I know several people who have either gotten or plan to get a cold plunge pool or tank. When asked why, they all said it was for the health benefits. What are they talking about?
Brown fat: One of the benefits of cold exposure is that it causes your body to increase the amount and function of your brown fat. Brown fat sits between your shoulder blades and is very dynamic fat tissue full of mitochondria. Cold exposure makes it more brown by increasing the number of mitochondria in each lipocyte. The high amount of mitochondria in brown fat gives it its color and the more mitochondria it has, the darker it is. Brown fat serves to produce heat and, in doing so, uses a lot of energy, both glucose and fatty acids.
Shivering also involves skeletal muscles and may be a large part of the metabolic effects of repeated cold exposure. In metabolically unhealthy people, repeated cold exposure has been shown to lower insulin, improve lipid metabolism, and lower glucose levels. These effects may be directly related to shivering or whole-body mitogenesis (an increase in mitochondria).
Tan fat: Another benefit is turning white subcutaneous fat into tan or beige fat. When this happens, your white subcutaneous fat increases the amount of mitochondria in the adipocytes (fat cells) and semi-functions Like brown fat. It increases its ability to burn glucose and fatty acids to produce heat.
Your arteries also benefit from repeated cold exposure by increasing the production of nitric oxide (NO) in the vascular endothelium (blood vessel lining). NO causes arteries to dilate. Having large, dilated arteries is a good thing. The presence of NO also keeps your arteries dynamic, meaning they contract and relax readily.
Your brain: The studies on cognitive function and cold exposure are all over the place. Unfortunately, many of the studies look at performance during a sustained or severe cold exposure and immediately afterward. These studies are more survival-based and not helpful when considering long-term health effects.
How can I get cold exposure without investing in a cold tank/plunge pool?
There is nothing like a cold shower. I like to get in the shower, turn it on, and stand under it until it gets warm. Because I don’t have on-demand hot water, this is about a 3-minutes of cold. I find that I am more likely to shiver if I do the cold shower before the hot shower instead of at the end of a hot shower.
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