Ask 2,000 UK adults how much of their full capacity they operate at on a typical day and the average answer is 66%. That is the headline from new research by OnePoll for cold-water immersion brand Brass Monkey, and it frames a wider question than whether anyone should own an ice bath: why does so much of the country feel below par, and what would it take to change that?
The short answer: most people do not feel ready every day, and the gap is widest among the young and among women. Yet the youngest adults are also the most willing to train their way out of it. Cold water immersion is one possible training tool, used by only 6% of people when stressed, and the evidence that it builds resilience to unrelated stress has not yet been produced.
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Key takeaways
How prepared UK adults feel, physically, mentally and emotionally, to handle everyday demands. OnePoll surveyed 2,000 adults aged 18 and over between 27 August and 2 September 2026, weighted to be nationally representative by age, gender and region.
The research was commissioned by Brass Monkey, which manufactures cold-water immersion systems, and published as its State of Readiness Report. It measures how people feel, not how they perform: every figure below is self-reported.
What follows is our own analysis. Alongside the published report, Brass Monkey's agency supplied the full demographic tables, split by age, gender and region. We have used those to look beyond the national averages, and where a difference is small or based on a small group, we say so.
Not very. Only 13% of respondents said they feel ready every day. Nearly half said they feel ready most days, and the remainder — around one in three — feel ready half the time or less.
| Measure | UK adults |
|---|---|
| Average self-rated capacity on a typical day | 66% |
| Could not put a number on their capacity | 11% |
| Feel ready every day | 13% |
| Low on energy 3 or more days a week | 47% |
| Low on energy every day | 15% |
| Often or very often feel barely functioning | 21% |
That fits the official picture. The Health and Safety Executive's work-related stress statistics record 964,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25, and 22.1 million working days lost to it.
Energy is the clearest pressure point. Brass Monkey's report found 39% of people struggle with their energy day to day, but only 24% believe it is something that can be improved through training. Of the ten everyday struggles the survey asked about, energy was the only one where more people struggled than believed it could be trained.
This is the most striking pattern in the demographic tables. On almost every measure of how they feel, 18–24s are worse off than older adults. On almost every measure of what they believe they can do about it, they are far more positive.
| Measure | 18–24 | 25–34 | 55–64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average self-rated capacity | 59% | 65% | 69% | 69% |
| Low on energy 3+ days a week | 61% | 51% | 44% | 36% |
| Often or very often barely functioning | 36% | 29% | 15% | 13% |
| Confident training could improve their day-to-day performance | 59% | 65% | 34% | 19% |
| Have actively tried to improve their performance | 74% | 68% | 33% | 24% |
| Comfortable stepping outside their comfort zone | 57% | 57% | 28% | 30% |
| Would rather build capacity for stress than avoid it | 36% | 28% | 17% | 12% |
Read together, the rows describe two different relationships with pressure. Younger adults report the hardest days but see readiness as trainable. Over-65s report easier days — 19% feel ready every day, the highest of any age group — but most do not expect training to change much, and 37% have never tried and do not want to.
There is one caution in the youngest group. When asked how they feel after stepping outside their comfort zone, 17% of 18–24s said less confident, against 5% of adults overall. Willingness to take on a challenge is high at that age; a good outcome is not guaranteed, which is an argument for controlled, graded challenges rather than jumping in at the deep end.
On how they feel day to day, and on some kinds of discomfort far more than others. Women report more low-energy days on average (3.1 a week against 2.6 for men), and fewer feel ready every day (9% against 16%).
| Measure | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Feel ready every day | 9% | 16% |
| Average low-energy days per week | 3.1 | 2.6 |
| Uncomfortable stepping outside their comfort zone | 39% | 29% |
| Believe energy levels can be trained | 21% | 27% |
| See travelling alone as outside their comfort zone | 34% | 14% |
| See public speaking as outside their comfort zone | 46% | 36% |
| See cold water immersion as outside their comfort zone | 26% | 22% |
The comfort-zone rows are the interesting ones. Women are 20 points more likely than men to find travelling alone daunting and 10 points more likely for public speaking. For cold water the gap is four points, and OnePoll did not flag it as statistically significant.
So whatever keeps women less comfortable with discomfort in general, it does not appear to apply especially strongly to cold water. Afterwards, women were slightly more likely than men to say they felt proud of pushing past their comfort zone (36% against 30%).
Mostly no, with one exception. Average capacity sits between roughly 62% and 70% across the UK's regions, with the North West (70%) the only region flagged as significantly above the national figure. Several regional samples are small, so treat single-region differences cautiously.
London is the exception. Londoners were the most likely to say they feel ready every day (21% against 13% nationally) and twice as likely as the UK average to rely on cold water when stressed (12% against 6%). They were also twice as likely to say cold water improves how ready they feel (13% against 6%).
That is consistent with a city where cold plunge studios, gyms with recovery areas and open-water swimming groups are most concentrated. It is a correlation within one survey, not proof that cold water makes Londoners readier.
More would rather avoid it. Asked which statement was closest to their view, 36% chose avoiding or reducing stress wherever possible and 22% chose building their ability to cope with it. Another 32% said both equally, which is arguably the most realistic answer.
The split moves sharply with age. Among 18–24s, building capacity wins (36% against 29%). From 45 upwards, avoidance leads by more than two to one, reaching 41% against 12% among over-65s.
The idea that you can build tolerance to a stressor by exposing yourself to it in measured doses is how every training programme works. What the survey shows is that most people do not yet think of stress in those terms, and that a meaningful minority — concentrated among younger adults — already do.
Better than they expected to. Beforehand, the most common feelings were nerves (52%) and anxiety (50%), with 27% expecting to feel overwhelmed. Afterwards, the most common responses were relief (46%), pride (33%) and increased confidence (29%).
