GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Arctic blast after Arctic blast can feel like punches to the face, an endless fight to make it through the cold weather season. At this point we've gone multiple rounds with Mother Nature.
We tend to combat the cold by layering up or staying inside. One method you might not have considered is fighting the cold with cold.
"There's a lot of benefits that people would be surprised you get from cold plunging in the cold weather," said Josh Schueller, owner of Ignite PRP in Grand Rapids.
Inside his spa on Plainfield Avenue, Schueller is trying to beat Mother Nature at her own game by plunging his clients in cold water tubs.
The method is simple: sit for a few minutes in temperatures from the mid- to upper 40s to the 50s.
"Just depends what kind of challenge you want to present yourself," he said.
Athletes have used ice baths and cold plunges for years, swearing by the benefits of recovery.
Ethan Diaz-Lawton is a Forrest Hills Northern athlete who has been doing it for a few months.
"My body hasn't been as tight," he shared. "My muscles feel a little bit better overall. Keeps me calmer and more focused after."
According to some studies, cold water immersion can play a role in preventing injuries, maintaining performance, and can aid in recovery after exercise.
At the biochemical level, whole-body exposure to cold triggers a release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, cortisol, dopamine, norepinephrine, and β-endorphin [14], which play a crucial role in emotion regulation [15,16], stress regulation [17], and reward processing [18]. Deficits in these neurotransmitters have been reported as critical factors in developing psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and emotional disturbances [19].
But does it do anything about the weather?
Published studies show that whole-body exposure to cold can trigger a release of neurotransmitters like dopamine.
One study says:
At the biochemical level, whole-body exposure to cold triggers a release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, cortisol, dopamine, norepinephrine, and β-endorphin, which play a crucial role in emotion regulation, stress regulation, and reward processing. Deficits in these neurotransmitters have been reported as critical factors in developing psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and emotional disturbances.
"Which helps to fight your mood and enhances your mood," Schueller added.
You can see some of the research here, here and here.
Schueller supports the belief that it helps ward off seasonal affective disorder. Otherwise, he thinks it makes you mentally tougher when you have to shovel snow and it helps you tolerate the cold.
"Your body is already adapted to it; your blood vessels get more blood down to your extremities when you're out in the cold," he explained. "It doesn't affect you as poorly as it would if you've never been or if you're staying in 80-degree temperatures all day."
Ultimately for Schueller, for most people, whether they're 11 or 70, he says it can be life changing.
"We've had people do cold plunging for the first time, and they come out with tears because they said, 'I never imagined being able to do this in my life,'" he shared. "When someone gets out of there, they're not worried about increased blood flow to their vital organs. They're not worried about anti-inflammatory. They're not worried about increased white blood cell production. They're just like 'I did it.' And you know that can be a biggest benefit of all."
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