Cold plunges and testosterone, by the research.

Cold can raise testosterone. The rises showed up in regular winter swimmers and in the hours after cryotherapy, not in the minutes after a plunge. Here’s every human study we found, what each one measured and when, and how to plunge without blunting it.

See the timing chart The ice method ↓

Reviewed October 20, 202637 sourcesGeneral information, not medical advice

Regular winter swimmers: +60%
Day after cryotherapy: +28%
Minutes after an ice dip: −19%

Timing is the story. Sources below.

The short answer

What the research shows.

The day after cryotherapy

+28%

One cryotherapy session after sprints left salivary testosterone 21% higher at 2 hours and 28% higher at 24 hours than skipping it, in a randomized trial of 14 soccer players.1

Cold air, not water.

A regular cold habit

+60%

Ten men who swim in winter water every week had 60% higher testosterone than 13 sedentary men of the same age, within the normal range.2

A comparison between groups. Their levels held steady across the season.

Not in the first hour

1 hr

Measured soon after a plunge, testosterone held steady or dipped: 19% lower within 7 minutes of an ice-water dip, 10% lower an hour after a plunge that followed squats.3,4

Levels stayed in the normal range.

Early signals

Our verdict: early signals. Well-run studies show cold raising testosterone, others show no change or a short-term dip, and a 2026 review calls the benefit for testosterone inconsistent5. That’s the same rating it gets on our cold plunge benefits scorecard.

The case for it

How cold can support testosterone.

These are the strongest findings in favor, with what each study actually measured.

After hard training

Cryotherapy raised it for a day.

Within 20 minutes of sprints, 2.5 minutes in a cryotherapy chamber at −76 to −211°F left salivary testosterone 28% higher 24 hours later than sitting it out1. Two back-to-back sessions after a rugby match came with 143% higher levels 60 hours later, in a smaller study that wasn’t randomized6.

A week of twice-daily sessions raised testosterone and lowered cortisol in Italy’s national rugby team7.

A regular habit

Winter swimmers ran higher.

Men who swam for 3 to 5 minutes once a week, November through March, in water at or below 50°F averaged 652 ng/dL of testosterone. Sedentary men of the same age averaged 4072.

Both groups were in the normal range, and the comparison can’t separate the cold from the swimming. The swimmers’ levels didn’t climb further across the season.

Below the belt

Testes are built to run cool.

The testes need to stay about 4 to 13°F below core temperature to make normal sperm8. Scrotal skin normally sits near 93°F9.

Nightly ice packs on the scrotum at least doubled sperm density in 65% of 50 men with fertility problems10, and cooling by about 2°F raised sperm counts11. That’s sperm, not testosterone: the one cooling study that measured testosterone found no significant change12.

Stress hormones

Cortisol fell later.

Cortisol, the main stress hormone, was lower 3 hours after 15 minutes in 50°F water13. After a week of cryotherapy, the ratio of testosterone to cortisol rose7.

Timing is the whole story

When testosterone was measured.

A plunge can lower testosterone for an hour and a habit can still come with higher levels. Both are true. This chart sorts every study with a measured change by when it took the blood or saliva sample.

Minutes to an hour after Cold water

One ice-water dip, 2 to 3 min below 39°FWithin 7 min · vs before3

−19%

15-min plunge at 59°F right after squats60 min · vs before4

−10%

Hours to days after cryotherapy Cold air, −76 to −310°F

One session after sprints2 hours · vs no cryotherapy1

+21%

One session after sprints24 hours · vs no cryotherapy1

+28%

One session after rowingNext morning · vs no cryotherapy14

No difference

One session after hard runningUp to 24 hours · vs no cryotherapy15

No difference

10 sessions with exercise2 days after · vs before16

−20%

5 daily sessionsRight after the last · vs before17

−18%

Regular cold use Weeks to months

Weekly winter swimmingResting, morning · vs sedentary men2

+60%

The same swimmers, one seasonNovember to March · vs start of season2

No change

Plunges at 59°F after lifting, 4 weeksResting, morning · vs no plunge18

No difference

10-min cold showers at 63°F, 4 daysNext morning · vs before19

No change

Nightly scrotal cooling, 4 to 12 weeksMorning · vs before12

+18%, not significant

Blue: testosterone rose. Coral: it fell. Gray: no clear change. Each study made its own comparison, shown in each row. Not shown: a smaller, non-randomized rugby study that found 143% higher levels 60 hours after two cryotherapy sessions6.

