Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance | Huberman Lab Podcast #66

Name: Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance | Huberman Lab Podcast #66
Uploaded: 2022-04-04T12:00:32.000Z
Duration: 4 h 30 min 9 s

Introduction

In this section, Andrew Huberman introduces the topic of deliberate cold exposure and its potential benefits for mental health, physical health, and performance.

Deliberate Cold Exposure

Cold exposure can be leveraged to improve mental health, physical health, and performance.

Understanding how cold impacts the brain and body is crucial to properly leverage deliberate cold exposure.

Specific protocols that can be applied include variables like temperature, delivery method (cold shower, immersion, ice bath), and duration.

Precautions

Temperature is a potent stimulus for the brain and body but carries certain hazards if not done correctly.

Consult a board-certified physician before initiating any new protocol involving strong stimuli like changing temperature or placing oneself into unusual temperatures.

Progress gradually when embarking on new protocols involving strong stimuli. The most potent stimulus isn't always the one that you experience as the most intense in the moment.

Study on Deliberate Cold Exposure

In this section, Andrew Huberman discusses a peer-reviewed study that involved people immersing themselves in water at 60 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods of time.

Key Points

Despite the fairly modest cold temperature used in the study (60 degrees Fahrenheit), participants experienced enormous increases in neurochemicals that ought to translate to improvements in focus and mood by simply extending their time in the water.

Brief Aerobic Exercise and Visual Attentional Control

In this section, the speaker discusses a study that highlights the effects of brief aerobic exercise on visual attentional control and perceptual speed.

Study Overview

The study looked at 101 college-aged students who were divided into two groups.

One group did 15 minutes of jogging at moderate intensity (zone two cardio), while the other group did relaxation concentration similar to mindfulness meditation.

The groups were analyzed for perceptual speed, visual attentional control, working memory, and feelings of energy.

The results showed that the group that did moderate exercise experienced elevated levels of energy after they ceased exercising, whereas the mindfulness meditation group reported feeling more calm with less overall energy.

Cognitive Tasks

Participants were tested on two cognitive tasks called trail making tests A and B.

Trail making test A involved circling numbers in sequence using visual search skills and motor skills.

Trail making test B involved connecting numbers and letters in sequence using visual search skills, motor skills, and working memory.

Results

The group that did moderate exercise prior to these tests showed significant decreases in the amount of time required to complete these tests accurately.

Energy was found to be a key variable in performance on high cognitive demand tasks.

Takeaways from the Study

In this section, the speaker discusses takeaways from the study discussed earlier.

Key Takeaways

Brief aerobic exercise can enhance visual attentional control and perceptual speed.

Mindfulness meditation may not be as effective as moderate exercise for increasing energy levels and improving cognitive performance.

Energy is a key variable in performance on high cognitive demand tasks.

Moderate exercise prior to work that requires focus and working memory may be beneficial.

Exercise vs Mindfulness Meditation

In this section, the speaker discusses the benefits of moderate exercise over mindfulness meditation in enhancing focus and attention.

Benefits of Moderate Exercise

Moderate exercise is more valuable than mindfulness meditation in enhancing focus and attention.

Moderate exercise triggers neuroplasticity, which allows for memory to change and learning to occur after a learning bout.

NSDR Scripts

NSDR scripts are available on YouTube and other platforms free of cost.

NSDR has been shown to be beneficial for enhancing neuroplasticity.

Live Events in May

In this section, the speaker announces two live events that he will be hosting in May.

Details of Live Events

The live events will be hosted in Seattle and Portland on May 17th and 18th respectively.

The events are part of a lecture series entitled "The Brain Body Contract" where science-based tools for mental health, physical health, and performance will be discussed.

Most of the information covered during the event will be distinct from information covered on the podcast or elsewhere.

Tickets can be accessed by going to hubermanlab.com/tour.

Athletic Greens Sponsorship

In this section, the speaker talks about Athletic Greens as a sponsor for the podcast.

Benefits of Athletic Greens

Athletic Greens covers foundational vitamin mineral and probiotic needs.

It has prebiotics and probiotics that ensure a healthy gut microbiome.

Athletic Greens is delicious and easy to mix up while on the road.

Special Offer

A special offer of five free travel packs can be claimed by going to athleticgreens.com/huberman.

Athletic Greens, ROKA, and Helix Sleep Ads

In this section, the speaker talks about three different companies that sponsor the podcast.

Athletic Greens

The speaker promotes athleticgreens.com/huberman to get five free travel packs and a year supply of vitamin D3, K2.

ROKA

The speaker promotes roka.com by offering 20% off on your first order with the code Huberman at checkout.

The speaker describes how ROKA glasses are designed for athletic performance but can also be worn in other settings due to their aesthetic appeal.

Helix Sleep

The speaker promotes helixsleep.com/huberman by offering up to $200 off any mattress order and two free pillows.

The speaker explains how Helix Sleep makes mattresses and pillows that are uniquely designed to match your body type and sleep preferences.

Use of Cold for Health and Performance

In this section, the speaker discusses the use of cold as a tool for health and performance.

Baseline Temperature Levels

The speaker explains that there is a baseline level of temperature that varies across a 24-hour cycle.

The temperature minimum occurs approximately two hours before you wake up.

Animal Models vs Humans Studies

The speaker points out that there have been tremendous discoveries in both animal models (mice and rats) and humans.

The speaker will be careful to point out when discoveries were made in animal models and when they were made in humans.

Circadian Rhythm

Any use of deliberate cold exposure is superimposed on the circadian rhythm, meaning that 24-hour rhythm.

The speaker explains that the basic contour of your circadian rhythm in temperature is that approximately two hours before the time you wake up is your so-called temperature minimum.

Benefits of Cold Exposure

Cold exposure can improve sleep quality, reduce inflammation, increase metabolism, and enhance cognitive function.

The speaker explains how cold exposure can activate brown adipose tissue (BAT), which burns calories to generate heat.

Types of Cold Exposure

There are different types of cold exposure such as cold water immersion, cryotherapy, and wearing cooling vests.

The speaker explains how each type of cold exposure has its own benefits and drawbacks.

Safety Precautions

It's important to take safety precautions when using cold exposure as a tool for health and performance.

The speaker recommends starting with mild forms of cold exposure and gradually increasing intensity over time.

Circadian Rhythm in Temperature

This section discusses the circadian rhythm of body temperature and how it affects sleep.

Body Temperature and Sleep

Body temperature rises with waking, continues to rise throughout the day, and starts to go down in the late afternoon and evening.

The decrease in core body temperature is important for getting into deep sleep.

Knowing the baseline circadian rhythm of core body temperature helps us understand when to use deliberate cold exposure to access specific states or avoid using it if our primary goal is to get to sleep.

Thermal Regulation at the Level of Body and Brain

This section explains how thermal regulation works at the level of body and brain.

Gedanken Experiment

Placing a cold towel on your head or torso when you're hot will actually increase your body temperature even more.

The medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus acts as a thermostat that regulates internal core temperature based on input from receptors in our skin and inside our body that register temperature.

Cooling Down

Bringing a cold surface of any kind, such as a towel or splashing water, to the majority of your body surface is not an effective way to cool down.

Jumping into a cold lake is different because it cools down your entire body surface.

Understanding Hyperthermia and Cooling the Body

In this section, we learn about hyperthermia and how it can be a dangerous situation. We also learn about the appropriate surfaces of the body that need to be cooled to reduce core body temperature.

Cooling Appropriate Surfaces of the Body

The upper half of the face, palms of hands, and bottoms of feet are what we call glabrous skin surfaces.

These surfaces have arterio-venous anastomoses just below them which allow for more efficient reduction in core body temperature.

Cooling these surfaces can help offset hyperthermia and improve athletic or cognitive performance.

Cooling off other parts of the body with a towel is not as efficient in reducing core body temperature.

Deliberate Cold Exposure Protocols

In this section, we learn about different reasons for using deliberate cold exposure protocols.

Improving Mental Performance

Cold protocols have been tested in peer-reviewed studies to improve mental performance.

They are designed to improve resilience, grittiness, ability to move through challenges, regulate mind and internal state under conditions of stress.

Stress is defined as times when adrenaline (epinephrine) or norepinephrine (noradrenaline) are elevated in your body.

Noradrenaline and adrenaline work together to increase our level of agitation.

Mental and Physical Benefits of Deliberate Cold Exposure

In this section, we will learn about the mental and physical benefits of deliberate cold exposure. We will discuss how it can improve attention, mood, metabolism, and reduce inflammation.

Mental Performance

Deliberate cold exposure can shift our mental state and help us cope with stress in real life.

It increases the release of catecholamines such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine which can elevate mood for long periods of time.

These elevations are healthy increases in our baseline levels that can support us.

Mindset is important when it comes to deliberate cold exposure. Doing something deliberately and believing it's good for us leads to different physiological effects than if something happens to us against our will or without our control.

Metabolism

Deliberate cold exposure has been studied in animal models and humans to increase metabolism by converting white fat cells into beige or brown fat cells.

Beige or brown fat cells are thermogenic and help stay lean while serving as a reservoir for heating up the body when confronted with a cold challenge.

Inflammation Reduction

People use deliberate cold exposure to reduce inflammation post-exercise or generally.

Performance Enhancement

Cold exposure is used to enhance performance in strength training and endurance training.

How Cold Should Deliberate Cold Exposure Be?

