What makes you feel searingly alive?

One Minute For Your Health #18

I recently came across this poem by Kiana Angalia on her Instagram account.

And it made me think two things.

What does make me feel searingly alive?

and

What is it about jumping into ice cold water that makes us feel so alive?

For about a year now my husband and I have been trying to make it a habit to jump into the cold Copenhagen sea at least once a week.

We haven’t been very successful because before we do it we really don’t want to.

Who in their right mind chooses to jump into ice cold water??

Those of us that know how exhilarating it feels when you come out. Because you do feel searingly alive afterwards.

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So for today’s newsletter I thought I would round up some science for you. To give you (and me) all the reasons it could be good for us to take the plunge.

Or to at least end our showers cold once in a while 😉

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Why cold shocks are good for you:

Quick warning before we get into this. Getting very cold can also be dangerous - it can trigger increases in heart rate and blood pressure, which is dangerous for people with heart disease. Spending too long in cold water can trigger confusion and hypothermia. It can also trigger a gasp reflex which may result in drowning. Always swim in cold water with others and make sure you are fit and healthy before taking the plunge. Most studies had participants swim for 20s, don’t go for longer than this. A safer option may be a few seconds of cold water at the end of your shower.

Cold shocks prevent cognitive decline:

Recent research shows that winter swimmers produce high numbers of a protein called RBM3, which has been shown to promote synaptic regeneration in the brain.

Cognitive decline with age and conditions like dementia is a result of the loss of connection between synapses in the brain. RBM3 may help the brain regenerate these lost connections.

Cold shocks boost your mood and reduce anxiety:

Not only does a cold-shock make you feel incredibly alive, followed by a sense of elation as you warm back up, it may also have longer lasting benefits for mood.

Researchers are speculating that the acute stress response triggered by a cold water shock can help turn off the chronic stress response, which so often underlies mental health conditions.

Chronic stress is linked with inflammation and all sorts of physical and mental health conditions. Modern lifestyles absolutely promote chronic stress. Finding simple ways to turn this chronic response off could be immensely beneficial.

Cold shocks support immune regulation:

When we are exposed to a sudden temperature drop our body produces ‘cold-shock proteins’.

Research has shown that these proteins play a number of important roles in the body. One is to regulate our Natural Killer Cells. As the name suggests these are vital in killing invading pathogens like bacteria and viruses.

Without cold shock proteins our body doesn’t produce Natural Killer Cells 😱

So up-regulating cold shock protein production may be helpful during this never-ending flu season.

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Now I would love to hear from you!

Comment on this post to let me know what makes you feel searingly alive and what your experiences with cold-shocks are.

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Links and References:

Rowlatt, J. (2020). Could cold water hold a clue to a dementia cure? [online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54531075 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

Chris (2018). Can cold water swimming treat depression? [online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45487187 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

‌van Tulleken, C., Tipton, M., Massey, H. and Harper, C.M. (2018). Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder. BMJ Case Reports, [online] p.bcr-2018-225007. Available at: https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2018/bcr-2018-225007.abstract [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

‌International Journal of Circumpolar Health. (2020). Winter swimming improves general well-being. [online] Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3402/ijch.v63i2.17700 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

Lindquist, J.A. and Mertens, P.R. (2018). Cold shock proteins: from cellular mechanisms to pathophysiology and disease. Cell Communication and Signaling, [online] 16(1). Available at: https://biosignaling.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12964-018-0274-6?optIn=false [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

‌Lindquist, J.A., Brandt, S., Bernhardt, A., Zhu, C. and Mertens, P.R. (2014). The role of cold shock domain proteins in inflammatory diseases. Journal of Molecular Medicine, [online] 92(3), pp.207–216. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00109-014-1136-3 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

‌Raffetseder, U., Liehn, E.A., Weber, C. and Mertens, P.R. (2012). Role of cold shock Y-box protein-1 in inflammation, atherosclerosis and organ transplant rejection. European Journal of Cell Biology, [online] 91(6–7), pp.567–575. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0171933511001233 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

‌Tipton, M.J., N. Collier, H. Massey, J. Corbett and M. Harper (2020). Cold water immersion: kill or cure? Experimental Physiology, [online] 102(11), pp.1335–1355. Available at: https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1113/EP086283%4010.1111/%28ISSN%291469-445X.SPORTSSCIENCEANDMEDICINE [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

‌Phadtare, S., Alsina, J. and Inouye, M. (1999). Cold-shock response and cold-shock proteins. Current Opinion in Microbiology, [online] 2(2), pp.175–180. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369527499800319 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2020].

‌Learn more about Marie at www.efiaskitchen.com

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