Do a slightly harder exposure one day and an easier one the next. Varying the temperature will help you fine-tune your inner thermostat. If you still hate the idea of a cold dip, try one while wearing a hat or beanie. Retaining heat in your head will help trick the body into lasting a little longer in cold water.
To get use to the cold water just start with putting legs in up to knees. After a few mins go a little deeper and slowly move into deeper and deeper water, or jut be brave and jump in all the way.
Cold habituation is often described as the process of getting used to entering cold water, a sort of desensitization of thermal sensation to cold as a stressor on the body. In simpler terms, repeatedly getting into cold water gets easier over time, a swimmer's skin and body adapts to the sensations of cold.
Exposing yourself to cold gradually can help your body adapt over time. Start with shorter durations in chilly environments and gradually increase the time as your body becomes more accustomed to the cold.
The good news: Not only will your body acclimate to the cooler weather, but you can also hurry this process along. Beginning in the 1960s, U.S. Army researchers found that nude men who spent eight hours a day in a 50°F (10°C) chamber became habituated to the cold and had mostly stopped shivering after two weeks.
Do a slightly harder exposure one day and an easier one the next. Varying the temperature will help you fine-tune your inner thermostat. If you still hate the idea of a cold dip, try one while wearing a hat or beanie. Retaining heat in your head will help trick the body into lasting a little longer in cold water.
Cold water can cause a sudden spike in heart rate and blood pressure. This increase can cause heart failure and stroke for vulnerable people. Cold shock can cause an immediate panic, fear or stress reaction that then impairs clear thinking and decision making.
Other easy ways to build tolerance is to switch to cold showers, by slowly lowering the temperature daily, or to gradually reduce the thermostat at home which can also save on energy. Not only can these measures help build your resistance to chillier temperatures, but some could even have health benefits.
Get in slowly, get out quickly
Our bodies adjust best to the cold water if you slowly wade in. A quick entry into especially cold water can be a shock that leaves you gasping and could lead to drowning. A slow entry is key. Once you're up to your shoulders, dunk in all the way a few times and you're good to go.
Start Ice Bathing Slowly
If you're new to ice bathing, it's essential to start slowly and build up your tolerance gradually. You can begin by taking a cold shower for a few minutes and then gradually decrease the temperature until you can comfortably tolerate the cold water. From there, you can progress to ice baths.
If you struggle to take the plunge, start with your feet and hands and submerge one limb at a time. If you still find the chill too much, start with a normal temperature and spend the last two minutes of your shower time beneath a cold stream until you can build up your confidence!
A cold plunge or cold-water immersion involves partially or totally submerging yourself in cold water for a few minutes at a time. It can be as simple as sitting in a bathtub filled with cold water and ice cubes or jumping into a cold lake or the ocean.
Immersing yourself in colder water daily can help cold water swimmers to start training. Cold water showers are the best way for beginners to prepare for the water temperature of swimming outdoors. Being in very cold water can cause an initial cold water shock, resulting in hyperventilation.
'The secret to acclimatising to cold water is just to swim in it, often – at least once a week, and preferably two or three, gradually extending the time that you stay in the water,' says Dr Heather Massey a swimmer and a researcher at the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth.
According to Christopher Minson, a professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon, there is hope. “Absolutely, people can adapt progressively to cooler temperatures,” he says. “Humans have become very thermostatic.
Gradually increase the length of time that you spend in the water. You don't need to swim at first, in fact, it's safer if you initially go in only waist or chest deep and squat down so that the water covers your skin. Although it appears to be less effective, you can also acclimate by taking cold baths or showers.
However, even within a given genetic makeup, individuals are still able to modify and possibly improve their tolerance to cold through acclimation (achieved in a laboratory setting) or acclimatization (achieved in a natural setting).
So, yes, your body can get used to cold if you swim in cold water regularly. A reduction in the cold shock response and associated risks is a good thing. Importantly, however, you can still become physically incapacitated in a short time in cold water.
It's called the cold shock response. When the cold receptors in your skin are all suddenly stimulated they cause an involuntary gasp and, for about a minute after that, hyperventilation. If you fall into chilly water, the cold shock response will kill you long before hypothermia does.
While occasional use of cold drinks may not pose significant risks to kidney health, excessive consumption, particularly of sugary and artificially flavoured beverages, can have a severe impact on renal function and general health, especially in those with kidney disease.
It'll take a couple of weeks to become fully comfortable with having cold showers. To ease yourself into it, try gradually lowering the temperature of the water ever so slightly each time you shower.
However, with so many potential culprits, it can be hard to know what vitamin deficiency causes you to feel cold. Typically, it's a lack of vitamin B12 or iron. Iron deficiency can slow down thyroid function, which can lead to a condition called hypothyroidism, making you feel cold.