In this section, the speaker discusses how cold deliberate cold exposure should be and provides a rule of thumb for determining the appropriate temperature.

Determining the Appropriate Temperature

The appropriate temperature for deliberate cold exposure depends on an individual's cold tolerance, core metabolism, and other factors.

A simple rule of thumb is to place oneself in an environment that is uncomfortably cold but safe to stay in.

Experimentation is necessary to determine the appropriate temperature as it varies from day to day and across the 24-hour cycle due to internal rhythms.

Comparing Different Forms of Cold Exposure

In this section, the speaker compares different forms of cold exposure and their effectiveness.

Effectiveness of Different Forms of Cold Exposure

Cold water immersion up to the neck with feet and hands submerged is the most effective form of deliberate cold exposure.

The second-best option is a cold shower, followed by going outside with minimal clothing that allows one to experience shivering.

Access and cultural appropriateness are important constraints when choosing a form of deliberate cold exposure.

Cold Exposure for Mental Health and Performance

In this section, the speaker discusses the benefits of cold exposure on mental health and performance. The speaker explains how cold exposure increases norepinephrine and epinephrine release in the brain and body, which can be leveraged to build resilience.

Benefits of Cold Exposure

Cold water immersion is a more efficient way to expose oneself to cold than cold showers or going outside on a cold day.

Deliberate cold exposure increases norepinephrine and epinephrine release in the brain and body, which can be leveraged to build resilience.

Resilience or grit is our ability or mental toughness to lean into challenge or tolerate challenge while keeping our heads straight.

Protocols for Enhancing Mental Health and Performance

One simple protocol for increasing resilience is to pick a temperature that's uncomfortable for shower or cold immersion, get in for a certain duration of time, then get out.

People will experience different levels of norepinephrine and adrenaline release when getting into cold water. Some people will actually experience norepinephrine and epinephrine increases even before they get into the cold water.

Building Resilience through Cold Exposure

In this section, the speaker discusses how cold exposure can be used to build mental resilience. He explains that cold exposure triggers the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are important for building mental toughness.

The Two Options for Building Mental Resilience

Option 1: Extend the duration of time in deliberate cold exposure.

Start with one minute of cold exposure and gradually increase the duration over a period of days or weeks.

Option 2: Take context into account and start counting the number of walls traversed.

Sense the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine in your brain and body as walls to climb over in order to build resilience.

Count the number of walls traversed and distance between those walls during deliberate cold exposure.

Timed Protocol for Deliberate Cold Exposure

Monday: One minute of deliberate cold exposure at a given temperature.

Wednesday: Extend by 50% from Monday's duration.

Friday: Deliberate cold exposure for twice as long as on Monday.

Continue increasing duration or lowering temperature over time, similar to sets and reps in the gym.

Operational Definition of Resilience

Resilience is defined as being able to resist or escape from stressors like cold by virtue of willpower, which is controlled by your prefrontal cortex.

Top-down control on reflexes, limbic system, and hypothalamus helps you stay in control when flooded with epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Importance of Epinephrine and Norepinephrine

Epinephrine and norepinephrine release in the brain and body are the generic universal code for stressor.

Cold exposure triggers the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are important for building mental toughness.

Building Mental Resilience Through Cold Exposure

In this section, the speaker discusses a protocol for building mental resilience and toughness through cold exposure. The protocol involves counting walls and traversing them to build cognitive control.

Counting Walls Protocol

The first step in the protocol is to recognize the sensation of wanting to leave the cold environment.

Traversing one wall means being able to stay in the cold environment for some period of time.

Pay attention to when the next wall arrives and have an awareness of when adrenaline or epinephrine comes or reaches a certain threshold in your brain and body.

Traversing another wall means staying in the cold environment for even just 10 seconds longer.

Designing Protocols That Work For You

Setting a designated number of walls before starting the protocol is beneficial.

This gives you flexibility and latitude to use the same temperatures in different ways or reduce temperature only slightly while still getting results out of a given protocol.

If your goal is to build resilience, either go for time as a function of temperature or use counting walls protocol.

Variable Space with Cold Exposure

With cold exposure, there isn't much variable space to play with compared to weightlifting where you can adjust speed or combine movements with pre-exhaustion.

If your goal is building resilience, going for time as a function of temperature or using counting walls protocols are better options than just focusing on increasing duration at lower temperatures.

Building Resilience through Cold Exposure

In this section, the speaker discusses how to build resilience and mental toughness over time by varying the parameter space of cold exposure. The speaker explains that cold exposure serves to train individuals for real-life stressors.

Varying Parameter Space

To build up resilience and mental toughness over time, it is important to vary the parameter space of cold exposure.

Cold exposure forces top-down control and behavioral control in the context of elevated levels of catecholamines, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.

