This effect is known as ‘tinnitus’, and it has a wide range of causes and manifestations.

For some people, practicing the WHM either induces or exacerbates the ringing, while for others it changes the pitch. Conversely, those dealing with chronic tinnitus often find relief from its concomitant anxiety in the calming effect of the breathing techniques.

The connection between tinnitus and the Wim Hof Method has various possible causes. Medical research shows a direct link between pulsatile tinnitus and anaemia, which the WHM may ameliorate through the elevated oxygen intake. The breathing exercises also increase neural activity in the auditory brainstem, where the brain processes sounds, possibly causing auditory nerve cells to become over-excited.

The scientific community continues to grapple with the particulars of tinnitus, but has established that the phenomenon itself is harmless. In the vast majority of cases, the ringing disappears with repeated breathing practice. If you find that, after several weeks, the noise persists or intensifies, some underlying physiological condition may be at play, and we recommend you consult a medical professional.

During the breathing exercises, you may experience involuntary muscle contraction, known as ‘tetany’. Intensified breathing causes an efflux of CO2, which in turn starts a cascade of ionization changes that leads to increased sensitivity of nerve cells. These then require less excitation to engender a muscle response, to the point where muscles can contract spontaneously. The effects are typically expressed most distinctly in the hands and feet, but can extend across the entire body.

Barring any preexisting medical conditions, this phenomenon is entirely harmless, and the effects dissipate within minutes. Over time, it may no longer arise at all. If the sensation is painful, please consult a medical professional.

If you're lying down for the breathing exercise, there is little danger to fainting. However, it does mean you went a little too far. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth can help stop you from breathing too fast.

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While exhaling you stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the ‘rest-and-digest’ mode that the body assumes during sleep, so it makes sense that you might get the urge to yawn. This is perfectly fine. Check out Wim's answer in the video below.

The exercises may introduce various lights and colors, sounds or other sensations. However, it’s fine if you don’t experience any of these. Everybody responds differently; just relax and let any sensations come and go as they please. Check out Wim's answer in the video below. 

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Cold exposure boosts the release of norepinephrine, which as a neurotransmitter is involved in focus, attention and mood. It inhibits inflammation by decreasing the signaling protein TNFα. Norepinephrine also acts as a hormone, promoting vasoconstriction and thus decreasing the total surface area by which heat is lost to its surroundings.

The greater the jump in temperature, the more norepinephrine is released. It follows that going from hot to cold repeatedly, augments the concomitant health benefits. The effect is thought to be more pronounced with more extreme swings, as when alternating between ice bath and sauna. Research on this is lacking, and conclusive findings have yet to be established.

Play the video below to hear Wim's answer to this question.

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The main purpose of these exercises is to activate the autonomous nervous system. In addition, it’s a great way to gauge the degree to which the breathing exercises have attenuated the speed at which your body acidifies. The autonomous nervous system is composed of two branches: the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous system. Doing push-ups with your lungs full of air activates the SNS, whereas doing them after exhaling activates the PSNS.

On the course page (wimhofmethod.com/elearning/10-week-video-course for the Classic, and wimhofmethod.com/elearning/fundamentals for the Fundamentals course), scroll down the page until you hit the section titled Course Documents. Click the document in the language you want, in order to download the file.

Both courses teach the three pillars that form the foundation of the Wim Hof Method— breathing, cold exposure, and commitment (mindset). In the original 10-Week Video Course, the techniques and exercises are explained and demonstrated in a straightforward manner, leaving up to you the situations in which to put these into practice. The Fundamentals course was created to provide more guidance and practical application, and teaches you the WHM in the context of real-world scenarios. Each week has its own theme, centered around an area of everyday life that the WHM can help improve— such as stress, creativity, and sleep. This newer course is more polished, and features yoga lessons from a professional teacher, as well as one-on-one sessions that allow for WHM practice on the fly.

Check out this side-by-side comparison of the video courses for more details.

If you already had a user account before purchasing, you can find your course(s) under Dashboard > My E-Learning after logging in at www.wimhofmethod.com/login.

If you purchased the course without an account, you'll have been sent an email that has an orange Get Started button. Click that button, or go directly to www.wimhofmethod.com/register to fill out your details and create a user account. You are then sent another email to confirm your registration (note that this may land in your spam folder). When you've clicked the confirmation link in that second email, you can find your course(s) under Dashboard > My E-Learning after logging in at www.wimhofmethod.com/login.

The course material remains available to you indefinitely, so you can take as much time as you need to complete the program, and repeat separate weeks or go through the entire course as often as you like. The videos will, however, unlock at set weekly intervals upon purchase so that after 10 weeks, all 10 are available, regardless of your progress.

Both the original 10-Week and the Fundamentals course are online programs that require broadband internet access. The videos cannot be downloaded for offline viewing.

The video courses are designed to gradually build up in intensity. It takes time for your body and mind to adapt to the new impulses, and skipping steps or rushing through the program would adversely impact your progress. Moreover, we also simply cannot manually unlock separate weeks, because the system is not technically set up that way.

You can select subtitles by clicking the 'CC' button in the bottom right-hand corner of the video player.

