Cold-Water Immersion and Cryotherapy: Neuroendocrine and Fat Browning Effects

In response to cold-water immersion and similar techniques like cryotherapy, the body increases circulation of norepinephrine. This physiological response sets off a cascade of adaptive effects with extreme rapidity that affects metabolism, the brain, and genetic expression.

Chapters
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:51 - Benefits of Norepinephrine
00:01:18 - Benefits of Mitochondrial Biogenesis
00:02:04 - Types of Shivering
00:02:24 - Activation of Brown Adipose Tissue
00:03:02 - Metabolism and Energy Expenditure
00:05:25 - Vigilance, Mood, and Attention
00:06:38 - Tips for using cold stress
00:08:22 - Concluding thoughts

[jlvandat]

Since I began listening to Dr. Patrick a couple years ago I have begun cooking myself in saunas, freezing myself in ice baths, starving myself regularly and thoroughly exhausting myself on the treadmill almost daily. If I am not dead soon, I expect to be very healthy.

[DeeplyBreathing]

I heard you and Joe Rogan talking about this on his podcast four years ago when I was sleeping sixteen hours a day after a fifty five MPH rear impact by a pickup at a stoplight in my KIA... helped me move again and brought pain levels to tolerable without turning to opiates, and I am forever thankful!

[rachellezeiders]

I’m so glad you posted this. I need to start doing my ice baths again. I still do cold showers but it is not quite the same as 34* F
ice water. I started this for my mental health (severe depression and anxiety) and a whole host of autoimmune issues including constant pain and such a severe cold intolerance that I would spend days in bed shivering if it was below 85.
I live in Southern California and dreamed of moving to a place that never got below 90.
My experience with ice baths was absolutely incredible! The trick is to tough it out for 30 seconds to a minute with lots of deep breathing. After that I was able to work my way up to 15 minutes in the ice!
I get into almost a meditative state and then stay as long as I want.
Another trick I use if I start shivering in the ice is that I focus, breathe and get myself under control. I do not jump out! I tell myself that I cannot get out until I get control over myself. (I’m not telling anyone else to do this, it’s just what works for me).
This makes all the difference for me. We have control over our body and mind! When I decide to get out, I am calm and not shivering.
To spend my entire life feeling horribly out of control to knowing that I am in complete control is so empowering that it’s hard to explain.
All of the health issues that I had experienced for years and the mental health issues that I had for as long as I can remember all just kind of faded away. Life changing!
I am a mother of 4 sons, married, in my late 30’s and of thin, small stature. Definitely not someone who looks tough and strong. Anyone can do this! I promise!
One tip is to watch a lot of Wim Hof videos, interviews, ect.
Wim Hof videos changed my life!

I found a video of Wim coaching someone getting into ice water and play that on my phone while I’m getting into my ice bath. Having him tell me to breathe and that I am in control makes me feel like I can do anything!

Breathing and getting into a meditative state is huge for me! If my kids interrupt me I usually will start shivering. I have to stay focused!

I get out when I am in complete control. I am calm and not shivering because I am in control! I do the Wim Hof exercise after to warm up my body and then I go about my day.

When first starting the cold showers it is unbearable I know but read about all the benefits to the body after 2 minutes in the cold. If you can get past the 30 second mark you can get up to 2 minutes pretty quickly after that.

Cold therapy has stopped anxiety, panic attacks and depression in its tracks for me. If you feel a panic attack coming on get in cold water and I bet it will stop immediately!

I know I rambled on and on but I hope this will help someone!
I will be starting my ice baths again this week to get control again over some of the symptoms that have crept back into my life..
Good luck to all!! You are in control!
As Wim would say “You are entitled to be happy, strong and healthy cause the rest it b.s.!!” 💙

[cianrock]

I had a lay down in the river here for a few minutes today here in Ireland. The water runs down from the mountains and is ice cold. I felt great after. 👌

[klayvonisme]

I started doing ice water swimming in a creek on a friend’s property. I found my best success by preparing mentally in advance. If I thought cold, my muscles would tighten, reducing blood flow and I would be so cold. I learned to relax using Wim Hof breathing and mentally prepare by thinking of it as a summer swim. I found this to be extremely helpful and could easily remain submerged for 10-15 minutes.
My favorite time is when the air temperature is below zero F. It’s really incredibly exhilarating to come out of the icy water and feel warm in these temperatures!
I’ve never felt so alive!

[stevecutrer]

Thank you Rhonda! I am a nurse practitioner and chiropractor at one of the largest Cancer and Hematology groups in the world. I am constantly referring my patient to your videos! Your hard work is much appreciated!

[SunnyIlha]

Love how you let others know about this.

I go immerse whole body in coooold sea water (36°) twice a year. Take a dip in the sea.
I wade out up to my chest, and dunk myself down, head and all.
My body goes into a wild thrill and I feel like I'm 18 years old instantaneously.
I sleep fabulously for days afterwards too.

[raheldeborah]

I love taking cold baths (as cold as my water will get) at night before I go to bed. I know, not exactly what other people do, but I’ve found that it helps me fall asleep faster

[hiboostchosh]

Dr Ronda thank you for all you’re help, iv gone from 155kg too 123kg with just doing saunas and fasting, thank you so much

[AVdubs]

Clear, concise, easy to follow, informative, applicable. What more could you want. Great video!

