Cold Exposure and Cold Thermogenesis for the Mind and Body
Fortune favors the brave. From cold showers, cryotherapy chambers, an Iceman Bath to swimming in frozen lakes, only the strong will thrive.
The incredible benefits of cold exposure are huge and one of the best biohacks around given the potential for fat burning, state of mind transitions, immune function and so much more.
Excited yet?
Getting started with cold therapy
Where shall we start?
Let's start with some background on cold therapy or cold thermogenesis.
Dating back to records as early as 3500BC by Edwin Smith Papyrus to todays modern era of biohacking and health gurus such as Wim Hof, the cold has shown to be one of natures biggest assets.
Modern lifestyles have changed our behaviors and subsequently reduced our own natural resistance to infections and disease.
Cold is and always has been one of the tools that can be used to boost the immune system and overall health and well being.
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To the point
The potential benefits that can be experienced with cold therapy include:
- Pain relief
- Reduction in inflammation
- Improved circulation
- Reduced muscle soreness and fatigue
- Mental toughness
Weightloss and fat burning
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) or Brown fat, much different to the commonly known white fat that we all know and most want to get rid of, is the fat that actually burns calories for energy.
In adults, due to modern day lifestyles, our own brown fat percentage decreases significantly.
Brown fat produces heat to help maintain body temperature in cold conditions.
Therefore exposure to the cold creates brown fat as an adaptation process for survival in cold environments and on average a reduction of just 20%.
In studies, after 10 consecutive days of exposure to cold conditions of 15-16 degrees, brown fat can be activated.
More bang for your health
Brown fat contains many more mitochondria than white fat does.
The mitochondria are like the engine in the brown fat that burns calories to produce heat.
Interestingly research has grown into brown fat as it appears to use white fat as fuel.
Further research suggests exercise may stimulate hormones that activate brown fat.
Conversely white fat stores energy whilst brown uses energy. Recent research suggests the possibility that brown adipose tissue is also associated with an increased metabolism and can may assist with fighting obesity, type 2 diabetes and other health issues.
Iceman Bath for the mind
Cold exposure boosts the release of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter involved in focus, attention, and mood.
Norepinephrine also acts as a hormone, promoting vasoconstriction and thus decreasing the total surface area by which heat is lost to its surroundings.
Effectively, the greater the jump in temperature, the more norepinephrine is released. Therefore a change in temperature could augment the benefits received from this neurotransmitter.
