Cold Plunge - something to seriously consider

[[Ti...]]

I'm in another wave of symptoms. Had a five months window!!!! An emotional trigger set this one off. Which normally I believe I would have been able to handle, but because my foundation has been ridden with termites (benzos), it is weaker and thus more susceptible to falling into a wave.  Know your Red Flags!! write them down, so you know what to look out for and to take a step back from stress.

 

anyway, I started cold plunging during this wave and i'm not sure if it's a placebo or actually working, but it's brought me out of a few panic attacks and even at times leveled me off to just sit still and enjoy moments of peace. There is science behind cold plunges and it's effects on reducing anxiety symptoms. Cold plunge increases adrenaline and anxiety in the short term through stressing the body, it activates your flight or fight response. In response it releases dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine as a way to compensate and regain homeostasis.

 

It targets brown fat, which is the furnace for our metabolism, a deep tissue fat. Cold exposure increases the density of brown fat. This means it does NOT increase your overall fat composition, but increases the density of your brown fat. The more dense your brown fat is, the higher the efficacy of the mitochondria that resides within the brown fat. Mitochondria is the battery pack to reach growth, movement and homeostasis. Brown fat that is more robust will thus increase your core resting metabolism, insulin management, and improved mental health. It's been studied that dopamine will increase by 2.5X following a cold plunge and may last for several hours. Think of cold plunging as exercising your battery pack (mitochondria) the stronger your battery pack is, the better able you will be at handling stress, because your homeostasis response is better equipped. It's important to activate a shiver response as that is what will activate the brown fat to do its thing.

 

Try it and let me know how it goes in this thread!

 

 

 

[[Sc...]]

YES!! it WORKS!!!

 

I've been starting my days off with a cold shower. As cold as I can bear, for as long as I can bear. I'm up to about 2 minutes now. I've been doing it for over a month and can say my anxiety is drastically reduced. I still feel inner trembling and some adrenaline swirling around in there but it hasn't boiled over into full-blown anxiety so to speak. This is huge for me because my anxiety has held me back from so many things I'm finding easy to do lately.

 

Thank you for explaining it in scientific terms. I've known it's helping me but never understood why. I LOVE A COLD PLUNGE!!! Lately I've been receiving a euphoric feeling from it too. This is really great information. Thank you, Tikvah

[[Co...]]

Indeed, it works! 

[[ja...]]

I have a horse trough set up outside for plunging.  I'm glad for this topic, because I've been slacking off lately and needed a prompt.

I started cold plunging back during the first part of my taper.  I did it in a nearby creek, which seems easier than the trough. 

At first, I did it for 'spiritual' reasons.... I was getting desperately depressed and shut down in my mind, and it totally brought me present and alive in the best way.  Like a baptism that turns you from a ghost, into a vibrant alive person.

A side effect of the cold plunge is that if I had muscle pain or inflammation, the pain and soreness would disappear for up to several hours after.

 

I love the science you included here... that it actually increases histamine, but has a pendulum swing effect that makes hormones that soothe.... and builds capacity for histamine clearing.

 

I find myself most drawn to dunking when I've been up most of the night and I'm feeling detached and numb. 

It's been so great to find this tool that helps me get through.

Thanks for posting.

[[mi...]]

Hi Tikvah!

I really wellcome your post! I've been promoting cold exposure here at BB for a long time.

I've been taking cold showers for the last 8 years. 5 years ago when I fell into the benzo/antibiotic HELL, it was the cold showers that saved me of my poor sleeping and dreaded mornings. I always take my 5' cold shower in the morning and anather one before bed time. It sound counter intuitive but it works for me. There is science behind this. The fact is that cold is one of the triggers to put you in zzzz mode and also relaxes the body and mind after a complicated day like ours. I take the night shower 1 hs before bed but I may take another one if I can't sleep during the night. I add belly breading work in bed after the shower and it makes me imposible not to fall asleep like a baby.

My next steep is to do plunges. I already got a stock tank and probably going to buy a mini chiller to cool the water. Summer is coming here where I leave and I miss the shock of the cold. Till that happens the showers and flow the car A/C in my face does  the job of cold exposure.

Hope people have the chance to see this post and practice and use it like another tool for healing.

Mice

[[St...]]

I just tried this by walking into the pool and walking right back out.  It was cold to me.  Probably not long enough and as I'm warming up I feel something. More comfortable because I'm not cold?  I know this wasn't therapeutic by any means but if anything it was a distraction for now.  Thanks for the suggestion and I'll keep trying. 

[[Ca...]]

Cold plunge/ice therapy is amazing! I do it in the shower frequently to ground myself. As awful as it feels at the time. My muscles relax, and I feel much more settled. The Sensei at my Karate Dojo said there is a “ICE“ pool in the Detroit area. He has done it once, and said he felt remarkably different afterward, but it was awful getting in it. Thinking of trying it myself if I can work up the nerve!

[[Co...]]

I used to do it often when I lived in Scandinavia. It's very common there. They have good quality of life. Very good for your health. Also very good in withdrawal yes.