42. Benefits of Cold Exposure

“One of the main reasons that a lot of people are starting to do cold exposure is as a way to build resilience and grit,” explains host Dr. Andrew Fix. Deliberate cold exposure has been getting a lot of attention lately for the physical and mental health benefits it can provide when done correctly. Dr. Andrew has been using the ice bath or cold plunge method for his own health and has noticed positive impacts on not only his mental resilience, but also on his sleep quality. He shares four main benefits to be aware of when considering taking the plunge into cold exposure.

 

By repeatedly proving to yourself that you can handle the discomfort of deliberate cold exposure, you will gain mental fortitude that can be applied in all areas of life. Another benefit of cold exposure is that the experience releases adrenaline which can help improve focus and overall energy. Along with releasing adrenaline, your body will also release dopamine which helps improve your mood. Cold exposure can also be a way to ramp up your metabolism. The shock of the cold temperatures causes the body to transform fat cells and burn calories as it tries to warm you back up. 

 

Intentional cold exposure can be very beneficial to overall health in a number of ways. While it is a challenge to get past that initial mental hurdle of putting yourself into an uncomfortable situation, it will get easier the more often you do it. If you are going to try cold exposure, aim for a temperature between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit and start off with shorter sessions until you become more familiar with the process.

 

Quotes

• “One of the main reasons that a lot of people are starting to do this is because it is a way to build resilience and to build grit.” (5:53-6:11 | Dr. Andrew)

• “The mindset that you have going into something new can have a huge effect on what you get out of that activity or situation.” (8:31-8:38 | Dr. Andrew) 

• “We all love the feeling of people giving us love on our social media. Someone gives you a compliment, how does that make you feel? It makes you feel great. Well, you can kind of self manufacture a similar chemical effect on the body’s release of that dopamine by doing some deliberate cold exposure.” (12:29-12:49 | Dr. Andrew)

• “If you keep your hands and your feet in the ice bath, you'll notice that it's a little bit more challenging because those are the parts of your body that tend to get really cold. So keeping those in there ramps up the potential effect on your body of doing this cold exposure and then dunking your head will do the same thing.” (18:12-18:32 | Dr. Andrew)

 

Links

https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-use-of-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance/

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

https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/alternative-treatments/6-ice-bath-benefits

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Andrew’s Personal Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/andrew.fix.9/

 

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