr. Susanna Søberg, University of Copenhagen

Brown Adipose Tissue

Cold-activated metabolic tissue

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Brown fat (BAT) burns energy to generate heat — the opposite of white fat. Cold exposure activates BAT and, with consistent practice, recruits more of it. Active brown fat improves insulin sensitivity, regulates blood sugar, and increases metabolic rate. This is not acute caloric burn — it is a systemic metabolic shift that compounds over weeks.

◈ Dr. Susanna Søberg — BAT activation and metabolic benefits

Inflammation & Recovery

Vasoconstriction and the rebound effect

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Cold causes rapid vasoconstriction — blood vessels narrow, driving blood from the periphery back to the core. When the body rewarms, vasodilation floods fresh oxygenated blood back in, clearing inflammatory mediators from muscle tissue. The rebound, not the cold itself, is where much of the recovery benefit lives.

Dopamine

A sustained elevation — not a spike

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Unlike dopamine from food or scrolling — sharp and brief — cold immersion produces a sustained dopamine elevation lasting two to three hours. This is not the crash-and-seek cycle of artificial stimulation but a steady, grounded elevation associated with motivation, optimism, and goal-directed behaviour. One of the most effective mood regulation tools available without a prescription.

◈ Andrew Huberman, Stanford Neuroscience Lab

11min

Per week for measurable effect — Søberg research

300%

Norepinephrine increase in one session

10–15°C

Optimal water temperature range

Getting Started

Entry Points for Every Stage

Meeting the cold where you are

There is no minimum requirement to receive benefit. Any water that feels uncomfortably cold to you is working. The key variable is staying — not temperature precision.

Beginning: End your shower with 30–60 seconds of the coldest water your tap produces. The gasping reflex is the signal — not failure, confirmation the practice is working.

Progressing: Work toward 2–3 minutes at genuinely cold temperatures. A slow nasal exhale on entry is your primary tool for staying calm. Wim Hof built an entire practice around this: the breath is the anchor.

Full practice: 10–15°C water for 2–3 minutes, 3–4 times per week. Eleven minutes distributed across the week is the research-backed threshold.

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Protocols

How to Use Cold Therapy

Goal	Duration	Temperature	Notes
Mood & focus	2–3 min	10–15°C	Morning for maximum dopamine/norepinephrine effect
Athletic recovery	10–15 min	10–15°C	Within 1 hour post-training; avoid after strength work if building muscle
Contrast therapy	2–3 min cold	10–15°C	Always after sauna — sauna opens, cold closes
Metabolic (BAT)	3–5 min	14–16°C	Slightly warmer, longer — brown fat activates with consistency over time
Sleep improvement	2–3 min	15°C	Evening cold helps core temperature drop faster for sleep onset