# Cold-Water Swimming and Sauna - Can hot and cold therapies boost mental health? Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716/cold-water-swimming-and-sauna-can-hot-and-cold-therapies-boost-mental-health Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716/cold-water-swimming-and-sauna-can-hot-and-cold-therapies-boost-mental-health.md Podcast: [Change Your Mind with New Scientist](https://stenobird.com/podcast/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716) Published: 2026-05-28T05:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2470739281.mp3 Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2470739281.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716/episodes/cold-water-swimming-and-sauna-can-hot-and-cold-therapies-boost-mental-health Duration seconds: 2839 ## Resource If you’ve ever wondered whether the cold‑water swimming craze is a genuine brain booster or just a very chilly fad, this episode is for you. New Scientist journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson plunge into the science behind cold dips, ice baths and saunas, asking whether they really can lift mood, protect the brain and build resilience, or if a warm pool and a chat with friends would do just as much. Along the way, Cat and Helen explore why so many people feel transformed by getting into very cold water, and what might really be driving those post‑swim highs. Is it something special happening inside the brain and body or the simple magic of nature, community and ritual?  They’re joined by Professor Mike Tipton, a world‑leading expert in how our bodies respond to extreme environments. Together, they ask: in an age of central heating and air conditioning, have we made ourselves too comfortable for our brains and bodies’ own good?  We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to changeyourmind@newscientist.com Learn more about Cold-water swimming:https://www.newscientist.com/article/2506082-cold-water-swimming-has-benefits-for-the-brain-as-well-as-the-body/  Learn more about our sponsor Alzheimer’s Society: ⁠⁠https://www.newscientist.com/alzheimers-society/⁠⁠ Produced by Emily Bird ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716/episodes/cold-water-swimming-and-sauna-can-hot-and-cold-therapies-boost-mental-health/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/change-your-mind-with-new-scientist-7861716/cold-water-swimming-and-sauna-can-hot-and-cold-therapies-boost-mental-health.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.