The problem today isn’t stress itself, stress is natural. The real issue is that many of us stay in a stress state for too long, without knowing how to come back to a calm and balanced state. Over time this means cortisol levels stay elevated for too long, which can lead to inflammation, and potentially make us more vulnerable to different health issues.
And this is where the Wim Hof Method comes in. Because the tools of this method allow us to consciously influence our nervous system. We learn how to move from one state to another, and give the body the time it needs to recover after stress.
In fact, we can already do this simply through breathing. A slow and deep breath sends a signal of safety to the body and activates the relaxation response. On the other hand, fast and intense breathing activates the stress response.
With the Wim Hof Method, we learn to stay “calm in the storm” — during the breathing exercises, but also during the cold exposure. And the breathing exercise and the cold itself are great examples of what we call hormesis: a small, controlled stress that actually helps the body become stronger and more resilient over time.
The first time scientists studied Wim, he was sitting in an ice bath while they were taking blood samples. He was extremely calm, yet his adrenaline levels were very high.
This showed something that had never really been demonstrated before: that it is possible to consciously and voluntarily influence the autonomic nervous system. And this is what later led to the famous Radboud University study (read more about the study).
