So if you allow the shiver, then you will stimulate more body fat loss than those who resist shivering. To summarize this simple distinction, there exist two opposing sides to the same cold exposure coin: RESIST the shiver for mental fortitude and performance benefits. ALLOW the shiver for body fat loss.
When you're working on building up your brown fat for metabolism, it might benefit you to suppress your shiver response. But if you're working on stress, anxiety, or trauma, go ahead and bring the shiver. Trembling is response to trauma is a natural, protective reaction in mammals.
Don't - Stay in Too Long
Ice baths are a controlled stressor that challenges your body and mind, but staying in for too long can lead to some very uncontrolled results. Hypothermia and other injuries are possible when bathers push the envelope, so remember to keep it brief.
People may shiver less with repeated dips in cold water. Swimmers can feel more comfortable in cold water as a result, but cool more quickly.
Safety Precautions: Essential Tips for Ice Bathing
Always start with shorter durations and gradually increase as your tolerance builds. It is important to monitor your body's response throughout the bath, looking for signs of excessive cold exposure, such as numbness or severe shivering.
Remember: Staying in an ice bath too long can lower your core body temp too much, which is also risky. So, don't go beyond that five-minute limit. “In sports medicine, ice baths are used for marathon runners and others who are experiencing heat injuries,” Dr. King explains.
His ice bath routine involves filling up a bathtub with cold water and adding a few bags of ice to bring the temperature down to around 50°F (10°C). Rogan then submerges himself in the ice bath for 10-20 minutes. Joe also uses his cold plunge pro by Sun Home at his home for daily ice baths.
This proof-of-concept study shows that 1 hour of cold exposure with shivering for 10 consecutive days improves glucose tolerance and other metabolic health outcomes in humans with overweight or obesity. Cold exposure induces heat loss and may thus threaten survival.
Avoid immediate hot showers after a cold plunge to prevent negating the benefits of the cold exposure. If you opt for a shower, gradually increase the temperature. Practice safety and mindfulness throughout your cold plunge and warming routine. Be aware of your body's signals and adjust accordingly.
Dehydration can cause many symptoms, such as headaches and tiredness, but there are some lesser known symptoms as well. Dehydration can lead to bad breath, dry or flushed skin, and muscle cramps. Other signs of dehydration could include chills and fever, if dehydration is due to heat illness.
Slowly Begin the Warm-up Process: Drying Off and Covering Up
To prevent this, take your time to dry off thoroughly and wear warm, comfortable clothing immediately after the ice bath. Wrapping yourself in a cozy towel or robe and wearing dry socks can help retain body heat and initiate a gentle warming process.
Whether this is additional plunges each morning to help you prepare for the day or after an extra hard-fought workout is up to you, just make sure you listen to your body and avoid overdoing it, as excessive use of ice baths may lead to negative effects, such as decreased immune function and increased muscle soreness.
The health benefits of cold-water therapy start from 30 seconds and are delivered at around 2 minutes. For first-timers, we'd recommend up to 1 minute or until a shiver response, whichever comes first. Check the temperature and adjust if needed.
Essentially, when you expose yourself to colder temperatures, your body will naturally constrict your blood vessels in order to keep your internal organs warm. This is why you may find your fingers and toes get numb after longer cold plunges.
Take a Lukewarm Bath
Avoid taking a cold bath or shower, and avoid using ice. A cold bath may sound like a good idea if you're burning up, but it can cause shivering that can increase—rather than decrease—core body temperature.
Post-ice bath, proper aftercare is essential to maximize benefits and prevent adverse effects: Warm Up Gradually: Slowly warm up your body by wrapping yourself in a towel and drinking a warm beverage. Avoid hot showers immediately after, as sudden temperature changes can be stressful.
When we are exposed to the cold, it's normal for the hands and feet to feel very cold or numb and they may tingle or be painful on rewarming. For most people, these symptoms are transient, with normal sensations returning within a few minutes.
Ice baths may help improve alertness, reduce pain, and decrease inflammation. As a result, they may offer health benefits like reduced muscle soreness, pain relief, and improved mood. However, the research is very limited.
Wear clothing during your Ice Bath experience: Make sure, again, that you don a pair of shorts and a t-shirt if possible to protect your largest major organ: your skin! Set your clock: Remember- 15 minutes is the maximum amount of recommended time… And if you're a newcomer like myself, I'd start off with 5 minutes.
This usually leads to a severe shivering response that typically lasts around 10-15 minutes after cold exposure but can be as long as an hour or more. Staying in cold water too long has the same outcome as severe shivering is triggered if the core temperature drops too low.
An immediate hot shower could cause a rapid increase in blood flow, potentially leading to lightheadedness or fainting. Experts recommend waiting at least 10-15 minutes after an ice bath before taking a shower. This allows your body to naturally warm up and your heart rate to return to normal.
While cold plunging has numerous benefits, staying submerged for too long can introduce potential risks. Prolonged exposure to colder temperatures may lead to hypothermia, where the body loses heat faster than it can produce, resulting in symptoms like shivering, confusion, and fatigue.
PLUNGE on X: "Joe Rogan takes his ice baths at 34 degrees.
Our body wants to avoid losing too much heat
One is "cold-induced diuresis", or an increase in urine excretion in response to the cold. Initially, blood is diverted away from the skin to avoid losing its heat to the outside air. This means more blood ends up flushing through your internal organs.