Luteinizing hormone (LH)

The signal to make testosterone.

LH is the hormone that tells the testes to make testosterone. In a 1991 study of 32 young men, holding a wrist in 39°F water for two one-minute spells raised LH 22% in one group of 16, but not in the other. The authors wrote that cold water “may increase LH,” while testosterone itself “was not affected”20.

Later studies didn’t find the LH rise: not after two hours in a 50°F room21, not after winter swims22, and not after 10 cryotherapy sessions16.

If you lift

Keep the plunge away from the barbell.

A 15-minute plunge at 59°F straight after squats flattened the usual post-workout rise: testosterone was up 9% without the plunge at 30 minutes, and flat with it. An hour later it was 10% below where it started4.

Plunging after every strength session for 12 weeks meant smaller gains in muscle and strength23, though four weeks of post-lift plunges didn’t change resting testosterone18. Plunge later in the day, or on a rest day.

What is the ice method?

Icing your testicles.

The “ice method” is a social media trend of putting ice on the testicles to raise testosterone. Here’s what’s actually known.

No study has tested it

Testosterone

We found no study that measured testosterone after icing the testicles. In the one scrotal-cooling study that measured hormones, 10 men’s testosterone didn’t change significantly after 4 to 12 weeks of cooling devices12.

Cooling helped sperm

Fertility

Nightly scrotal cooling improved sperm counts in men with fertility problems10,11, though a systematic review found too little evidence for firm conclusions24.

Too much ice burns

Safety

Heavy ice-pack use after a vasectomy caused skin necrosis on the scrotum in a published case25. Never put ice straight on skin. More on ice burns and other dangers.

Showers, heat and the seasons.

Cold showers
Four days of 10-minute showers at 63°F didn’t change salivary testosterone in 11 male athletes19. That’s only just cold, and the study was small.
Hot water and sauna
A sauna bath on its own raised testosterone 15% right afterward26, and a hot water soak after training raised it more than contrast bathing27. A 2026 review rates sauna as neutral28.
Heat on the testes
Stopping hot tubs and hot baths improved sperm counts in 5 of 11 infertile men29. That’s about sperm, and the effect reversed when the heat stopped.
Cold weather
In Arctic Norway, testosterone was lowest in the warmest months30. In Denmark it peaked in June and July31, and men around Boston showed no seasonal pattern32.

If testosterone is your goal

How to plunge for it.

Cold is one lever. These are the habits the evidence supports, with the ones that move testosterone most at the end.

Make it a habit.The higher levels showed up in men who swim in cold water week after week, not after a single dip2,3.
Keep it away from lifting.Right after squats, a plunge flattened the post-workout rise4.
Don’t test right after.A blood draw within an hour of a plunge can read lower3,4.
Skip the ice on your testicles.There’s no testosterone evidence, and there is a burn case12,25.
Sleep.A week of 5-hour nights cut daytime testosterone 10 to 15% in young men33.
Lift, and lose excess weight.Moderate-to-heavy free-weight training works best of the exercise options28, and weight loss raised testosterone in a review of 24 studies34.

Every study we found

The full list.

Every human study on this page that measured testosterone around cold water, cold air or cryotherapy.

Study	Cold exposure	Who	Measured	Testosterone
Russell 20171	One cryotherapy session after sprints	14 academy soccer players	2 and 24 hours after	+21% and +28% vs no cryotherapy
Naylor 20236	Two cryotherapy sessions after a rugby match	11 rugby players analyzed	60 hours after	+143% vs before; not randomized
Grasso 20147	14 cryotherapy sessions in 7 days	25 elite rugby players	Morning after the last	Rose, with cortisol down
Teległów 20242	Regular winter swimming	10 swimmers, 13 sedentary men	Resting, morning	+60% vs sedentary men; no change over a season
Huang 202414	One cryotherapy session after rowing	12 elite rowers	Next morning	No difference vs no cryotherapy
Krueger 201915	One cryotherapy session after running	11 trained men	Up to 24 hours	No difference vs no cryotherapy
Korzonek-Szlacheta 200716	10 cryotherapy sessions with exercise	22 soccer players	2 days after	−20% vs before
Selleri 202217	5 daily cryotherapy sessions	9 soccer players	Right after the last	−18% vs before
Teległów 20253	One 2 to 3 min dip below 39°F	13 young men	Within 7 minutes	−19% vs before, still normal
Earp 20194	15 min at 59°F after squats	11 trained men	Up to 60 minutes	Blunted the normal rise; −10% at 60 min
Horgan 202418	15 min at 59°F after lifting, twice a week	18 rugby players	Resting, every 4 weeks	No difference vs no plunge
Traylor 202619	10-min cold showers at 63°F, 4 days	11 male athletes	Morning after	No change
Podstawski 202135	4 sauna rounds, each with a 1-min plunge at 50 to 52°F	30 young men	After the session	+5%, not significant
Kelly 202336	Twice-daily dives in 38°F water	5 special-forces divers	Across dives and days	Fell during each day, recovered by the next
Leppäluoto 198821	2 hours in a 50°F room in shorts	20 men	After 2 hours	No change; LH unchanged
Gagnon 201437	Exercise in 32°F air	9 men	End of exercise	The usual exercise rise was smaller
Sakamoto 199120	A wrist held in 39°F water, two 1-min spells	32 young men	Right after	Down 8 to 10%; authors: not affected
Benidir 202112	Scrotal cooling devices, 4 to 12 weeks	10 men	Morning	+18%, not significant

