Breathwork and cold exposure showed momentary self-reported advantages over meditation
Participants reported larger immediate gains in energy, mental clarity, and coping after the Wim Hof Method, while broader trait differences were limited during the study.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Participants using the Wim Hof Method reported larger immediate gains in energy, clarity of thought, and perceived stress coping than those meditating. However, few statistically significant differences emerged in broader traits by the study's end. The abstract supports a limited conclusion about immediate experiences, while leaving durable psychological, sleep, and physiological benefits uncertain.
This abstract-based summary lacks effect sizes and detailed cognitive, sleep, and physiological results. Allocation was only partly randomized, and the reported immediate advantages were based on participants' own ratings.
What researchers found
Self-reported energy, mental clarity, and stress coping
Wim Hof Method versus mindfulness meditation after daily practice during a 29-day study; effect sizes were not reported.
What the programs involved
The study compared a program combining cyclic hyperventilation and cold exposure with an active meditation control. Researchers collected immediate self-reports alongside measures of more stable traits, executive function, sleep, and physiology.
Responses changed during the study
Reported stress relief initially favored meditation more, but the relative pattern shifted with time on the programs. This changing response does not by itself show that benefits persist after practice ends or grow with greater exposure.
The original publication
A semi-randomised control trial assessing psychophysiological effects of breathwork and cold immersion.
Fox N, Biddell H, King J
Sci Rep · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41388053
- Record checked
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