Inverted "u-shaped" association of cold-water immersion frequency with mental health and upper respiratory tract infection: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Evidence for a link between cold-water immersion (CWI) and health benefits remains scarce. The aim of this study was to verify whether CWI and its frequency is associated with mental health indices, duration of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and duration of sick leave (SL) taken due to URTI.

Methods

Data on N = 732 polar plungers and N = 501 controls was collected via the Internet in June 2022. The following self-reported methods were included: 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) comprising four subscales (somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and depressive symptoms), URTI and SL durations were represented as a number of days. The statistical analysis involved analysis of covariance and linear regression controlled for

SUBMITTER: Czarnecki J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12539224 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature