Chilling Hack Heats Up Heart Health
Generally, I’m not into fads. I tend to give them the cold shoulder—especially when it comes to your health.
Some are useless, others are stupid and a few are downright dangerous.
Well, there’s a new fad making its way around the Internet. It might seem to fit in the “stupid” or “dangerous” category when you first hear about it.
Instead, I’d call it FANTASTIC.
It’s also not new. It’s an ancient therapy that’s finally getting its day in the spotlight.
People have been doing teeth-rattling, cold water polar bear plunges for fundraisers for years.
But recently, more folks have been doing these frigid dunks for their supposed health benefits.
And I’m one of them.
The only difference is that I started doing it LONG before it became popular.
In a recent study, researchers found that just 15 minutes of cold-water immersion significantly reduced heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol (a marker of stress).
It also boosted the mood of study participants for hours after the dunk.
This shows the impact on both the body and the mind.
The study revealed that a cold-water dunk improves blood flow, which is central to heart health.
Personally, I take advantage of cold therapy as often as possible by sitting in the natural cold spring pools near my home here in Arizona.
But if you don’t have a natural spring nearby, you can still benefit by taking a cold shower.
(It’s less beneficial than total immersion, but it’ll still do the trick.)
Just be careful.
In rare cases, cold water can be risky if you have heart disease or existing high blood pressure. Before taking the plunge, check with your doctor if you’re already at risk.
P.S. Feeling achy? Fighting off pain? Cold water therapy could help with that, too. CLICK HERE for the details.
SOURCE:
Reed, E. L., et al., (2023). Cardiovascular and mood responses to an acute bout of cold water immersion. Journal of Thermal Biology, 118, 103727. [doi. org /10. 1016/j .jtherbio.2023.103727]
