Cardiovascular reactivity
pain
COLD
Previous research has demonstrated that cold water immersion stimulates positive adaptive changes in the human body, resulting in increased readiness to handle stress factorsWe postulated that regular cold exposure could mitigate the vasoconstrictive effects of acute cold exposure, thereby reducing the cardiovascular response to the cold pressor test. This would be of relevance as the magnitude of an individual’s hemodynamic responses to a stressor can be a marker for cardiovascular riskPrevious research has shown that repeated exposure to cold environments decreases sympathetic responses to acute cold exposure, as evidenced by reduced changes in HRV, BP, and plasma norepinephrineHowever, in the present study, no significant changes in HR, BP, PWV, and perceived pain could be reported after the WHM. As mentioned earlier, the study by Mäkinen et al.