While growing up, I’m sure many will recall their parents instructing them to “wear a jersey” or “take off that wet swimming costume”.

While growing up, I’m sure many will recall their parents instructing them to “wear a jersey” or “take off that wet swimming costume”. Well your parents were not wrong, you would catch a cold. Long exposure to cold air can make you sick however, short exposures to cold temperatures are actually beneficial for your body. This blog post will focus on the benefits of cold exposure, modalities of cold exposure and the Wim Hof Method.

Cold exposure is used primarily to reduce muscle soreness and promote muscle recovery after physical activity. However, regular cold exposure may also improve glucose and lipid metabolism, decrease inflammation, enhance immune function, and improve cognitive performance. The beneficial effects of cold exposure may be due to hormesis, a favourable biological response to a mild stressor. Hormesis triggers protective mechanisms that provide protection from future, more harmful stressors.

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Common cold exposure modalities include cold water immersion, local cryotherapy, and whole-body cryotherapy. Cold-water immersion involves submerging one's body in water typically at or below 15°C. Local cryotherapy generally involves placing icepacks on specific areas of the body, such as joints or muscles. Whole-body cryotherapy involves exposure to cold air for a few minutes at temperatures as low as -178°C, typically in a cryotherapy chamber, wearing protective garments on the extremities. Cryotherapy chambers must be colder than water because thermal conductivity, the rate at which heat is transferred, differs between water and air.

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The physiological reasons why cold exposure is so beneficial are:

1. ‍Cold Shock Response: The goal of the cold shock response is to reduce heat loss and increase heat production. With repeated exposure, the body becomes habituated to cold, diminishing the cold shock response.‍
2. Norepinephrine Release: This hormone and neurotransmitter produced in the adrenal glands and some regions of the brain, which is released in response to a stressor (such as cold). NE increases heart rate, activates thermogenesis (the production of heat), constricts blood vessels, and modulates immune function.
3. Cold Shock Protein Induction: These proteins are released in order to ‘protect’ cells from damage by promoting cell survival and activating antioxidant enzymes under conditions of mild hypothermia (32°), and RNA binding motif 3 (RBM3), which may be neuroprotective.
4. Mitochondial Biogenesis: This is the process by which new mitochondria are produced. It is one of the principal beneficial adaptations to endurance exercise. Many factors can activate mitochondrial biogenesis, including exercise, cold shock, heat shock, fasting, and ketones.‍
5. Thermogenesis: Cold exposure increases metabolic heat production through thermogenesis. There are two types of thermogenesis: shivering and non-shivering.  Shivering thermogenesis, as its name implies, involves shivering to produce heat. During shivering, skeletal muscles undergo repeated, rapid contractions that produce heat whereas non-shivering thermogenesis generates heat in the absence of shivering by unique mechanisms in both skeletal muscle and adipose (fat) tissue depots. These processes involve uncoupling electron transport from ATP synthesis and repetitive, non-productive transport of ions across the adipose cell membrane.‍
6. Brown Adipose Tissue Activation: Brown and beige fat are responsible for non-shivering thermogenesis. Early research suggested that brown fat was present only in new-borns where it served as a means to protect against heat loss. However, recent research has identified active brown fat in adults, typically following cold exposure. Cold exposure can increase brown fat activity and may increase energy expenditure to improve metabolic health as well as increase brown fat activity in people with little to no detectable brown fat mass. Studies in animals and humans have indicated that brown fat can improve glucose and insulin sensitivity, increase fat oxidation, and protect against diet-induced obesity, thereby proposing that brown fat can be used as a therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity and obesity-related disorders.

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There has been extensive research on the benefits of cold exposure benefits. While some may feel like a dip in the cold might not be for them, maybe these science-based benefits will convince you!!

• Increase in brown fat adipose tissue, which assists with weight loss in diabetic and overweight patients
• Improved insulin sensitivity
• Increased fat mobilization and oxidation
• Improved glucose metabolism
• Lower prevalence of cardio-metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and hypertension
• Improved immune function
• Increased number of white blood cells – including cytotoxic T-lymphocytes which kill cancer cells
• Increased number of natural killer cells
• Decreased respiratory tract infections
• Fewer colds and influenza cases
• Decreases inflammation in people with inflammatory conditions and in those who have undergone exercise training
• Cold exposure may improve mood and cognition, decrease depression, and protect against neurodegenerative disease
• Improve muscle recovery and increase performance in endurance athletes, however, it may diminish the effects of resistance exercise
• Improved quality of sleep

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It is important to note that there are risks involved in uncontrolled or unsupervised cold exposure modalities. These risks include hypothermia, frostbite, frostnip, chilblain, immersion foot & trenchfoot.

Cold exposure is also contraindicated in the setting of alcohol consumption and hypothyroidism.

Wim Hof Method

The Wim Hof method (WHM) uses cold as an important component, which is applied in the form of cold showers and ice baths. This method has 3 fundamental pillars.

1. Breathing:

One round of the Wim Hof Method breathing technique includes these steps:

• Take in a strong inhalation through the nose.
• Let out a relaxed exhalation through the mouth.
• Repeat for 30-40 breaths.
• On the 30th/40th breath, exhale to 90 percent and hold for as long as you can.
• When you feel your body really needs to take a breath, inhale fully and hold for 15 seconds before releasing.

The basic technique involves three consecutive rounds of the above. Eventually, the breathing may feel like a wave flowing through your lungs

2. Cold Therapy

• In this pillar, you gradually expose yourself to the cold by ending your daily showers with cold water. After practicing the method for some weeks, most are able to withstand the cold for longer periods of time, and are able to take their showers using cold water only. Experienced practitioners of the Wim Hof Method are even able to enjoy regular ice baths and cold water immersion.

3. Commitment/Mind-Set

• Willpower, self-control and commitment are very important parts of the Wim Hof Method, because conscious breathing and cold therapy require patience and dedication. The exercises that are instructed by Wim all have a powerful effect on skills that relate to self-control. They improve your focus, reduce your stress levels and make you more self-aware. Through meditation and conscious breathing you can observe your thoughts, emotions and impulses, without identifying or acting on them.

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After reading the above information, it is safe to say that the beneficial effects of cold exposure outweigh the risks. So take a dip in the cold every now and again and reap these amazing benefits for yourself.

**NB: ALL PICTURES HAVE BEEN RETRIEVED FROM GOOGLE. COPYRIGHT BELONGS TOTHEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS

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References:

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