Wim Hof Method

An icebreaker

A Dutch athlete known for extreme cold-exposure feats built a method combining breathing exercises, cold immersion, and meditation. A 2014 study found trained participants could measurably influence their own immune response, though his broadest claims of mind-over-body control go beyond what that study showed.

Ask one of these · tap to take it

How much of a physical response can you actually will yourself?
What separates a discipline from a stunt?
Why does cold exposure feel meaningful to people who try it?
How do you know when a technique needs a safety warning?

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What is the method made of?

It combines a specific pattern of deep, rhythmic breathing followed by breath-holding, gradual cold exposure such as cold showers or ice baths, and a form of focused concentration the method treats as a kind of meditation.

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What did the 2014 study actually test?

Researchers trained twelve volunteers in the method for ten days, then injected them and an untrained control group with a bacterial toxin. The trained group showed a measurably milder inflammatory response and fewer flu-like symptoms.

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What did that study show, precisely?

It showed that with training, people could voluntarily trigger a stress response that suppressed part of their own innate immune reaction, a result researchers described as unexpected. It didn't test most of the broader health claims made about the method.

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What's the real safety concern?

The breathing exercises can cause lightheadedness or brief blackout by lowering blood carbon dioxide. Practiced in or near water, this has been linked to drowning deaths, which is why instructors now warn against ever doing the breathing near a pool, tub, or open water.

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Who should be cautious with it?

People with heart conditions, epilepsy, or who are pregnant are generally advised to check with a doctor before trying the breathing or cold-exposure techniques, given the physical stress both place on the body.

Words to know

Innate immune responseThe body's fast, general-purpose defense system, tested in the 2014 study using a bacterial toxin injection.

EndotoxinA component of certain bacteria used in the study to safely trigger a measurable immune reaction in volunteers.

HypocapniaLowered carbon dioxide in the blood from rapid breathing, which can cause lightheadedness or blackout.

More words

Shallow water blackoutA sudden loss of consciousness in water, the specific danger linked to the method's breathing exercises.

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Wim Hof · Athlete who developed the method

Known for feats like prolonged cold-water immersion, he has taught for decades that a person can consciously train their breathing, nervous system, and exposure to cold to influence their own physical and mental state.

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Matthijs Kox · Researcher who led the 2014 study

Publishing with colleagues at Radboud University in 2014, he reported that trained volunteers showed a milder inflammatory response to an injected toxin than untrained controls, evidence that a response thought to be automatic could be voluntarily influenced.

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Mike Tipton · Physiologist who studies cold-water risk

A physiologist who has long studied cold-water immersion, he has warned that sudden entry into cold water triggers a gasp reflex and conflicting heart-rhythm signals that can cause drowning or cardiac arrest.