Journal of Mental Health Research and Innovation

ABSTRACT

Anxiety, emotional tension, and stress are increasingly prevalent worldwide and can interfere with physical health, emotional well-being, and daily functioning. Although pharmacological therapies and psychological interventions remain established approaches, there is continuing interest in simple, accessible, non-pharmacological strategies that might help regulate acute emotional arousal. One proposed approach is brief ice application beneath the armpit, a region containing cutaneous thermoreceptors, superficial vascular structures, and sensory nerve fibres.

This narrative review explores the potential neurophysiological basis through which brief axillary cold exposure might influence acute anxiety, emotional tension, and stress. Evidence concerning cold stimulation, autonomic nervous system regulation, interoception, vagal function, and stress physiology provides a conceptual basis for considering targeted axillary cooling as a complementary intervention. However, evidence directly evaluating axillary ice application is limited, and mechanisms proposed for this specific site should therefore be regarded as hypotheses requiring experimental verification.

A conceptual pilot framework is presented to illustrate how the intervention could be evaluated in future human research using validated psychological and physiological outcome measures, including anxiety scores, heart rate, respiratory rate, subjective calmness, and heart rate variability. No participants were enrolled, and no primary experimental data were collected for the present manuscript; consequently, no empirical treatment effects are reported.

Although existing literature provides biological plausibility for some effects of cold stimulation, clinical evidence specifically supporting axillary ice application for anxiety or stress reduction is currently insufficient. The proposed intervention should therefore be regarded as a research hypothesis and potential complementary self-regulation strategy, not as an established treatment. Future well-designed randomized controlled trials are required to determine effectiveness, optimal application parameters, mechanisms, and safety.

Keywords: Anxiety; Cold Exposure; Vagus Nerve; Autonomic Nervous System; Ice Application