[deanhatt]

Anecdatally, I can say that without medication, my adhd has never been more tempered and under better control than since I started cold immersion 9 months ago. My LIfe is completely different, and amazing. Ive been following health science for a while; fasting, sauna, exercise, sunlight, and vitamins. But cold exposure has done more for me than anything I would say

[r.d.]

Very cool. Weird as I was at the gym and researched cold bath effects from Rhonda. I had a good few sauna and cold bath sessions today, best feeling in the world. I owe you a lot Rhonda for the important information you share.

[TheTjames]

I'm a fan of cold showers in the morning and I'm glad to hear that you don't have to spend hours submerged to see benefits.

[amilcargomes]

Dr. Rhonda Patrick, fantastic explanation of the effect of hypothermic therapy. I am a Brazilian Naturopath who lived in Bogotá Colombia and Maracay Venezuela and since the 80's I have been fighting for an evidence-based naturopathy and I advocate the use of hypothermic therapy as a powerful hormetic resource capable of restoring health and creating a biological shield, in becoming more and more adapted and with optimized health. You, to me, are one of the few scientists who can explain the hyrmatic effects of several natural resources with excellent mastery. I am your follower and admirer.

[treewalker]

I used to live about a half mile from a river. I swam in it every chance I got in the summer, and occasionally in the winter, when the temperature was below freezing, Well, didn't exactly swim in it then, just plunged in it and thrashed around frantically to get my blood circulating and got out after a few minutes. After that, standing on the snowy ground barefoot in a wet bathing suit, I felt supercharged, not cold at all. I felt like if I could do every day, I would be immortal.

This past year, partly because of those memories and partly because of things I read on the internet about the benefits of exposing yourself to even merely cool weather, without a coat, I took up jogging in tank top and shorts every morning. I started in the summer, when the morning temperature was about 60 F (about 15 C). My ambition was to condition myself gradually so that I could go out dressed like that even in the winter when it got below freezing. And it worked great! By winter, when the morning temperature was around 25 F (about -4C) I was doing it. My skin stung, but the cold didn't seem to reach me inside. Except I had to wear thick gloves on my hands or my fingers would get numb and stiff.

I don't know about doing the ice baths, though, for two reasons: first, my poor hands can't take the cold, and second, it all seems to depend on physical activity that gets my circulation up, and in an ice bath you'd be immobile. Ice baths are not practical anyway if you can't make quantities of ice. But Im a big believer in the rejuvenating effects of cold, have been for years. BTW, I'm 70 yo.

Matter of fact, there's a vid on Youtube called "Swimming In Miracles" where this guy had terminal cancer and decided that on his bucket list was an ambition to swim the length of the Willamette River (the very river I used to swim in). It took him a couple of weeks, and afterward it turned out his cancer was in remission. He attributed that to all the spiritual lessons he was getting about nonresistance and love and so on -- surely part of it. But there was something else. Although it was summer, the water was about 50 F (10 C) and nearly every day, despite being in a wet suit, he would eventually start to get hypothermia and have to be fished out of the cold river for a while to warm up in the sun. He didn't make any connection between that and the remission of his cancer, but I feel they were connected.

[jcrow]

Thank you so much Dr. Patrick. I feel so blessed to have found Wim Hof years ago who introduced these concepts. It's so nice to hear the science behind it to confirm the benefits I receive and refocus my efforts.

[Mrthfret]

I found you when researching broccoli sprouts and you have been a wealth of knowledge since! Thank you Rhonda!

[lorinichols]

I decided to try this last fall with my large inflatable pool rather than take it down. It was a nice way to ease into it as the nights got colder. I loved it so much, I figured out a set up for indoors, and now will be buying a chest freezer to convert so I can continue to do it all summer. I was not at all depressed, but the mood elevation is amazing! I was all "zip-a-dee-doo-dah" for much of the day. It's modulated a little over time, and re-warming's not super fun in winter, but I still do it every day and miss it when I'm traveling.

[Real_Question_Marked]

This is very interesting and relevant to research I’ve been doing in horticultural science. In plants, particularly pertaining to seedlings, stressors can be introduced through controls like heat, light and water availability, not so much to induce chemical/biological responses, although they can occur, typically it is done to prime the seedlings for more robust growth when the controls are optimized and no longer inducing stress on the plant, which in turn because of the stress releases plant hormones and the precursors necessary for catalyzing the future growth through the optimization of the controls. I’m definitely going to try this out again, and maybe you could do an episode on the “nofap” phenomena that, for many men at least, is part and parcel of the cold shower practice.

Thank your Dr. Patrick, I love your work, research and insights especially through your podcast format, stay awesome!

[carloscarion]

I’ve been taking cold showers almost all my life I use cold water for everything and even though I hate the winter I do expose myself to cold temperatures and after a while it doesn’t feel so bad I actually feel kind of good so I’m very interested in this research you were doing and as always I’m very interested in whatever it is you are researching thanks for the info