If you aren’t already familiar with the positive effects of an ice-cold shower, you might be wondering why anybody in their right mind would want to subject themselves to such torture. Every man and his grandma knows that you’ll get sick if you get too cold right?
As P.T Barnum (and your every day type A entrepreneur trying to justify their masochistic behavior) said:
A sweltering-hot sauna, cold plunge, high-intensity training, and even a cold shower are all examples of ways to subject your body to temperatures extreme enough to trigger a hormetic response. Resulting in a more adaptive and physiologically resilient body in exchange for a few moments of discomfort.
If you would like to dive deeper into how the body responds to mild temperature fluctuations, the basics of heat and cold exposure therapies, or if you would like to learn more about the extreme examples of human limitations, click one of the links below.
How the human body naturally responds to temperature fluctuation and why discomfort is important.
How exposing yourself to heat stress can produce a more resilient body.
How exposing yourself to cold stress can produce a more resilient body.
A comprehensive list of cold and heat exposure techniques to trigger a hormetic response.
Follow us down into the depths of the thermoregulation research rabbit hole.