It all began at one precise moment, I was in the car with my partner, one argument too much, one more impossibility to be heard, understood, one stupid argument too much about the deception I was and I felt my heart sinking down. I was in a bad place. Had been for a while, this was a near daily thing. This made no sense. We were incompatible and I had no way out of this. I previously dedicated all of my time to family and work and decided to steal time for myself, to do something I wanted to do, go swim. It began at this point. Going into cold water, wild water, because I don’t like swimming pools really, I don’t like the smell of it, the walls you hit all the time.
I went for a lake, the water was cold and it cured me somehow, I stole time for me, a few times a week, and it healed me, pulled me up somehow, raised my energy level, got me out of numbness.
As an ADHD person, I can get stuck in a rut sometimes, just procrastinate, I can stay for hours my head rushing without doing anything, just sitting and thinking, my mind a ping pong ball, or simply feel down. Sometimes I need a push, I need to snap out of it, because I know what I feel when I don’t do a thing in a day or monitor it, I feel like shit “what the fuck did I do today?” is weighing on me, above all when I cannot answer this question.
This ability to snap out of a slump, you can get through voluntary cold exposure which is something nobody wants to do, putting your body under or in cold water is… Horrible, your body absolutely do not want this and your mind is telling you not o… But this has two major advantages, you train to nudge yourself to do things you do not want to do, and it produces a host of chemicals in your body that have a long lasting effect on your positivity, your quality of life is greatly enhanced by this…
Try it! this is not easy but it has benefits you cannot begin to fathom. You have nothing to loose, you cannot die from this, it is hard at the beginning, but you get used to it.
I do it like this, I take my standard shower and get washed, then at the end I turn the knob all the way to cold, and put my head under, starting a chrono on my watch. The ideal length of time for the all week should be 11 minutes. You can begin by one minute. and then push on from there.
Look it is simple. It will help you raise your dopamine level and wake you up no doubt.
What I feel is that it helps me snap out of things like procrastination or do something I don’t want to do.
I remember precisely that day, I had a hard day at work and was exhausted. I work physically you seemost of the time on roofs with temperatures rising up to 40 degrees, the heat of summer in northern Italy can be hard on the body and mind. I cycle to work and back home you see, no matter the weather. I had my swimming gear on my backpack.
I was riding back home, the plan I had in the morning was to go to swim after work. I just did not want to do this anymore. I was heading home…. And I changed my mind at the last minute, changing direction, went to swim, the minimum is 20 min the max 35 (yes, swimming is boring me, a lot) I came out of the water my energy levels were back up, I was feeling great.
This is powerful my friends.
Just try.
What does the science say about Voluntary Cold Exposure.
(Perplexity – AI assisted)
Voluntary cold exposure, such as cold-water immersion (CWI) or cold showers, has notable effects on the brain through multiple neurophysiological mechanisms:
- Neurotransmitter Release: Cold exposure triggers the release of key neurotransmitters and hormones including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), cortisol, and β-endorphins. These chemicals play critical roles in regulating mood, stress responses, emotion, and pain modulation123.
- Sympathetic Nervous System Activation: The sudden cold stimulus activates the sympathetic nervous system, causing a “fight-or-flight” response. This results in increased levels of epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine, which enhance alertness, energy, and cognitive focus28.
- Mood and Stress Regulation: The release of endorphins during cold exposure reduces pain and promotes feelings of well-being similar to a “runner’s high.” This can improve mood and decrease stress18.
- Brain Functional Connectivity and Cognitive Effects: Studies show that whole-body cold exposure can alter brain functional connectivity, affecting cognitive functions such as decision making, memory, and perception. However, extended cold exposure may impair certain cognitive domains like attention, processing speed, executive function, and memory, even before hypothermia sets in15.
- Neural Activation and Autonomic Control: Research involving practitioners of the Wim Hof Method (a form of voluntary cold exposure combined with breathing techniques) demonstrates activation of brain regions involved in pain and cold stimulus modulation (periaqueductal gray) and higher-order cortical areas linked to self-reflection and sustained attention. This suggests that cold exposure training may enhance voluntary control over autonomic functions7.
- Potential Neuroprotective Effects: Emerging evidence suggests cold-water immersion might help slow neurodegenerative disease progression and improve overall brain health by modulating stress and inflammatory pathways8.
- Memory and Learning Enhancement in Animal Models: Acute cold exposure followed by rewarming in rats enhanced spatial memory and activated MAPK signaling pathways in brain regions important for learning, indicating possible beneficial effects on memory under controlled conditions6.
In summary, voluntary cold exposure influences the brain by stimulating neurotransmitter release, activating stress and pain modulation pathways, enhancing mood and alertness, and potentially improving cognitive and autonomic control. However, prolonged or extreme cold exposure can impair certain cognitive functions, highlighting the importance of controlled and safe practice.
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10502154/
- https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/the-science-and-use-of-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance
- https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20240053
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9518606/
- https://www.mindflowperformance.com/post/impact-of-cold-immersion-on-the-brain-and-cognitive-performance
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18789908/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29438845/
- https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2024/05/22/jumping-into-the-ice-bath-trend-mental-health-benefits-of-cold-water-immersion/
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/beyond-the-cold-baths-contemporary-applications-of-coldwater-immersion-in-the-treatment-of-clinical-depression-and-anxiety/F285E3B83C4D0E43D10883021BCDD55F
- https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/news/mri-scans-reveal-changes-in-the-brains-wiring-after-cold-water-shock