Only 5% said they usually come out feeling less confident. The survey asked about comfort-zone challenges in general, not cold water specifically, so this describes how people respond to deliberate discomfort of any kind.
The pattern is strongest among 25–44s. Around four in ten in that age group reported feeling proud and more confident afterwards, and roughly a third felt motivated to do more.
As a controlled stressor, in Brass Monkey's argument. The brand's case is that cold water has been marketed mainly as a recovery treatment, when its more useful role is as deliberate practice: a sharp, predictable stress response that you learn to calm with slow breathing, in a setting you control.
The survey suggests few people see it that way yet. Only 6% rely on cold water immersion to get through stressful moments, compared with 28% who turn to TV or streaming and 27% who exercise. Only 4% think cold water is something people who feel ready do differently — the lowest figure of any option offered.
| Age | See cold water as outside their comfort zone | Rely on cold water when stressed | Say cold water improves how ready they feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 13% | 9% | 14% |
| 25–34 | 16% | 14% | 11% |
| 35–44 | 23% | 11% | 8% |
| 45–54 | 22% | 4% | 6% |
| 55–64 | 28% | 1% | 1% |
| 65+ | 35% | 1% | 1% |
| All adults | 24% | 6% | 6% |
Two things stand out. Cold water is not especially feared: at 24%, it ranks alongside travelling alone and asking for a pay rise, and well below public speaking (41%). And it is almost entirely an under-45 habit, with use among over-55s close to zero.
The immediate response is well documented; the wider benefits are not yet. Entering cold water triggers cold shock: a gasp, rapid breathing and a spike in heart rate. The RNLI defines water below 15°C as cold and notes the initial effects pass in under a minute.
Brass Monkey's head of science says that, with repeated and properly dosed sessions, the gasp on entry fades and breathing settles sooner, typically within the first few sessions. That is the "training" the brand describes: practising staying composed while the body's alarm is going off.
The limits matter just as much. A review by Tipton and colleagues in Experimental Physiology describes cold water as either threat or treatment depending on circumstance, notes that immersion can precede drowning and cardiac arrest, and finds that support for some claimed benefits is still largely anecdotal.
On the question that matters most for the readiness argument — whether getting calmer in cold water makes you calmer in a difficult meeting or a hard week — there is no published answer. Brass Monkey is working with Coventry University on a controlled study of exactly that, and at the time of writing it is in the design stage, not reported.
Brass Monkey itself does not claim cold water fixes inflammation or extends lifespan. Cold water immersion is not a treatment for anxiety, stress, low energy or any mental-health condition, and anyone managing one should speak to a GP or clinician.
In a controlled way, with someone else present. The basics set out in the research material are simple and non-negotiable:
Start short and progress gradually, the same way you would with any new training load. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure or any other medical condition, check with your GP before starting.
This is where equipment genuinely matters. A purpose-built ice bath gives you a set temperature, a stable entry and a controlled environment, which is harder to guarantee in open water. Brass Monkey cold-water immersion systems are designed for home, gym and commercial settings with that control in mind.
That cold water sits more naturally next to training than next to relaxation. A gym already applies measured stress to muscles, heart and lungs; a cold plunge adds a way to practise the response to stress itself, in the same session and under the same supervision.
For commercial operators, the demographic data points to a clear audience. Adults under 45 are the most open to cold water, the most likely to already use it, and the most likely to believe readiness can be trained. They are also the core membership of most gyms.
For home gym owners, the case is about control and habit. A bath at home removes the travel, the weather and the tide tables that stop most people from doing it regularly. We compare the options in our guide to Brass Monkey ice baths in the UK, and our cold therapy explainer covers the basics.
Brass Monkey builds ice baths for home gyms, commercial gyms and recovery facilities, with controlled temperature and entry designed in. This is an affiliate link: Pro Gym Essentials receives a commission on qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Explore Brass Monkey ice baths →Who carried out the State of Readiness research? The survey was carried out by OnePoll among 2,000 UK adults aged 18 and over, between 27 August and 2 September 2026, and was nationally representative by age, gender and region. It was commissioned by Brass Monkey, a cold-water immersion brand. The demographic analysis in this article is Pro Gym Essentials' own reading of the full data tables.
Does cold water immersion reduce stress? It produces a short, sharp stress response that people can learn to calm with slow breathing, and that response typically eases over repeated sessions. Whether this makes people more resilient to other kinds of stress has not been shown. Brass Monkey's study with Coventry University on that question is still in design. Cold water is not a treatment for stress, anxiety or any mental-health condition.
Why do younger people feel less ready than older people? The survey does not explain why, only what people report. 18–24s rated their capacity at 59% against 69% for over-65s, and 61% of them feel low on energy three or more days a week. The same age group is the most confident that performance can be improved with training and the most likely to have tried.
Are women less comfortable with cold water than men? Only slightly, according to the survey. 26% of women and 22% of men said cold water immersion is outside their comfort zone, a difference OnePoll did not flag as statistically significant. The gender gap was much larger for travelling alone (34% against 14%) and public speaking (46% against 36%).
Is it safe to use an ice bath on your own? No. The safety guidance in the research material is clear: never immerse alone, enter in a controlled way rather than jumping in, do not hold your breath on entry, and keep your head above water. Anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure or another medical condition should check with their GP before starting.
How many people use cold water to cope with stress? 6% of UK adults said they rely on cold water immersion to get through stressful moments, compared with 28% who watch TV or stream and 27% who exercise. Use is concentrated among 25–34s (14%) and in London (12%), and falls to 1% among over-55s.
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Source: Brass Monkey State of Readiness Report 2026 and accompanying demographic tables. Survey of 2,000 UK adults by OnePoll, 27 August–2 September 2026. Analysis by Pro Gym Essentials.
