Brrr is Better Than Coffee
I never thought anything could infuse me with as much energy and endorphins as my workouts as a long-distance runner. That’s until I tried cold therapy. After a plunge in any icy tub, a glacial lake, or a bracing cold shower in the morning, I am instantly alert, energetic, and ready to take on the day with focus and drive—and these results last for hours. I don’t even need a morning cup of coffee.
Research shows that cold exposure can have major benefits for the mind and body. Exposure to cold water has the capacity to release powerful neurochemicals, keep joints and tissues healthy, and stimulate the metabolism, among other benefits.
I’ll provide a short introduction on how to get started with your own practice, below. But first, let’s take a closer look at how cold therapy positively affects both body and mind.
Enhance Your Mood
Cold exposure causes a small but positive shock to the system, stimulating the release of dopamine, a powerful molecule capable of elevating mood, enhancing focus and attention, and boosting goal-directed behavior. And dopamine is released even after a very short cold exposure, so even newbies can benefit from an enhanced mood after a cold shower.
Stimulate Metabolism
Following cold exposure, the body burns calories to raise your core body temperature, causing a short-term boost to metabolism. Even more important, cold exposure stimulates the conversion of white fat, where energy is stored, to beige or brown fat, which are highly metabolically active. There’s even evidence that shivering causes the release of succinate from muscles and further activates brown fat thermogenesis. Over time, the increase in brown fat will help you feel more comfortable when exposed to cold, as well as trigger more sustained increases in metabolism.
Increase Energy and Focus
In addition to dopamine, deliberate cold exposure stimulates the release of epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) in the brain and body. These powerful neurochemicals make us feel alert and energetic, and they remain in your system long after cold exposure, increasing energy and focus throughout the day.
Build Resilience
Yes, a relaxing warm shower sounds much more appealing than an icy plunge in the morning, but the willpower it takes to overcome your innate resistance to cold is one of the biggest benefits to doing it. Cold exposure is a meaningful self-directed challenge, engaging your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain that controls planning and suppresses impulsiveness. Engaging your brain in “top-down control” will carry over into increased willpower and resilience in your life in general, not just in the morning.
Promotes Recovery After Training
In a meta-analysis of cold-water immersion, researchers found that cold exposure promotes recovery after high-intensity exercise or endurance training. In fact, less than 5 minutes of cold water immersion can result in positive outcomes for muscle power, perceived recovery, and muscle soreness, in part due to a reduction in circulating creatine kinases. Note, though, that this research applies to cold showers; if you are thinking of using an ice bath, it’s best to wait 6 to 8 hours after training.
A Solid Science-Supported Protocol for First Time Cold Therapy
You can do this! If you’re new to cold therapy, here are the most important considerations in getting started with a safe and healthy routine.
Be Safe
Before I jump into the nuts and bolts, let me remind you to always be safe when submerging yourself in water. Don’t jump into a dangerous or moving body of water, and never deliberately hyperventilate before or during cold-water immersion. Remember that cold shock is possible, as well as hypothermia, so follow be sure to follow a gradual introduction to cold exposure, as explained below.
How Cold Should the Water Be?
This is the first question everyone asks, and there’s no single answer. The right temperature is different for each person. The key is to find a water temperature that makes you say, “This is really cold! I want to get out, but I can safely stay in.” For some people, that temperature is 60°F; for others it’s 45°F. Currently, I sit in 48°F water for 3 minutes every morning, pat excess water off, then get dressed for the day.
Gradually, as you acclimate to cold water immersion, you will begin to tolerate colder temperatures for longer periods of time. Start slowly, gradually building up your resilience over several weeks, like you would do with a new exercise program.
How Long Do I Need to Stay In?
For beginners, I recommend aiming for 2-4 sessions of deliberate cold exposure per week, with each session lasting 1-5 minutes each. Research shows that about 11 minutes per week will offer many of the benefits of cold immersion, and you can slowly build up your endurance and confidence to reach longer exposures.
The colder the water, the shorter the time you need to expose yourself to it in order to reap the benefits. One study showed significant and prolonged increases in dopamine when people were in cool (60°F) water for about an hour up to their neck, with their head above water. Other studies describe significant increases in epinephrine from just 20 seconds in very cold water (about 40°F).
Drying Off & Warming Up
Here’s the part you might not like. To get the full benefits of cold immersion, don’t follow it up with a warm shower. After you shower, simply towel off or let your body air dry.
The point is to cool down and stay cold afterward, allowing your body to warm up on its own. There’s even research showing that shivering causes the release of succinate from muscles and further activates brown fat thermogenesis. So don’t suppress the cold; embrace it.
Ice bath or cold shower
Most studies of cold immersion are based on the use of ice baths or full-body cold water immersion, up the neck. You’ll get the most benefits from full immersion, but cold showers have many of the same positive results—and they’re easier and more accessible to most people. Start with a shower! If you like what you feel—as I do—you might consider getting an at-home ice bath or cold plunge later.
With the warm weather we’ve been experiencing in Northern California this summer, it’s a perfect time to introduce cold showers to your morning routine. I’m confident that you will find how much better you feel and will continue year round! It’s a simple, holistic, and accessible way to improve mental, emotional, and physical health—with no downsides or major safety concerns for most people.
I encourage you to give it a try. If you like what you feel, I’d love to hear from you! Stay in touch and let me know if you took the plunge.
