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The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#141

Post by jmulho »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #21
itchyouch wrote: post #10

Dr. Rhonda Patrick goes over cold therapy (along with hot therapy) numerous times in her nutrition/health/biology/epidemiological research. cryo usually is -180 degrees F for 2 minutes. But a similar effect can be achieved with ~40 F (IIRC) exposure for ~4-6 hours. I think she has mentioned similar effects for immersion in cold water for several minutes as well. The benefits of cold shock are basically: * increase no…

Would you mind linking to an academic study concerning the mitochondrial biogenesis effect?

These videos reference some studies on brown fat: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/brown-fat-losing-weight-thr... https://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-brown-fat-through-...

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#142

Post by andai »

k4ch0w wrote: post #52
sytelus wrote: post #30

TLDR; 3000 participants study that asked them to do cold showers for 30-90 seconds each day for 1 month. Main difference shown was ~30% reduction in sick days they took. On a side note, has anyone here tried wim hof method?

I actually went and met Wim. I took one of his seminars. He had us all go outside into a pool of ice together for about ~1 minute with all of us chanting who let the dogs out while we froze. I walked out completely red because it was the coldest thing I'd ever done. At that point I was doing cold showers for about a year and a half. I am a very physical person and his method was the first one to put my mind into a me…

> A side effect of the ice training is that I sweat in really cold weather.

This is really interesting, it sounds like exposure to cold has up-regulated your metabolism or something.

My genetics are from warm countries but I grew up in a cold country, and when I go home people are always terrified that I'm going to die of cold because of how little I'm wearing.

It's interesting to see that the body can undergo changes like this even in adulthood: I guess humans are adapted to moving around!

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#143

Post by ambivalents »

Fifer82 wrote: post #118

Does anyone know why I prefer being cold more than others? I sleep with all the windows open and my other half has pyjamas, a double duvet and a hot water bottle. Like in December in Scotland. I also dislike wearing Jackets or Coats under any circumstances. I dislike hot drinks maybe apart from Soup. When people go on Holiday and basque in the sun saying it is perfect weather. My actual perfect weather (I believe I f…

I don't have any genealogical insights (I am half Armenian, half a mix of western European), but I am the same way. I drink iced coffees year round. I wear the lightest thinnest jacket I can get away with in the winter. I sleep with a fan blasting. My best guess is it's a metabolic thing--I run a little warmer/faster than most (though I suppose that doesn't explain why).

Edit: And to address the blood pressure comment, I have always had normal to low blood pressure, so I don't think it's that.

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#144

Post by watwut »

vidarh wrote: post #104
watwut wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does not imply placebo through. I was recommended cold showers cause I was frequently ill. I seemed to catch everything that went around. For first months, sickness just felt less bad - but that was enough motivation for me to continue. The reduction in sick days started later on. A year later definitely, I had measurable down in sick days. I basically don't need them now. I think sick days started to get better f…

While it is possible that it is more than a placebo, note that nothing you wrote is inconsistent with a placebo effect. If it works for you, great. Doesn't matter if it's a placebo effect or not in that case.

Not being sick after a year is a measurable change, that is unlikely to be placebo. The change is real, even if it would be caused by something else.

But, my primary point was meant to be that the results of the study don't imply placebo, through many comments here throw it around a lot. (I am not sure what kind of effect they would want to see through.)

They do imply that effects are bound to be very small.

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#145

Post by jacobolus »

Scea91 wrote: post #89
jacobolus wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Competing anecdote: I once dunked for a few minutes into a very cold bath at a Budapest bathhouse, and the next few days suffered one of the worst flus I’ve ever had. Keep doing whatever works for you, but I don’t think either of these provide especially convincing general evidence. (Note I’m not blaming the cold bath; for all I know I would have had identical symptoms either way.)

I don't even think your anecdote is competing. I think it is a common wisdom that you should allow your body to adjust to cold gradually.

The “common wisdom” being investigated in this study and discussed in this thread was whether short and “shocking” cold showers would improve health. The top-level commenter claims that transitioning directly from a hot shower to a few minutes of cold shower at the end has made him less susceptible to respiratory viral infections.

I agree that there are often several directly contradictory pieces of “common wisdom” floating around about health topics. That’s one of the chief difficulties with folk advice in general.

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#146

Post by JumpCrisscross »

phaemon wrote: post #100
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #16

“The total amount of days a participant felt ill (including symptoms of cold and flu)” responded but “the total number of days of absence from their work due to sickness“ which the study’s designers view as “the most objective indirect parameter indicative of illness severity” did not.

That is the complete opposite of the study's findings. The number of days they felt ill did not change, but they had fewer days absent.

You are totally correct. My sincerest apologies!

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#147

Post by trhway »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #136
trhway wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i do like really cold shower ... right after good warm/hot shower. No stiff neck, etc. :) Basically a quick version of occasional weekend hot sauna + cold pool. I think the main issue of Wim Hof vs. regulars like us is whether you're able to maintain near skin blood pipes open in the cold water. These pipes shutting down immediately upon cold contact isn't really a good thing, it hits heart, near skin muscles get not…

> The hot shower/sauna is what makes my and other regular people's near skin blood vessels to not collapse upon entering the cold shower/pool immediately after. I never thought about that. That's cool.

Especially if you add "venik" to it :)

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#148

Post by vram22 »

tome wrote: post #108
keypress wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best thing about a cold shower is that when you get out, you feel to only get warmer, and it's very pleasing the sensation of thawing through. Whereas hot shower to coldish environment just makes me shiver.

Yes, this phenomenon is really remarkable. When I take a nice, warm shower I feel freezing when I get out. After a horrible cold shower I feel nice and warm getting out.

It's due to the contrasting temperatures.

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#149

Post by trhway »

scoggs wrote: post #125
cyberferret wrote: post #58

We did this in our entire house for about 6 months once when our water heater broke and we couldn't afford to get it fixed quickly. UPSIDES: We nearly halved our water bill as all of us (kids and parents) took far shorter showers because it was so cold. This also meant we had to clean the shower much less often. I would also be more awake and alert in the morning after a cold rinse. DOWNSIDES: I noticed I was getting…

Do you think you were standing in the shower incredible tensed up to combat the inevitable cold? I feel like just reading about a cold shower gets me in that mode.

it is type of fight-or-flight response. One result of tensing muscles is decreasing of blood flow near body surface to minimize heat losses from the body.

Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

#150

Post by ellyagg »

tugberkk wrote: post #84
ellyagg wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. It's a stressor, which is the point. Strenuous exercise is also a well-known cause of heart attacks, but you should definitely strenuously exercise if at all possible.

Is there any academic study showing this?

Not sure, but here's the wikipedia page on it, at least:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_shock_response

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