PORT TOWNSEND — Karyn Stillwell will present the benefits of cold water exposure tonight at the Port Townsend Public Library.
The free event will take place at 6 p.m. at the Carnegie Reading Room, 1220 Lawrence St.
Stillwell’s presentation is a part of a month of programming centered around this year’s annual community read, said Melody Sky Weaver, the Port Townsend’s Community Services Director.
This year’s book is “Big in Sweden” by Sally Franson.
“Having the queen of cold water present at the library during a community read that takes place in Sweden just seemed like a perfect fit,” Sky Weaver said. “Especially because our community has gotten a lot of interest in cold plunging.”
Stillwell, who has lived in Port Townsend for almost 20 years, was born in California and grew up in Florida and Australia.
“I’m definitely a warm-weather person,” Stillwell said. “That means I’m a warm-water person. I was never going to be one of those people that I saw going into an ice bath.”
In summer 2022, Stillwell and her son visited cousins on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.
Unbeknownst to her, her cousins were into breathwork and cold plunging, specifically the techniques of Wim Hof, a Dutch extreme athlete known as The Iceman.
“They invited us to join,” she said. “So we did a breathwork session and we did an ice bath, and it absolutely blew my mind. I knew that I had found the thing that I had been looking for.”
When she returned to Washington, Stillwell dove into literature on coldwater benefits and engaged in a practice of cold-water plunging. After about a year, she decided to become certified in the Wim Hof Method.
Initially, she was searching for some kind of a trough for her practice, then it struck her that Port Townsend is surrounded by the Salish Sea, cold year round.
“During that year, I started plunging with some friends,” Stillwell said. “That turned into a really big community effort. Port Townsend cold plungers was born a couple of years ago.”
Beginning as a New Year’s Day plunge, the group has expanded to plunging three days a week year round, Stillwell said. Their Facebook page has more than 1,000 members.
“It’s definitely changed my life and honestly the lives of a lot of people who have joined this practice,” she said.
Cold water immersion has gained in popularity in recent years. An NPR article profiled a Puget Sound group with more than 5,000 members in 2023.
A PLOS One meta study looked at 11 studies and concluded that some time-sensitive effects may have practical uses for practitioners, but more studies are needed before making robust claims.
Stillwell said she believes the benefits of cold water exposure are numerous.
“There’s this idea of hormesis or something being a hormetic stressor or a good stressor,” Stillwell said. “A hormetic stressor is essentially a milder, medium-term stressor that causes a positive adaptation in the body. If that stressor was more intense or longer lasting, it would be detrimental.”
Exercise is an example of a hormetic stressor, Stillwell said.
“Going into the cold is essentially intermittent hypothermia,” she said. “You are stressing the body just enough to cause some positive adaptation so your body becomes stronger and more able to handle stressors in the future.”
Initially entering the water will cause a person’s heart rate, blood pressure and respiration rate to rise, and their sympathetic nervous system will be activated, Stillwell said.
“But, because we only stay a few minutes, and we start controlling our breath by taking long deep breaths, lengthening out the exhalation, we actually pull that sympathetic nervous system response back down into a more relaxed state,” Stillwell said.
Stillwell said the process increases people’s resilience in stressful situations.
“You’re practicing deliberately this idea of stimulating your shock response, and then with your deliberate breathing, you’re bringing yourself back down into a relaxed state,” Stillwell said. “Even just people’s ability to deal with stress in their everyday lives improves because you’re deliberately practicing it in a gentle and controlled way.”
Going into the cold leads to a spike of adrenaline, Stillwell said.
“Short, acute spikes in adrenaline are actually anti-inflammatory,” she said. “If you are sensitive to bee stings and you use an epi-pen, ‘epi’ stands for epinephrine. Epinephrine is another word for adrenaline.”
Stillwell believes those acute spikes in adrenaline can be beneficial for people with chronic inflammation in their bodies.
Stillwell said time in the water can increase people’s happiness and sense of wellbeing.
“I think I read dopamine increases 250 percent going into the cold,” Stillwell said. “Endorphins are released. Oxytocin is released, serotonin is released. These are all happy hormones and neurotransmitters that make you feel good.”
A PubMed published study suggests the same statistic, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10751106.
Stillwell said entering the cold also can cause your body to release norepinephrine, which can stimulate metabolism.
Importantly, Stillwell said individuals with uncontrolled high blood pressure, cardiac issues or Raynaud’s Syndrome should consult with a doctor before proceeding with cold plunges.
Stillwell believes cold water exposure can help improve high blood pressure, but the process should be done slowly and deliberately.
Further, Stillwell is adamant that Wim Hof Method breathing techniques and cold water exposures should not be combined.
In addition to her presentation at the library, Stillwell has two Wim Hof Method workshops coming up. One will be at the Hive in Port Hadlock from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on March 29. The event costs $179. The event will include breathwork and an opportunity to plunge in an ice bath. It will be catered with live music.
Stillwell also will offer a five-week course starting late in May. Information and registration for the March and May courses can be found at https://www.karynstillwell.com/wim-hof.
Stillwell instructs Vinyasa yoga classes at Madrona Mindbody on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 1 p.m.
Stillwell’s cold plunge group is currently meeting at 9 a.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at Fort Worden State Park, between the kitchen shelter and the Marine Science Center. The group’s schedule may change seasonally. Information will be updated on Stillwell’s website and the cold plungers Facebook page, Stillwell said.
Further information about what to bring and how to prepare can be found on the community cold plunge tab on Stillwell’s website, https://www.karynstillwell.com/communitycoldplungessinporttownsend-washington.
For a full schedule of community read events, including Sky Weaver’s presentation on her visit to Sweden that served as inspiration for the book and a reading from the author, visit the library’s webpage at https://ptpubliclibrary.org/library/page/community-read.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