Quick answers

Good questions.

Do cold plunges increase testosterone?

They can. Regular winter swimmers had 60% higher testosterone than sedentary men, and one session of cryotherapy after sprints left it 28% higher the next day. In the first hour after a single plunge, though, it held steady or dipped, so the rises show up later and with regular use.

What is the ice method for testosterone?

It’s a social media trend of icing the testicles. No study has measured testosterone after doing it. Nightly scrotal cooling improved sperm counts in men with fertility problems, but the one cooling study that measured testosterone found no significant change, and too much ice on the scrotum has caused skin damage.

Do ice baths increase testosterone?

Not right away. Testosterone was 19% lower minutes after a single ice-water dip, still within the normal range. The higher levels in the research showed up in men who swim in cold water regularly and in the hours to a day after cryotherapy.

Do cold showers increase testosterone?

The only trial found no change after four days of 10-minute showers at 63°F, in 11 male athletes. That water is only just cold, and the study was small.

Does a cold plunge affect luteinizing hormone (LH)?

Sometimes. In a 1991 study, holding a wrist in 39°F water raised LH, the hormone that signals the testes, by 22% in one of two groups of young men. LH didn’t change after two hours in a cold room, after winter swims or after 10 cryotherapy sessions.

Should I take an ice bath before or after a workout for testosterone?

Not right after lifting. A 15-minute plunge straight after squats flattened the normal rise in testosterone, and plunging after every session for 12 weeks meant smaller muscle and strength gains. Plunge later in the day or on a rest day.

Does hot water increase testosterone?

Briefly. A sauna bath on its own raised testosterone 15% right afterward, and a hot water soak after training raised it more than contrast bathing in one trial. Reviews rate sauna as neutral for testosterone. Heat around the testes is a different matter: stopping hot tubs and hot baths improved sperm in about half of 11 infertile men.

Does cold weather increase testosterone?

Not consistently. In Arctic Norway, testosterone was lowest in summer. In Denmark it peaked in June and July, and men around Boston showed no seasonal pattern at all.

How cold and how long should a plunge be for testosterone?

No study has tested a temperature or time for testosterone. The winter swimmers in the research swam for 3 to 5 minutes once a week in water at or below 50°F. For general plunging, see our temperature guide, and keep the plunge away from your lifting sessions.

Read them yourself

Every source on this page.

How this page was made. We read each study and checked every number here against its PubMed record or the published paper, including the original 1991 paper behind the often-quoted LH figure. Where a study reported only averages, we worked out the percentage change ourselves. Cryotherapy rows are cold air, not water. We aren’t doctors, and this page hasn’t had a clinical review. Reviewed October 20, 2026. Spotted something we got wrong? Tell us.

More from the research: cold plunge benefits, cold plunge temperature and cold plunge dangers.

Cold plunges and testosterone, by the research.

What the research shows.

How cold can support testosterone.

Cryotherapy raised it for a day.

Winter swimmers ran higher.

Testes are built to run cool.

Cortisol fell later.

When testosterone was measured.

The signal to make testosterone.

Keep the plunge away from the barbell.

Icing your testicles.

No study has tested it

Cooling helped sperm

Too much ice burns

Showers, heat and the seasons.

Cold showers

Hot water and sauna

Heat on the testes

Cold weather

How to plunge for it.

The full list.

Good questions.

Every source on this page.