Most stressors in real life arrive as surprises, so tolerating and climbing over walls while staying calm can help prepare individuals for real-life stressors.

Mental State during Cold Exposure

There are two options for mental state during cold exposure: calming oneself or leaning into the challenge.

Calming oneself can be achieved through double inhales through the nose and extended exhales through the mouth or controlling breathing pace and volume.

Engaging in cognitive exercises while in cold water can help maintain clarity of thinking and teach prefrontal cortex engagement during high-stress situations.

Cognitive Exercises

Cognitive exercises such as math problems requiring focus, attention working memory recall specific bouts of information can help teach prefrontal cortex engagement during high-stress situations.

The Benefits of Deliberate Cold Exposure

In this section, the speaker discusses how deliberate cold exposure can be used to increase cognitive clarity and engage in cognitive tasks while under stress. He also explains the importance of movement during cold exposure.

Cognitive Performance and Stress

Deliberate cold exposure can help increase cognitive clarity for fighters during boxing matches.

It is a calculated game of mental and physical chess that requires clear thinking.

Cold exposure can teach people how to engage in cognitive performance when their body is filled with stress.

Importance of Movement During Cold Exposure

When you remain still in cold water, your body generates heat which creates a thermal layer around your entire body.

Moving around continuously breaks up the thermal layer and makes the experience much colder.

To push resilience aspect or increase stimulus, move your body around continuously while keeping your mind still or even doing some sort of cognitive task.

Frequency of Deliberate Cold Exposure

There are no strict guidelines on how often to do deliberate cold exposure.

Some studies suggest a threshold of 11 minutes total per week divided into two or four sessions of two or three minutes each.

Deliberate Cold Exposure

In this section, Dr. Huberman discusses the benefits of deliberate cold exposure for building resilience and mental toughness. He recommends starting with at least 11 minutes of total cold exposure per week and adjusting the duration, frequency, or temperature as needed to maintain consistency.

Benefits of Deliberate Cold Exposure

Deliberate cold exposure can help build resilience and mental toughness.

Cold water exposure is a stressor that can be adjusted in ways that allow us to continually build up and maintain mental toughness.

Deliberate cold exposure has a powerful effect on the release of dopamine in our brain and body, which makes us feel good even after we get out of the cold environment.

Recommended Guidelines for Deliberate Cold Exposure

Start with at least 11 minutes of total cold exposure per week.

Adjust the duration, frequency, or temperature as needed to maintain consistency.

Lower the temperature safely or extend the duration safely if 11 minutes per week becomes too easy.

Increase the frequency if you're not experiencing many walls and are excited to get into the cold shower immersion.

Navy Seals Training

The screening and training for Navy Seals involves a lot of exposure to cold water because it offers considerable leeway in terms of duration and temperature compared to other stressors like heat.

Dopamine Release

Deliberate cold exposure has a very powerful effect on dopamine release in our brain and body, which is involved in elevating our mood, making us feel energized, and enhancing our ability to focus.

The Effects of Cold Exposure on Catecholamines and Dopamine

In this section, the speaker discusses how cold exposure affects the release of catecholamines, including norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine. They explain that while most stressors increase norepinephrine and epinephrine levels, only deliberate cold exposure causes a significant increase in dopamine.

Study on Human Physiological Responses to Immersion into Water of Different Temperatures

A study entitled "Human Physiological Responses to Immersion into Water of Different Temperatures" found that deliberate cold exposure causes a dramatic increase in dopamine.

The study involved immersing people up to their necks in water at three different temperatures: 32 degrees Celsius (89 degrees Fahrenheit), 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), or 14 degrees Celsius (57.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

The researchers measured participants' core body temperature, metabolism, and serum levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, and cortisol.

Despite having a small number of subjects in the study, it was thorough in terms of exploring multiple variables.

Participants were immersed for one hour at each temperature.

Results from the Study

Immersion at 32 Degrees Celsius

Participants who were immersed up to their necks in water at 32 degrees Celsius did not experience a shift in metabolism nor a significant increase in dopamine or other catecholamines.

Immersion at 20 Degrees Celsius

Participants who were immersed up to their necks in water at 20 degrees Celsius experienced a 93% increase in metabolic rate.

They also experienced a 250% increase in dopamine concentrations.

Immersion at 14 Degrees Celsius

Participants who were immersed up to their necks in water at 14 degrees Celsius experienced a 350% increase in metabolism.

They also experienced a significant increase of 530% in norepinephrine levels, suggesting that this is a stressful stimulus neurochemically speaking.

The increases in dopamine persisted for a very long period of time afterwards, even out to two hours.

The Effects of Deliberate Cold Exposure on Dopamine

In this section, Dr. Rhonda Patrick discusses the effects of deliberate cold exposure on dopamine and how it can lead to long-lasting increases in dopamine levels that can be leveraged towards activities other than deliberate cold exposure.

