Why is Deliberate Cold Exposure So Good?

For me, cold water therapy has become more than just a recovery tool it’s an essential part of my daily routine to maintain focus and build resilience.

We are living in a world that’s almost impossible to shut off from, connected 24hrs a day blurring the lines between leisure and work.

Implementing tools to help manage and build resilience to these modern stresses became an obsession for me as I found through exploring more challenges and developing a growth mindset my usual tools were not enough to maintain consistent results leading to frustration as well as physical and mental fatigue.

My curiosity led me to down the path to try and improve my own systems and habits to better understand the factors influencing many of my decisions and emotions. Through this process I began to hear more and more about the benefits of cold-water therapy although not always accessible to all (or so we believe). This led me to dive much deeper into the science of what’s actually happening with the body and mind exploring for myself the benefits of cold-water exposure.

Getting In

Overcoming the mental barrier to get into cold water is often the toughest part. Our brains are wired to avoid stress and protect us, meaning we have to overcome our own limbic system, (the part of the brain that controls basic emotions). Through continued exposure to different experiences that push us beyond our comfort zone we can build resilience within this system enabling us to become better equipped to handle stress in all aspects of life and gain control of our emotions.

Breath

Once exposed to the cold, our body goes into fight-or-flight mode. The limbic system goes into overdrive trying to protect  as through millions of years of evolution our minds evolved to survive not thrive. Breathing is key here. I negotiate with my mind on how long I'll stay in the cold water maintaining control of my breathing and relaxing into my breath to reduce my heart rate calming my mind to overcome my natural reaction to the stressful situation.

What’s going on?

Fully submerged up to the head in cold water (around 4-7°C), the blood rushes to protect vital organs, a process called vasoconstriction. This can cause tingling, numbness and pain in the extremities. After the session I allow my body to warm up naturally enhancing the activation of brown fats. Shivering soon takes over activating a molecule called Succinate. The Succinate then triggers the release of brown fats that the body uses to generate heat. These brown fats burn slowly over a long period of time much like a candle wax helping to speed up the body’s metabolism of fat stores and maintain a balanced energy for hours to come. A sensation of burning on the skin can be attributed to this process as the body goes into overdrive to regulate your temperature.

The cold exposure triggers a significant release of Adrenaline, Epinephrine, and Dopamine. The spike in Dopamine plateaus around 2.5 times the baseline and lasts for several hours. The forced stress helps reset the limbic system as you fight the desire to exit the stressful situation This reaction is even more prevalent for those less experienced experimenting with cold exposure literally re-writing the brain's ability to handle stress. By completing challenging tasks, we can reshape the architecture of our Brain and build confidence in our own ability to master our own mind. Once we exit the cold therapy the process of Vasocontraction reverses leading to Vasodilation of the blood vessels helping to boost our body’s circulation and immune system.

What Works for Me

My program for cold exposure varies depending on what’s available. I prefer to set the chiller temperature as low as 4°C and combine hot and cold therapy which I’ll go into more detail about in another blog. The best time for me is in the morning as it provides the most benefit to kick-start my day. I often find if I’m losing focus throughout the day using the Ice pod can help reset my mind and regain focus.

My Program:

• 06:00: 90s cold water immersion
• 15 mins in the sauna pod
• 120s cold water immersion
• 15 mins in the sauna pod
• 60s cold water immersion
• Dry naturally to enable the body to recover thermal control and activate brown fats

References 

https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/using-deliberate-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance

https://honehealth.com/edge/health/andrew-huberman-cold-exposure-joe-rogan/