Can Nurosym neuromodulation be a safe and enjoyable alternative to ice baths (Cold Water Immersion)?

The use of ice baths is becoming increasingly popular both for general mental health and athletic recovery, this is primarily due to the effects on the autonomic nervous system and ability to reduce inflammation.

Now, some elite athletes and even high-functioning executives are using another tool - the Nurosym™ neuromodulation wearable, to get these benefits, which is like an ice bath, but enjoyable.

This new approach increases the activity of the calming ‘rest and digest’ side of the nervous system by up to 50% in just 5 minutes, which can be a potent stress reliever. By contrast, the ice bath has an initial increase in stress (fight or flight), followed by a recovery and minor increase (in parasympathetic activity) on the same scale [1, 2] .

Nurosym vs Cold Water Immersion (CWI)

Parameter	Nurosym Neuromodulation	Cold Water Immersion (CWI)	Justification
Increase in Parasympathetic Activity & Heart Rate Variability (HRV)	Yes	Variable	Nurosym has demonstrated an increase in parasympathetic activity (HRV) by 50% within 5 minutes [1], whereas CWI effects on parasympathetic activity are less consistent, varying with temperature, duration, and individual responses [2].
Reduction in Inflammatory Response: Interleukin-6 (IL-6)	Yes	No/Variable	Nurosym has shown a 78% reduction in IL-6 in patients with acute heart failure [4], while CWI's impact on IL-6 is equivocal, with some studies showing no significant effect. Additionally, studies revealed that water temperatures have no effect on post-exercise fatigue recovery [5].
Quick Effect	Yes	No	Nurosym achieves its effects rapidly within a 5-minute session [1], whereas CWI typically involves longer durations, around 5–20 minutes, to see benefits, and these may not be immediate [5], requiring multiple sessions.
Comfort and Ease of Use	Yes	No	Nurosym is designed for comfort and ease, being non-invasive, can be used while performing other daily activities and without the discomfort of cold exposure, unlike the potentially unpleasant experience of CWI [1]. CWI also requires an ice bath or visiting a centre that owns one.
Cost	699 EUR One-off	Free-10,000 EUR	Cold showers or immersion in natural water sources in colder climates is free. Purchasing home ice bath can carry significant costs (100 EUR to 10,000 EUR + water & electricity costs). Subscription to a centre that owns an ice bath is ~800 EUR per year [6]. Nurosym costs 699 EUR one-off with no ongoing subscription costs [7].

Autonomic nervous system vagal tone

Nurosym neuromodulation demonstrated a 50% increase in Parasympathetic activity after just 5 minutes (as measured by High-frequency Heart Rate Variability (HRV)). CWI was shown to have an initial decrease in parasympathetic activity, followed by a graduated increase over the session, resulting in a return to baseline or minor increase. These effects are less consistent and often require longer duration and repeated sessions to be noticeable [8, 9].

*RMSSD **One acute session of cold water immersion or Nurosym neuromodulation (5 minutes) Over a single session, cold water immersion has an initial significant increase in sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) activity, resulting in a decrease in HRV. As there is acclimatisation and recovery from the cold [8, 9].

Inflammation

Additionally, while CWI can reduce muscle soreness and perceptions of fatigue, the evidence on its ability to decrease inflammatory markers like IL-6 is equivocal, with some studies suggesting no significant impact. In a recent meta analysis looking at the impacts of CWI on inflammation in exercise performance and fatigue recovery, Xiao et al. 2023 found that there was no evidence that CWI reduced inflammation (as measured by IL-6) [10].

By contrast, in a recent clinical study Nurosym neuromodulation significantly reduced inflammation (-78% reduction in IL-6) in participants with elevated levels of inflammation (hospitalised with acute heart failure), over the length of a short hospital stay [4].

Nurosym: a non-prescription, clinically-validated neuromodulation device

Nurosym is an innovative wearable device, which can be used while performing other daily activities.

It is a safe CE-certified medical device in the EU, multiple designations of non-significant risk by FDA with 0 serious adverse events reported, with over 2,000,000 treatment sessions completed. In the past, stimulating the vagus nerve required a surgically implanted device.

Nurosym is non invasive and available without prescription via Nurosym website.

Reference:

Esperland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water - a continuing subject of debate. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2022 Dec;81(1):2111789. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2022.2111789.

Mäkinen, T. M., Mäntysaari, M., Pääkkönen, T., Jokelainen, J., Palinkas, L. A., Hassi, J., ... & Rintamäki, H. (2008). Autonomic nervous function during whole-body cold exposure before and after cold acclimation. Aviation, space, and environmental medicine, 79(9), 875-882.

Bastos, F. N., Vanderlei, L. C. M., Nakamura, F. Y., Bertollo, M., Godoy, M. F., Hoshi, R. A., ... & Pastre, C. M. (2012). Effects of cold water immersion and active recovery on post-exercise heart rate variability. International journal of sports medicine, 873-879.

Jungmann M, Vencatachellum S, Van Ryckeghem D, Vögele C. Effects of Cold Stimulation on Cardiac-Vagal Activation in Healthy Participants: Randomised Controlled Trial. JMIR Form Res. 2018 Oct 9;2(2):e10257. doi: 10.2196/10257.

Xiao, F., Kabachkova, A. V., Jiao, L., Zhao, H., & Kapilevich, L. V. (2023). Effects of cold water immersion after exercise on fatigue recovery and exercise performance--meta analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 14, 1006512.

CWI and its effects on HRV indices: Al Haddad, H., Laursen, P. B., Chollet, D., Lemaitre, F., Ahmaidi, S., & Buchheit, M. (2010). The effects of cold water immersion and active recovery on inflammation and cell stress responses in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise. Journal of Physiology, 588(3), 489-503. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2009.183129.

CWI improvement in cardiac autonomic regulation: Bastos, F. N., Vanderlei, L. C. M., Nakamura, F. Y., Bertollo, M., Godoy, M. F., Hoshi, R. A., ... & Pastre, C. M. (2012). Effects of cold water immersion and active recovery on post-exercise heart rate variability. International journal of sports medicine, 33(12), 873-879. doi:10.1055/s-0032-1306325.

CWI's variable impact on inflammation markers: Xiao, F., Kabachkova, A. V., Jiao, L., Zhao, H., & Kapilevich, L. V. (2023). Effects of cold water immersion after exercise on fatigue recovery and exercise performance--meta analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 14, 1006512. doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1006512.