Increases in Dopamine from Deliberate Cold Exposure

Increases in dopamine from deliberate cold exposure are similar to those elicited by addictive behaviors like nicotine.

Deliberate cold exposure can create similar or greater increases in dopamine that are long-lasting and can be leveraged towards activities other than deliberate cold exposure.

There are not many studies exploring how shorter colder temperature environment exposures affect dopamine levels.

People who do deliberate cold exposure report feeling better afterwards for a very long period of time due to increases in dopamine and norepinephrine.

Mental Acuity Enhancement from Deliberate Cold Exposure

Virtually any stimulus that delivers more norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine to our system will sharpen our mental acuity and elevate our mood.

Short 15-minute exercise has been shown to increase energy levels and mental acuity due to an increase in catecholamines known to accompany moderate intensity zone two cardio.

Deliberate cold exposure is a potent way to increase these catecholamines, thereby improving mood, mental acuity, and alertness.

Quality of Stress from Deliberate Cold Exposure

The quality of stress created by deliberate cold exposure is likely one of eustress rather than distress because there were no significant increases in the stress hormone cortisol.

Eustress is associated with increases in norepinephrine and dopamine, while distress causes negative health outcomes.

Effects of Deliberate Cold Exposure on Metabolism

In this section, the speaker discusses a study that was performed on humans to determine the effects of deliberate cold exposure on metabolism. The study found that by exposing young men to cold water immersion up to the neck for 11 minutes total per week, they experienced increases in brown fat thermogenesis and core body temperature.

Study Details

The study was published at the end of last year and titled "Altered Brown Fat Thermoregulation and Enhanced Cold Induced Thermogenesis in Young, Healthy Winter Swimming Men."

The study was only performed on male subjects but there is no reason to think that the effects discovered would only pertain to men.

Participants were exposed to cold water immersion up to the neck for approximately 11 minutes per week divided into two sessions.

Longer lasting effects of deliberate cold exposure on metabolism seem to take place by changes that occur in the types of fat stored in our body.

Brown Fat Stores

Deliberate cold exposure evokes an increase in core metabolism which burns calories.

Changes in brown fat stores are perhaps what's most interesting about this study.

Longer lasting effects of deliberate cold exposure on metabolism seem to take place by changes that occur in the types of fat stored in our body.

Cultural Basis

Anecdotal cultural lore suggests that exposing oneself repeatedly to cold environments can make one feel more comfortable in those extreme environments.

One should expose themselves to warm environments so that one is comfortable in warm environments during summer. In preparation for winter, one should prepare for those in the fall by not wearing a jacket and exposing oneself to cold environments.

Deliberate cold exposure consistently makes one more comfortable at cold temperatures away from the deliberate cold exposure.

How Cold Exposure Can Help Burn Fat

In this section, the speaker explains how deliberate cold exposure can convert white fat cells to beige and brown fat cells, which are more metabolically active and can help burn calories.

Conversion of White Fat Cells

Deliberate cold exposure converts white fat cells to beige and brown fat cells.

Beige fat cells are slightly brown under the microscope and contain mitochondria that increase metabolism.

Brown fat cells are very dark under the microscope and also contain mitochondria that increase metabolism.

Benefits of Beige and Brown Fat Cells

Beige and brown fat act as a furnace that can increase core body temperature.

Having more beige and brown fat can increase overall core metabolism, helping burn white fat.

Getting into cold water for at least 11 minutes per week divided into two or four sessions can increase core metabolism by increasing beige and brown fat stores.

Mechanisms of Conversion

Norepinephrine released when we get into the cold binds to receptors on the surface of white fat cells, activating downstream pathways such as UCP1 that increases mitochondrial output.

This process stokes the furnace of those particular cells, changing gene expression in those cells.

Babies have a lot of brown fat in order to keep them warm since they don't have the ability to shiver. Young children eventually develop this ability.

Conclusion

Deliberate cold exposure is a terrific way to convert white fat into metabolically thermogenetically enhancing form of beige and brown fat.

Deliberate Cold Exposure

In this section, the speaker discusses the benefits of deliberate cold exposure and how it can increase metabolism and resilience. He also talks about how it can convert white fat to beige fat and brown fat.

Benefits of Deliberate Cold Exposure

Deliberate cold exposure is a powerful tool for increasing metabolism, being comfortable in cold environments, and combating stress mentally.

Hitting the 11 minute per week threshold with deliberate cold exposure can stimulate both mechanism increases in resilience and increases in core metabolism.

Detailed studies on the conversion of white fat to beige fat and brown fat through the use of cold have been done in animal models, but human data are starting to emerge.

