I had fully intended to write today’s blog post in advance, because I’m currently away skiing. You know how it is though, trying to tie up loose ends before a holiday, particularly one the week before Christmas (on the plus side – we have had to be super-organised on that front!). Nevermind, best laid plans and all that.
The obvious thing to write about therefore, is the cold! The benefits of cold exposure for health and wellbeing are being increasingly recognised. You only have to go down to the beach on a winter’s morning to see many people taking a cold dip, and that number grows year on year. In the UK we are way behind the Scandinavian countries when it comes to cold exposure (and the heat of a sauna for that matter), but hopefully are catching up.
In addition to popular culture, there is a wealth of science behind the practice. In mice experiments life extension of up to 20% has been seen with a reduction in body temperature of 0.5 degrees. Part of this effect is thought to be due to change in brown fat. You may be forgiven for not having heard of brown fat. It was thought to only exist in infants, but actually exists in adults too, often in the upper back.
Cold exposure increases the amount of brown fat we have, which is rich in mitochondria. Think of mitochondria as the power-houses in our cells. They produce the energy required for the cells to function properly, and their number and efficiency can be improved through training (particularly endurance exercise). You may even have heard of ‘mitochondrial diseases’ which are rare inherited diseases where a person’s mitochondria are deficient in some way. As all of our cells have mitochondria, these conditions therefore commonly affect many body systems, for example eyes, heart, muscle all at once.
Don’t worry about an increase in brown fat making you appear fat though, it is in tiny volumes compared to the white fat (and that definitely doesn’t make you live longer!)
So how cold is cold, and how long does one need to expose themselves for? The answer as with many things in medicine is, ‘it depends’. Different people have varying tolerances for cold, with some able to withstand it much longer than others. However this too is trainable. I would recommend start with a temperature that is uncomfortable but manageable, and go from there.
For example, I don’t like the cold. I am pretty lean due to all the exercise I do, and get Raynauld’s phenomenon a lot in winter (my finger tips go white and painful). However a few years ago I wanted to ‘get into cold’ so started with my shower each morning – after having my regular one, I would turn it to cold and see what I could tolerate. At first, I could manage about 15 seconds of slightly cold water. I now do 2 minutes each day of absolutely freezing as-low-as-it-will-go. Sure, it takes my breath away, but that’s the point. In fact, breathing techniques are a very good way of coping with the temperature drop. I hate doing it, and find myself getting anxious when I’m done with washing and it’s time to drop the temperature, but I can say with 100% certainty that I have felt better afterwards every single time. The rush of adrenaline is better than a double espresso!
I don’t think about it, I just do it. This is how habits are formed, and it’s one that will stay with me forever. In fact, my wife now does it to, and she hates the cold more than me.
I would recommend dropping the thermostat in one go and dealing with it. Why? The way our body’s nervous system is wired, each DROP in temperature is registered in our brains as a major new insult to our system, with the absolute temperature not mattering all that much. In contrast, each RISE in temperature is less important than the absolute temperature. This makes sense – if you touch a flame which is very hot, you had better pull away quick or you will burn. Not true of touching ice. Try it yourself next time you are in the shower – flicking the temperature up a bit at a time and your nervous system doesn’t really mind, but you will know about it in reverse.
I want to insert a major caveat here. If you are not experienced in cold water exposure, do not go straight to the beach or other cold body of water and jump in, you need to train yourself. It is also safer to be with another person.
In terms of the length of exposure, I believe 11 minutes per week is the sweet spot (hence my 2 minutes per day to just get over that).
Ice baths are increasingly popular, and there are many available commercially. They vary from a tub you put ice into to electric versions for outdoor use and so on. Still water like this is probably better than a shower, and because it is still your skin surface is somewhat protected compared to moving water.
In addition to the physical benefits, the mental health benefits are clear. There are studies demonstrating improvements in symptoms of anxiety, depression which outperform medication. The camaraderie and community you can see in the people on Bournemouth beach taking a cold plunge is clear to see and I’m sure contributes to the benefits.
I hope I have convinced you to give this a go. I’m sure many of you are avid cold water bathers already, but if you’ve not tried it, maybe now’s the time?
My office will be closed this week, but I will respond to any messages on my return.