Exposure to cold or heat in short bursts can provide stress relieving benefits, research suggests
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"Quick bursts of exposure to cold, heat, or intense physical activity could actually help your body cope with stress better, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.
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Hormetic stressors, like a cold shower or ice bath, sitting in a sauna, or doing exercise such as HIIT (high intensity interval training) can briefly spike biological stress, followed by recovery and ease, Elissa Epel, lead study researcher and professor in the University of California's psychiatry department, told the Wall Street Journal.
There are other types of hormetic stress, such as intermittent fasting and hypoxic breathing (temporarily depriving the body of oxygen), which are more controversial and discouraged by many health professionals. The researchers are also looking into gentle meditation, exercise, and hypoxic breathing to compare their stress relieving benefits.
The study was inspired by the Wim Hof Method, which involves breathwork and cold therapy
Epel said her research stemmed from her own experience with the Wim Hof Method, which involves exposure to extreme cold, yoga, and breathwork. There is research to suggest that Hof's techniques can help people regulate their emotions, decrease stress, potentially help with depression, and even help reduce harmful inflammation in the body, Insider's Hilary Brueck reported."
Read the full available article on Insider
Reflection: Do you belive that bursts of hot and cold decreses your stress? Why/why not?
#StressRelief #Cold #Hot #Bursts
No, they increase my stress. Temperature extremes are a trigger for quite a few health conditions so many health professionals do discourage this for certain patients.
The risk of my airway closing off certainly doesn't lead to a sense of relaxation.
@AffyAvo
Mhhhh I see <3 Thank you for highlightening that it can also have the opposite effect. I'm sorry to hear that :( Is it more trouble for you during the colder winter months?
@professionalVision2624 Yes here the cold snaps are worse as even if I stay warm inside it's a problem. If I lived somewhere with extreme hot temperatures my guess is the same may happen.
The changes are also a problem, so while 0 and 20C are both tolerable for the weather if there's a sudden change going from one to the other in 24 hours that's a problem.
@AffyAvo
Gosh :( I'm sorry to hear that, I can't imagine how hard that is for you and how dreadful it must be to experience that. What do you do to reduce the drastic changes in tempatures? <3
@professionalVision2624 I can't control the weather so just pay attention to my body and adjust medications as seems best.
@AffyAvo
That sounds like a great way to handle it <3 It's important that we learn to adjust our medications accordingly to our needs that can be greater or smaller at times <3
@professionalVision2624 that's a very interesting question...I feel like it depends on the person. For me cold weather helps if I'm having anxiety or overwhelmed, its kind of like if u take a warm shower but then turn it to cold , that cold gives u a bit of a shock but in a way good way.. it helps shifts your mind from what's going on internally
@tealLion9329
Yes that's true! I also think it's highly depended on the person. I'm happy to hear that cold helps you if you are feeling anxious and ovwehelmed as it does help your mind to focus on something else, as it shifts to focus on the "shock of coldness" instead of you internal worrying thoughts and emotions.
Thank you so much for your comment!