Review on Adipose Tissue Plasticity

A review titled "Adipose tissue plasticity in health and disease" covers mechanisms such as UCP1, P-part gamma, etc., which are involved in converting white fat to beige fat and brown fat through the use of cold.

The review has beautiful diagrams detailing all of the pathways from cold to norepinephrine through UCP1 downstream of things like cyclic AMP.

Fasted States and Fed States

When we are fasted, our baseline levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine are already elevated. Cold exposure at those times ought to have an even greater effect on metabolism and resilience.

For those who are primarily interested in using deliberate cold exposure to increase dopamine levels in their brain and body, they can ingest caffeine 60 to 120 minutes before the deliberate cold exposure.

Combined Protocol

A combined protocol of deliberate cold exposure and caffeine ingestion can increase dopamine levels in response to deliberate cold exposure.

Increasing Dopamine with Cold Exposure and Coffee

In this section, Dr. Rhonda Patrick discusses how to increase dopamine levels through deliberate cold exposure and coffee consumption.

Deliberate Cold Exposure

Deliberate cold exposure increases the density and efficacy of dopamine receptors, allowing dopamine to have its greatest effect.

Layering together enough protocols to get a dopamine pulse can be time-consuming.

Combining different mechanisms of dopamine receptors, epinephrine, etc., through deliberate cold exposure can increase dopamine levels over extended periods of time.

To achieve the greatest increases in metabolism through deliberate cold exposure, you want to force yourself to reheat on your own after the deliberate cold exposure.

Coffee Consumption

Consuming coffee an hour before an ice bath while fasted could be quite beneficial for increasing dopamine over quite extended periods of time.

Elevated levels of dopamine from a drug or from an ice bath are not sufficient to get the effects of dopamine; you need receptors available in appropriate density in the striatum.

Søberg Principle

The Søberg principle states that if you want to increase your metabolism through deliberate cold exposure, end with cold and allow yourself to reheat naturally.

If you take a hot shower after a cold shower or immersion, you're short-circuiting some of the further metabolic increases that would occur if you ended with the cold.

Deliberate Cold Exposure and Metabolism

In this section, the speaker discusses how deliberate cold exposure can increase metabolism by activating brown fat thermogenesis. The release of a molecule called succinate from muscles plays a key role in this process. The speaker provides tips on how to induce shivering through cold exposure.

Inducing Shivering Through Cold Exposure

Deliberate cold exposure that evokes shivering causes the release of succinate from muscles, which activates brown fat thermogenesis and increases metabolism.

To induce shivering, get into a cold shower for 1-3 minutes, turn off the water, and stand with limbs extended at your sides. If shivering does not occur, alternate between 1-3 minutes of cold exposure and drying out in air.

This protocol is brutal and even those who are shiver-resistant will find it challenging.

Neurons and Fat Cells

Fat cells receive input from neurons that directly release norepinephrine into the fat stores in response to cold.

There are also neurons within the skin that sense cold and can directly release norepinephrine into fat cells to convert white fat cells to beige and brown fat.

Neurons that sense cold communicate via other neurons directly to the fat cells and release norepinephrine into those fat cells, setting off immediate and long-term cascades of gene expression changes.

Conclusion

In this section, the speaker concludes by emphasizing that deliberate cold exposure is a potent stimulus for increasing metabolism through both circulating plasma levels of norepinephrine as well as direct input from neurons to fat cells. The speaker encourages listeners to build better deliberate cold exposure protocols and find ways to induce shivering safely.

Deliberate Cold Exposure and Physical Performance

In this section, the speaker discusses whether or not deliberate cold exposure can inhibit the process of strength and hypertrophy training. The speaker provides guidelines for when to avoid cold water immersion and ice bath immersion after strength and hypertrophy training.

Avoiding Cold Water Immersion After Strength/Hypertrophy Training

If your main goal is hypertrophy and strength, it is best to avoid cold water immersion up to the neck or ice bath immersion up to the neck immediately after strength and hypertrophy training.

Wait at least four hours after that training before doing any cold exposure.

If you are neurotic about getting every last bit of strength and hypertrophy out of your training sessions, then wait four hours or more to do your cold shower just as you would wait four hours or more to do your cold water immersion.

Deliberate Cold Exposure After Endurance/Performance/Skill Training

There's no reason to think that deliberate cold exposure through cold showers, ice baths, or cold water immersion would inhibit progress or stimulus that occurred during endurance/performance/skill training.

Based on literature review, there's no reason to avoid deliberate cold exposure immediately after these types of trainings.

Review Article on Deliberate Cold Exposure

A recent systematic review with meta-analysis looked at 52 studies on how deliberate cold exposure can impact physical performance before/after different types of training.

The study concluded that there was no significant difference in athletic performance between those who used passive recovery versus those who used cold water immersion following a single bout of strenuous exercise.

