Nervous system this, nervous system that. For a long time, I ignored any advice related to the nervous system. I figured that, much like words such as “self-care” and “mindfulness”, “nervous system regulation” was an increasingly meaningless phrase, designed primarily to sell me crystal rollers and complicated wellness regimes. But then I became chronically unwell and, suddenly, found myself very interested in the nervous system. I learned it wasn’t this vague, abstract entity – but a complex biological control centre, governing everything from our stress response to how we feel in our body.
While there are endless ways to, at least partially, calm a dysregulated nervous system – from breathing exercises to entire lifestyle shifts – one nervous system “hack” (and I hate that word within this context, but bear with me) that has gained traction is dunking your face in ice water. This, according to studies and yea-sayers, stimulates your vagus nerve, which plays a significant role in the parasympathetic nervous system. In simpler terms, cold water on the face triggers a drop in heart rate, slows breathing and shifts the body from a stress state into a calmer recovery mode.
There was only one thing for it: I needed to test this nervous system tool out for myself. This was no easy feat – the last thing you want to do upon waking is plunge your face into a cavernous bowl of icy water before you even know where you are. This isn’t Titanic. But, still, that’s exactly what I did. Here were the results:
Week one
The first week took some getting used to. Every morning, before doing anything else, I’d fill a bowl with ice cubes and filtered water from the fridge, before dunking my face in for around 15 seconds (the recommended time length). This turned out to be harder than you might think – each time I lowered my face in, I wanted to eject it right out, unused to the sensation of holding my breath underwater. One thing I noticed, however, was that after a few seconds, it got easier. And then, lo and behold, my body started to relax.
It’s quite an odd feeling – not the full-on dopamine hit you might get from a cold plunge, but more like a muted, spreading sense of calm. I often awake feeling stressed; internally scanning over my to-do list and checking messages, cortisol jolting me out of bed and into the day. The ice water broke that pattern and, by the third or fourth morning, I’d come to look forward to it. Wake, dunk, ready for the day. It’s an added bonus that facial icing has de-puffing qualities, too. It’s no wonder Hailey Bieber, Kate Moss and Bella Hadid swear by it.
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Week two
By the second week, my ice water routine was old hat – as much a part of my morning as brushing my teeth. While there’s no sea to swim in around south London, this was the closest I could get to the sensation of being enveloped in calm without having to plunge into a cold bath like a maniac. Unlike plenty of my other dalliances with nervous system regulation – like tapping or butterfly hugs – I know this is one I’ll continue. And, as British Vogue’s beauty and wellness editor Morgan Fargo pointed out, you don’t have to fill a bowl with ice cubes each time. You can keep a bowl in your freezer and then fill it with water – or if you’re in a rush, just rub some ice cubes over your face.
Though dunking my face in ice water did lower my stress levels significantly in the morning, it’s no magic cure for a chronically dysregulated nervous system. Nor, I think, is it enough on its own. An ice dunk isn’t going to erase a nightmarish commute, for instance, or solve generalised anxiety or chronic stress. But I do think that things like this can be used holistically alongside other things, like breathwork for example, or, in some cases, creating a life that’s more in line with what makes you feel calm. Am I a zen master now? Afraid not. Did it move the needle somewhat? Indeed, it did.
