Cold Exposure Benefits

What is Cold Exposure?

Cold exposure can be done in many different ways and there are numerous benefits associated. Recently health & wellness, longevity, and health scientist podcasters have hit the benefits associated with cold exposure pretty hard. One specific podcaster, Dr. Andrew Huberman, references many studies talking about cold exposure benefits. Check out his podcasts here.

For starters, a cold shower at the end of a warm shower will help the body get used to the colder temperatures. Many people also do ice baths. Check out my latest blog post on DIY ideas for cold plunges

Huberman Labs suggests that water temperatures vary person by person, and that you should have the feeling or thought of wanting to get out but are able to safely overcome that feeling and stay in. Huberman Labs also sites studies which suggest that a person exposed to 60 degree fahrenheit water for one hour have the same effect of dopamine increase whereas exposing your body to 40 degree fahrenheit water for as little as 20 seconds induces a spike in epinephrine.

My Cold Exposure Experience

I started with cold showers where the water temp was about 45 – 50 degrees fahrenheit. Once I felt like my body began to adapt, I began doing ice baths with the water temperature between 37-40 degrees fahrenheit.

It can be challenging to get the temperatures just right for ice baths, I started with two 20 pound bags of ice. This ended up with a water temperature between 32-35 degrees fahrenheit, which was too cold. The temperature is also very dependent on the water temperature coming out of the faucet. I also tried just adding a single 20 pound bag of ice which ended up with water temperatures between 40 – 43 degrees fahrenheit.

I wanted the water temperature colder than that so I added a block of ice to cool the water down to about 45 degrees and then I add a single 20 pound bag of ice. This has been my go to method for ice baths because I can do them in my home which is very convenient.

Cold Plunge Techniques

There are many other ways to expose your body to cold temperatures. One popular way is to purchase premium products. These products typically run off of water chillers and have water filtration systems that keep the water clean. This saves water and time and is very convenient.

If you live in an area where the temperature outside gets cold enough, you could also purchase something like a horse trough or large 100-150 gallon container that could sit on a deck or porch during the winter months.

Last but not least, you could travel to a river/stream or reservoir where the water temperatures are low enough. This can be fun with a group of people! Find somewhere that is legal to have an outdoor fire, start a fire and get it roaring, then jump in a cold river or reservoir for a nice cold plunge. Make sure to throw in the camp chef and cook up a nice skillet breakfast, lunch, or dinner and hang out around the campfire with friends.

7 Key Benefits from Cold Exposure

1. Speeds up Metabolism
   • Research suggests that cold therapy can speed up your metabolism as a result of your body burning more calories to keep warm.
2. Increase Alertness and Mental Clarity
   • Cold Exposure helps to increase alertness and mental clarity by way of epinephrine. Epinephrine is a hormone and increases focus, attention, metabolism, and immune system responses.
3. Aids in converting White Fat to Brown Fat
   • According to a study published in March 2018, cold exposure aids in the production of brown fat cells which your body uses to increase its core temperature.
4. Increases Dopamine Levels
   • According to Huberman Labs, Dr. Andrew Huberman, dopamine can increase as much as 250%
5. Reduces Inflammation
   • Ice baths or cold immersion therapy is very common in the sports medicine field. Many professional athletes use cold therapy as a way of recovery.
6. Aids in Muscle Recovery
   • As stated above, cold water therapy reduces inflammation and aids in muscle recovery. However, according to Andrew Huberman & Lex Fridman, ice baths should take place 4 hours after your most recent workout- especially if your focus is endurance, hypertrophy, or strength training.
7. Boosts Immune system
   • Epinephrine released by the adrenal glands helps to boost our immune system.

The list above is not meant to be a comprehensive list of benefits. Please see the blog page where I plan to give a weekly update on the benefits that I have seen in my life from ice baths and cold therapy.

**As a disclaimer, cold exposure can be dangerous. Please ensure you take the proper precautions before performing any type of cold therapy.