Cold Water Immersion After Exercise

In this section, the speaker discusses the benefits of cold water immersion after high-intensity exercise.

Benefits of Cold Water Immersion

Positive outcomes observed for muscular power and reduced muscular soreness after 24 hours of exercise.

Shorter duration, cold exposure and lower temperatures can improve the efficacy of cold water exposure if used after high intensity exercise.

Taking a cold shower or getting into an ice bath or some other form of cold water immersion within the immediate minutes or even the immediate hours following your training has been shown to be beneficial.

Shorter duration (1-5 minutes), lower temperature cold immersion protocols may be more effective after high-intensity endurance performance.

Dose Response Relationships

The amount and degree of cold that people were exposed to and how often they did that in particular in lower temperature cold immersion may be more effective after high intensity exercise for removal of serum creatine kinase.

Conclusion

Unless your main goal is hypertrophy and strength, that cold exposure, ideally cold immersion and cold water ice bath, but if you don't have access to that, then cold showers is likely going to be beneficial if done immediately after or in the minutes or hours after your training, especially high intensity training.

Deliberate Cold Exposure for Recovery

In this section, the speaker discusses how deliberate cold exposure can be useful for recovery through reductions in inflammation in muscle and connective tissue. The speaker also mentions that cold exposure can reduce inflammatory cytokines and increase anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Mechanisms of Reduced Inflammation

Deliberate cold exposure can be very useful for recovery.

Reductions in inflammation occur in muscle and connective tissue.

Cold exposure can reduce inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6.

It can increase anti-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 10.

Importance of Cold Exposure after Training

Taking a cold shower or getting into a cold immersion after training ought to help with delayed onset muscle soreness.

Intense training requires ratcheting up the number of cold exposure sessions even if those have to be done on separate days from your training.

A lot of the inflammatory effects of training are actually occurring some hours away from the training stimulus.

Cooling the Body Efficiently through Glabrous Skin Surfaces

Heat is especially good at leaving the body through glabrous skin surfaces such as hands, upper face, and bottoms of feet.

One can cool the body much more efficiently through these surfaces than other parts of the body.

Exercise Induced Hyperthermia

In this section, the speaker talks about exercise-induced hyperthermia and how cooling glabrous skin surfaces can help sustain physical activity longer and return to baseline temperature faster.

Findings from Dr. Craig Heller's Laboratory

Cooling glabrous skin surfaces helps sustain physical activity longer than traditional cooling methods (ice packs on neck, armpits, groin).

Return to baseline temperature is much faster in the glabrous skin cooling group.

Cooling palmer glabrous, soles of the feet glabrous, and upper portion of the face glabrous portions of the body using cool rags or ice packs can help cool down someone who is hyperthermic.

Arterio-Venous Anastomoses and Glabrous Skin Cooling

This section discusses the importance of arterio-venous anastomoses in cooling the body through glabrous skin surfaces.

Arterio-Venous Anastomoses and Heat Extraction

The arterio-venous anastomoses are portals of arteries directly connected to veins that exist only in glabrous skin surfaces.

These portals allow for heat extraction from the body by extracting heat from the body, which is essential for cooling the body.

Veins will collapse if they become too cold, so it's important to use a cool object or surface that is not too cold to cause vasoconstriction when using glabrous skin cooling.

CoolMitt and Other Cooling Methods

The CoolMitt is a commercial product developed by Dr. Heller and his colleagues that uses a glove to circulate water at a temperature that won't cause vasoconstriction of the palm.

Some people have experimented with home versions of this technology, such as using frozen blueberries or other cold objects during exercise.

Cooled psych bicycle handles are also being developed for long rides.

Effects on Physical Performance

Proper palmer cooling can significantly increase endurance and strength training output over time, allowing individuals to do more work.

Palmer cooling tends to be more effective than cooling of the bottoms of feet or upper portion of face in these experiments.

Palmer Cooling and Exercise Performance

In this section, the speaker discusses the effects of palmer cooling on exercise performance.

Effects of Palmer Cooling on Endurance Exercise

Palmer cooling allows individuals to do more work during endurance exercise.

It enables people to pedal further at a given speed or run longer at a given speed.

The effects of palmer cooling are clear and robust compared to other forms of cooling such as cold compresses or ice packs.

Effects of Palmer Cooling on Strength Training

Palmer cooling improves strength training output, such as improvement in dips, bench press, pull-ups, etc.

Using palmer cooling between sets can improve volume by 144% over six weeks of pull-up training.

Experienced subjects saw an increase in one repetition maximum by 22% over ten weeks in bench press training.

Palmer cooling is particularly effective when people reach plateaus in endurance and strength training.

Other Benefits of Palmer Cooling

Reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which may be due to reducing core body temperature.

