Deliberate Cold Exposure
Why would anyone ever sit in a cold water bath or jump in a 50-degree lake? I agree, it sounds miserable, but keep reading! In this blog, we will discuss the astounding benefits of deliberate cold exposure. They are impressive and you just might be motivated to give it a try! Cold exposure can be used to safely stress the body to improve attention, mood, cognitive focus, boost metabolism and reduce inflammation.
Temperature is a very potent stimulus for the brain and body. Your mental state is shifted when you are exposed to cold. Deliberate cold exposure can be used to train your mental state so you can better cope with stress in real life.
When we experience a stressor in life, the hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine are released. Another name for these hormones is noradrenaline and adrenaline. They are chemical messengers and are part of your body’s flight or fight system. They cause your heart rate to increase, your breathing to get deeper and faster and more blood and oxygen flow to your muscles.
Cold exposure is an opportunity to deliberately stress your body and yet because it is intentional, you can learn to maintain mental clarity and calm while your body is in a state of stress. This can be immensely useful when encountering stressors in other parts of life. When you get into a cold bath you want to escape the misery. Your body will experience a surge in norepinephrine and epinephrine. If you resist escaping the cold stressor then you get better at controlling your behavior when your brain and body experience that surge in stress hormones. This helps you build mental resilience or grit.
Dopamine is known as the “feel-good” hormone. It gives you a sense of pleasure. As humans, our brains are hard-wired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine. Dopamine is increased with deliberate cold exposure and this can elevate your mood, cognitive attention and energy for a long period of time.
Deliberate cold exposure has also been shown to increase metabolism. We have both white fat and brown fat in our body. Very simply, white fat is the kind you want less of and brown fat is the type of fat you want. Most of our fat is white fat which stores energy and too much white fat leads to obesity. Brown fat helps maintain body temperature and is a fuel that can increase core body temperature. Having more brown fat can increase your core metabolism. Kids have more brown fat cells and that is why they can run around outside with minimal clothing and be comfortable while adults are complaining about the cold! As we age, we tend to lose brown fat. Deliberate cold exposure converts white fat cells to brown fat which leads to lasting increases in metabolism!!
Cold therapy is also great for reducing inflammation. Cold treatment can reduce soreness and improve ability to get back into training more quickly. If you reduce muscle soreness after an intense workout, you will be ready for the next tough workout sooner!
I know you are all convinced to try cold therapy so let’s discuss how to go about it. Cold water immersion up to the neck is the most effective. You do not have to buy a fancy cold plunge tank; filling a bathtub with chilly water can be just as effective. You can buy a water thermometer on Amazon and add ice to vary the temperature of the water.
Aim for 11 total minutes a week. This can be divided into 2-4 sessions of 2-3 minutes per session. 11 minutes is not a strict threshold, but a good goal to keep you consistent. When embarking on cold therapy progress gradually and proceed with caution. Start with 1 minute and then increase your time to 75 seconds and then 2 minutes over a period of days.
The temperature depends on your cold tolerance and core metabolism. It should be cold enough that your mind says, “I really want to get out of this environment, but I can safely stay here.” It should be uncomfortably cold. For some people this may be 60 degrees and for others it will be 45 degrees. Once you can stay in the water for 3 minutes without a significant mental challenge then you can lower the temperature. Adjusting the parameters of temperature, duration and frequency allows you to continually build mental toughness.
Everyone experiences a shortening of breath when they get into uncomfortably cold water. You can try double inhales through the nose and slow exhales through the mouth or simply try to control your breathing and reduce the pace of your breaths. Another challenge is to perform cognitive activities such as complex math problems while you are in the cold water. This is to teach your mind to stay online during elevated levels of stress on your body. You will be training your brain to keep working when the reflex is to shut down.
You will feel colder if you move while in the water. Instead of dropping the temperature or increasing the time in cold water, try moving around in the water while keeping your mind focused.
Deliberate cold exposure can enhance mental health, physical wellness, and performance. It is possible to continually challenge yourself by varying the temperature, time, and frequency; as well, by challenging your mind with problem solving and breathing exercises. Advanced Healthcare and Sports Injury encourages you to take the cold plunge!
References: Huberman Lab. Using Deliberated Cold Exposure for Health and Performance
