Inflammation Isn’t the Enemy: Rethinking Cold Water, Recovery & Resilience
We hear it all the time — inflammation is bad. Something to fight, reduce, suppress. But that’s only half the story. Especially if you’re into movement, nature, cold water, or sauna — it’s worth understanding what inflammation actually is, and why you might not always want to switch it off. Because when it comes to cold immersion after exercise, the timing and intention matter more than you think.
Posted on Tue 22 Apr 2025 · by Danny
What even is inflammation?
At its core, inflammation is your body’s built-in recovery and repair response. It kicks in when something’s out of balance — like a muscle tear after a workout (that is how you grow muscle!) , a cut, an infection, or even emotional stress. It brings immune cells, nutrients, and messengers (called cytokines) to the site. Redness, swelling, heat — they’re signs that your body is doing its job.
Without inflammation, we wouldn’t heal. Simple as that.
🧊 So where does cold water fit in?
Cold water immersion is incredible — it:
Triggers TNF-alpha, a key cytokine involved in regulating the immune system
Helps modulate inflammation (not just reduce it)
Boosts blood flow on rewarming, aiding muscle recovery
Encourages a parasympathetic reset (rest-and-digest mode)
Reduces muscle pain (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and soreness- the TNF-alpha actually changes you perception of pain!
In short, it supports recovery and resilience — physically and mentally. But like all good things, it’s about balance.
Here’s where it gets interesting…
If your goal is to build strength or grow muscle, jumping straight into cold water immediately after training can actually blunt some of the gains.
Why? Because that early inflammation — those immune messengers and micro-damage signals — are part of the adaptation. Your body gets stronger by responding to the stress of training, not by avoiding it.
If we cool things down too soon, we might interrupt that process.
💡 The takeaway?
Cold is still powerful — but you don’t always need to reduce inflammation right away. In fact, sometimes it’s better to let the body run its natural course, and use cold water more intentionally.
Try this:
Wait a few hours after training before cold immersion if building strength is your goal.
Use cold on rest days, or when you feel overworked, sore, or under-recovered.
Pair cold with heat, movement, and breathwork to help the body complete the inflammatory cycle, not just shut it down.
It’s not about “eliminating inflammation” — it’s about supporting your body to regulate, adapt and recover in a balanced way.
Sometimes we need fire. Sometimes we need ice.The art is in knowing when to use which — and trusting that your body often knows exactly what it’s doing.