The only physical requirement for the Expeditions is that you are able-bodied; you do not need special skills or experience in any specific fields, such as climbing or mountaineering. However, we do recommend you get a little familiar with the breathing and cold training. A great way to get a crash course is signing up for our free video Mini Class.

You must be able-bodied to participate in the Expeditions. If you have any medical conditions, we strongly advise you consult your physician before signing up. If you do sign up, please communicate any and all health conditions so we can ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for both you and the other participants.

You can pay via credit card or PayPal (debit & credit card). If you're in the Netherlands you can also pay using iDeal.

The video courses can be purchased in 3 installments, due monthly. You can select this option at checkout. Note that you cannot use a coupon if you opt for this method.

There is a 14-day trial period for our video courses. For our activities, you can cancel up to one month prior to the start of the activity.

If you request a refund within the alloted timeframe, you will be fully reimbursed. Beyond that timeframe, you forfeit your investment.

We do not yet have a proper way to gift our online programs. The best workaround is to purchase the course yourself, and then gift the confirmation e-mail you receive. That e-mail will have an orange button that says "GET STARTED". Whomever you forward the e-mail to can register through that button to have the course linked up to their own e-mail address.

Note that if you already have a user account at wimhofmethod.com, it is important that you are not logged in when you make the purchase, or the course will be automatically linked to your account.

We realize this is quite unceremonious, and hope to have a more elegant solution in the future.

The codes can be a little finicky— you may need to refresh the page a few times, or use an alternate browser. You may also be trying a coupon code that has expired, or was never valid to begin with. Best to copy/paste the code rather than type it out, in order to avoid mistaking, for example, the letter O with the number 0. Note that each code is product-specific, and cannot be used in conjunction with other products.

We do not provide invoices for our products, but you can download a PDF of your proof of purchase under 'Purchase History' in your user account.

The app subscription gives you access to all the features inside the app, except for the video courses. Check out a full overview of all the differences between the free and premium features here.

Go to the Badges tab in the app, and tap on a badge to see the requirements for unlocking it. Note that some badges may be linked to content outside of the app.

Go to any exercise of your choice (e.g. push-ups, breathing basics), enter your result and then tap Share. Note that you cannot Share once you've hit Save.

You can also share a badge by going to the Badges tab on the app. Tap any badge and then hit Share.

Go to the Results tab. On the calendar, tap the date for which you want to add an entry. Tap 'Add manually', select an exercise, enter your result, and hit Save.

If what you've entered is incorrect or you just want to remove an entry, select the date you want on the calendar. Then scroll down, tap the entry you want to remove, and hit 'Delete result'.

The Extended pack is an in-app expansion that affords you access to all the exercises that otherwise bear a lock symbol. These are the 4-Minute Meditation, Shelf, Headstand, and the Ice bath exercise. Tap any one of these exercises to prompt a payment screen. The pack is a permanent add on for a one time payment of $/€2,99.

The video courses cannot be purchased directly through the app. Please go to wimhofmethod.com to buy the course. Once you're signed up, you can access the course through the app.

This is typically due to a faulty download of the files. Please uninstall and reinstall the app, then download the files anew. You may have to drag the progress bar to the end of the video for the days you had already completed.

Please go to the Profile tab in the app, and tap 'Restore purchases'. That should bring back the premium content.

There is a direct download link in the order confirmation email. Click the blue link to download the file:

Alternatively, you can go to your Dashboard > My Products. Click/tap the product you purchased, and you'll find a download button on the right hand side of the page.

The Classic course is spoken in English and subtitled in English, Dutch, German and Spanish.

The Fundamentals course is spoken in English or German, and subtitled in English, Dutch, German, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian.

The app is available in English and Spanish.

We support Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer.

In late 2017 we overhauled our website and moved to a new domain. Since the old domain is no longer active, you won't be able to access your course via old links and e-mails.

To regain access to your course, please register a new user account at www.wimhofmethod.com/register, under the same e-mail address with which you originally signed up for the 10-Week Video Course. Your course will be automatically linked to your new account, and you can then find it under Dashboard > My E-Learning.

Please click the orange "GET IT" button on the MiniClass page to actually get the MiniClass.

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When you purchase a video course, you receive an automatic e-mail that has a big orange "Get Started" button. That button takes you to a registration page, where you can enter an e-mail address and password to confirm your registration. You will then find your course under Dashboard > My E-Learning.

If you've misplaced the e-mail or have never received it, you can go to the registration page directly.

Go to www.wimhofmethod.com/login and click the 'Forgot password' button. You will be sent an e-mail that includes a link to reset your password. If you are logged in automatically, you may have to first log out by clicking the corresponding button from the downward pointing arrow in the top-right hand corner of the screen.

You cannot change this yourself, but send us your old and new e-mail address at support@wimhofmethod.com and we will happily change it for you.

Digital files can be downloaded directly via the link in the confirmation e-mail you receive upon purchase. Alternatively, you can always navigate to your Dashboard by logging in at www.wimhofmethod.com and clicking the down-arrow in the top-right hand corner of the screen. Go to My Products, and from there you can click through to the page for the digital product you want to download, and find an orange download button on the right hand side.

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