Living in the modern world we are exposed to stressors on a daily basis. Most of the patients that I see in the clinic are affected by stress in some way. We have some amazing herbal medicines to support different body systems during periods of stress, however it's not practical to be taking these herbal medicines for the rest of your life - and the stressors aren't going away. So this prompted me to research the ways that I can help my patients to reduce the physical effects of stress on a lifelong basis.
There are many lifestyle practices that can be incorporated to reduce the effects of stress, but how do you have time to add these to your already busy schedule?
Introducing Cold Water Exposure....
Research suggests that repeated cold water exposure increases our resilience to stress by helping our body to practice recovering from the stress response.
In addition to increasing stress resilience, repeated cold water exposure has been shown to improve mental health, improve the immune system and reduce inflammation.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR BODY IS EXPOSED TO COLD WATER?
There are two stages when exposed to cold water.
Cold Shock
Sympathetic stress response activation : lungs contract, breathing gets faster, heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, peripheral vasoconstriction occurs.
Adrenaline and cortisol are increased.
TIME: Approx 30 seconds
Cold Adaptation
Adaptation occurs : the body recovers from the stress response, breathing returns to normal, blood pressure returns to normal, heart rate returns to normal.
Adrenaline and cortisol output reduces.
TIME: Approx 2 minutes
LONG TERM BENEFITS OF REPEATED COLD WATER EXPOSURE
Stress response is reduced : Attenuation of the sympathetic stress response, increased calmness, cardiovascular and respiratory response to stress is reduced. Adrenaline is reduced.
The stress response halves in as little as 6 exposures
HOW CAN I PRACTICE COLD WATER EXPOSURE?
There are two easy ways to incorporate cold water exposure into your routine...
Questions?
How long do I need to stay in the cold water? Just until your stress response has returned to normal. This is the main benefit of cold water exposure, once it has happened, there is no benefit to staying in the cold water any longer - but you may enjoy to anyway!
How often should I practice cold exposure? While there are no set rules, remember that consistency is the key. Create a routine that fits with your lifestyle, and try to aim for at least twice per week.
Cold water exposure should always be commenced gradually. It is not recommended to dive into freezing water as this may increase the risk of drowning. Those with heart or lung conditions should seek clearance from their doctor before commencing cold water exposure.
Jodie works with patients to offer personalised evidence based strategies to support your body through times of stress or recover from long term stress. Find out more about Jodie here or book a naturopathic consultation here
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Knechtle, B., Wasiewicz, Z., Sousa, C.V., Hill, L. & Nikolaidis, P.T. (2020). Cold water swimming - benefits and risks: A narrative review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020(17). doi:10.3390/ijerph17238984
Lunt, H.C., Barwood, M.J., Corbett, J. & Tipton, M.J. (2010). ‘Cross-adaptation’: habituation to short repeated cold-water immersions affects the response to acute hypoxia in humans. The Journal of Physiology. 588(18), 3605-3613
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