Can vastly increase volume or endurance in a given session or set of sessions to push through plateaus.

The Benefits of Palmer Cooling

In this section, the speaker discusses how palmer cooling can improve performance by reducing core body temperature and increasing the capacity for pyruvate kinase to allow muscles to contract.

How Temperature Affects Muscle Performance

Pyruvate kinase is critical to muscle contractions and can only function in a narrow range of temperatures.

If the muscle heats up locally, its ability to contract is reduced and eventually short-circuited completely.

Signals about the heating up of muscular tissue are conveyed to the brain, leading people to stop exercising.

The Benefits of Palmer Cooling

Holding onto a relatively cool object in one or both hands between sets for two minutes or so can efficiently reduce core body temperature.

This reduces the temperature of the muscles doing work and increases the capacity for pyruvate kinase to continue allowing muscles to contract.

Dr. Heller recommends finding a relatively cool object such as bottles filled with cold water or a pack of frozen blueberries or broccoli.

Putting palms on that cool surface for a minute or two minutes between sets can lead to significantly more volume, less delayed onset muscle soreness, better endurance, and strength gains.

Using Deliberate Cold Exposure

In this section, the speaker touches on using deliberate cold exposure for improving health and performance.

Using Deliberate Cold Exposure

There exists online communities advocating for using deliberate cold exposure to the groin area.

However, there is no scientific evidence supporting this practice's effectiveness in improving health or performance.

Can Cold Exposure Increase Testosterone?

In this section, the speaker discusses whether cold exposure can increase testosterone levels. He mentions that there are ice pack underwear being marketed for increasing testosterone but there is no well-controlled study to show that it works. However, people have reported anecdotally that they experience increases in testosterone as a consequence of deliberate cold exposure.

Mechanisms by which one might experience increases in testosterone

Deliberate cold exposure to the groin and testicles could increase testosterone through two mechanisms.

The first mechanism is somewhat direct, which is that anytime you cool a body surface, if it's cold enough, you're going to get vasoconstriction. And then subsequently you're going to get a rebound increase in vasodilation, meaning you're going to constrict the blood vessels in that area. And then after the cold is removed, there's going to be more blood flow to that area.

The second mechanism relates to dopamine increases caused by cold exposure. Anytime you have a somewhat stressful stimulus, but in particular with cold exposure, it seems that the catecholamines (norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine) all increase and dopamine is known to be in the pathway that can stimulate testosterone.

Direct contact with gonads not necessary

Some people use direct contact with gonads while using cold exposure for increasing testosterone. However, direct contact may actually be quite dangerous or cause tissue damage.

Nonetheless, dopamine impact on testosterone is very likely given the 250% increases in dopamine observed with cold water immersion.

Other hormones also likely increased

There's nothing particularly specific about cold for inducing testosterone and not other hormones. It's very likely to increase a number of different hormones.

Important point to consider

If you're going to use deliberate cold exposure, it's important to be aware of the risks and potential dangers associated with it.

Deliberate Cold Exposure and Body Temperature

In this section, Dr. Huberman discusses the effects of deliberate cold exposure on body temperature and how it can impact sleep.

Effects of Deliberate Cold Exposure on Body Temperature

Cooling the external portion of your body, especially your torso, can increase your core body temperature.

Deliberate cold exposure increases metabolism by increasing thermogenesis, which further increases core body temperature.

Doing deliberate cold exposure early in the day can increase alertness and wakefulness throughout the day due to increased core body temperature.

Doing deliberate cold exposure late in the evening or at night can disrupt sleep by increasing core body temperature when a decrease is necessary for deep sleep.

Personal Experience with Deliberate Cold Exposure Timing

Dr. Huberman tends to do deliberate cold exposure early in the day or mid-morning but has done it as late as 5 or 6 PM during summer months without trouble sleeping.

He has also done deliberate cold exposure very late at night (10 or 11 PM), but only when he was particularly busy and exhausted. He found that he could still fall asleep easily after doing it but acknowledges that it could disrupt sleep if done too late in the day.

Dr. Huberman recommends doing deliberate cold exposure only if you are prepared to be fairly alert for one to six hours following it.

Conclusion and Resources

In this section, Dr. Huberman summarizes the episode's content and provides resources for those interested in learning more about deliberate cold exposure protocols.

Episode Summary

The episode covered a lot of material, including mechanisms of catecholamines and stress, metabolism, mental effects, performance, glabrous skin cooling, and more.

Dr. Huberman has created a list of deliberate cold exposure protocols aimed at improving mental toughness and resilience, mood, performance, metabolism, reducing inflammation, etc.

Resources for Deliberate Cold Exposure Protocols

The protocols can be found in the Huberman Lab Neural Network Newsletter available at hubermanlab.com by signing up for the newsletter.

Ways to Support the Podcast

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