The value of cold water immersion
Last updated on 29th December 2023
The potential value of different forms of deliberate cold exposure is much in the news at the moment. For example Dr Michael Mosley has just completed a series of six short radio programmes on Cold Therapy. These include an Introduction and then they focus on Colder Room, Cold Recovery, Cold Exercise, Cold Water Swim and Sleep and the Cold. In a somewhat parallel process, earlier this year the Andrew Huberman podcast involved an interview with the researcher (and co-author of the book Winter Swimming) Susanna Soberg on Using Cold & Heat for Health and last year there was a solo Huberman podcast on Ice Baths and Cold Benefits where he writes "I describe mechanisms by which deliberate cold exposure can enhance mental health, physical health, and performance. I detail specific protocols to safely engage in deliberate cold exposure, including minimal exposure times, time-of-day effects, determining optimal temperatures, recovery, mindset, and movement during cold exposure. I discuss how cold exposure can be used to safely stress the body to improve attention, mood, and cognitive focus and boost metabolism and reduce inflammation. Also, I explain how cold exposure on specific regions of the body (called glabrous skin surfaces) can be leveraged to enhance endurance and weight training and increase work output."
More to follow ...