Braving a cold shower or bath offers many benefits including; boosting endorphins, improving metabolism, and enhancing your circulation – but one thing not so clear is how much time is needed to see results.
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has shared his expertise on how long you should stay in cold water for, should you be up for exploring the health challenge.
Kicking things off with how useful a cold shower can be, he began: “They stimulate the release of what? The catecholamines,
dopamines, epinephrine and norepinephrine, long duration release. That’s why it’s useful, in my opinion, for all the debate about deliberate cold exposure.
“Does it increase metabolism? Does it not? The answer seems to be probably not much.” Andrew says what is “absolutely clear”, however, is that it causes “huge increase in adrenaline, dopamine and norepinephrine that are very long-lasting, and that makes you feel great”.
While research is limited for other possible health benefits such as decreased depression symptoms and contributing to weight loss, what does seem certain is that braving a cold shower does make you feel good afterwards.
So how long is needed?
Speaking with Steven Bartlett on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, Andrew says: “It’s a state shift, so that’s great, but you don’t want to do it to excess.
“I say do it [for] the minimum amount so that you get the effect that you’re seeking, which is to be more alert and motivated.”
While the tolerable time is determined per individual, the neuroscientist advises not to expose yourself to the cold for too long, as you could become unwell.
He explained: “I have a friend, he did 30 minutes, he said, ‘I did 30 minutes naked in the cold plunge and then I got sick and I’m feeling really low’ and I’m like, ‘Because you did 30 minutes’.”
Instead, Andrew told his friend to try a much lower duration instead, such as a minute and a half, to see how he copes gradually.
He advised: “Don’t even pay attention to the time, just get in and stay in as long as until you want to get out, and then push through that barrier and then get out.
“That might be a minute might be three minutes, you know, protect yourself, be safe, but just learn to overcome some challenge and then get out.”
