Cold Exposure Therapy
What is it?
Cold exposure therapy is the process of immersing the body in cold temperatures, ideally below 59 degrees, for a period of time to elicit various health benefits. This can be done a number of ways such as ice baths, outdoor swims, cryochambers, or cold showers. However, these options lack the consistent, repeatable conditions that allow us to track and make incremental adjustments for improvement. By using our state-of-the-art, cold-water tub, we can adjust the tub’s temperature from 36-60 degrees allowing us to customize the experience for the individual. Additionally, the duration of time in the tub can be customized for the user. Cold temperatures are a very potent stimulus! Too cold, too quickly can be dangerous which is why the ability to control temperature and duration for each individual person allows us to offer the safest cold exposure therapy treatment.
Benefits
The beneficial health effects of deliberate cold-water immersion date back as far as Hippocrates in the fourth century BC, but only recently has a resurgence in this topic spurred new studies. It is important to note that the vast majority of research conducted on deliberate cold exposure is performed using cold water immersion up to the neck and including the feet and hands. The benefits listed on this page, and the protocols used at the Longevity Lab, come from the results of these scientific studies. While cold showers, outdoor swims, and cryochambers are also cold exposure, there have been very few studies conducted using these methods. Therefore, one should not assume that the health benefits discovered in the scientific studies gained from cold water immersion carryover to these other methods of cold exposure. As more research is published on this topic, check back to this page for updates.
Increase in Attention, Focus, and Energy.
Cold exposure releases a significant amount of adrenaline and norepinephrine throughout the brain and body. Adrenaline can rise 2 1/2 to 5 times above baseline levels making us feel alert. These levels can stay elevated for some time after the exposure which keeps energy levels and focus high. This window of time can then be a great opportunity to tackle other physical and mental activities.
Improve your Mood.
In addition to adrenaline and norepinephrine, dopamine is also released into the brain and body when exposed to cold. Dopamine is a powerful chemical that can elevate mood and goal-directed behavior for a long time after cold exposure. At just 57 degrees, participants saw dopamine levels increase 250% and it lasted for 2 hours.
Build Resiliency and Grit.
Deliberately, and safely, exposing yourself to the stress of cold temperatures offers us an opportunity to teach ourselves how to maintain mental clarity and stay calm while under stress. This skill can translate outside of the cold environment allowing you to cope better with real-world stressors. Additionally, the stress experienced by cold exposure has shown no observable change in cortisol levels.
Increase Metabolism.
Immediately after a bout of cold exposure, the body has to burn more calories to increase core body temperature to warm up. This represents only a small number of calories, however. The bigger impact on metabolism comes from the conversion of white fat to beige or brown fat. White fat is just a storage site for energy that most of us are always trying to get rid of. Brown or beige fat contains mitochondria and is highly metabolically active which can help us 1) feel more comfortable in cold situations, and 2) trigger further and more sustained increases in metabolism.
Improve Physical Performance and Recovery.
A meta-analysis of cold-water immersion showed improvements in muscular power and endurance, perceived recovery, and decreased muscle soreness. Participants also showed an improvement in training efficacy, in other words, the ability to get back to training more quickly. Additional studies have shown cold exposure reduces inflammatory markers like creatine kinases and inflammatory cytokines like IL-6, while raising anti-inflammatory cytokines.
Cold Exposure Therapy
$20
FAQs
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Yes, if you progress slowly.
Plunging directly into extremely fridged water can cause a shock to the system that can have harmful effects such as hypothermia. In rare cases immersion can provoke cardiac arrest, arrhythmia, or respiratory distress, particularly in people with underlying health issues.
If you have a preexisting cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes, you will be asked to get your doctor’s permission before using the tub. The cold temperature constricts the blood vessels which decreases blood flow through the body. People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes need to be careful due to the reduced ability to maintain core temperature during extreme temperature changes.
This is exactly why we offer a tub that allows us to customize the temperate between 36-60 degrees. If you are new to cold water immersion or need to proceed carefully under doctor’s orders, we can set the temperature at a “uncomfortable but safe to stay in” experience. With the guidance of our wellness coaches, you can slowly and safely progress to colder temperatures as tolerated.
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We get it! Some of us just hate being cold. Or maybe you’re the person who always feels cold. The good news is the Scandinavians have shown that regular exposure to cold does make your body better able to handle it in the future! Their studies have shown that you can improve your cold tolerance.
The key is to progress slowly and only do what you can currently tolerate. You should feel “uncomfortable, but safe to stay in,” when in the tub. Our tub allows the temperature to be customized between 36-60 degrees. You can stay in for as little at 30 seconds. The wellness coaches at AIM will help you slowly and appropriately progress over time so that you can adapt to colder temperatures. Maybe you will no longer be the person who’s “feet feel like ice!”
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Our BlueCube tub is constantly filtering the water through a 20-micron filter, the type often used to purify drinking water, and O3 (ozone) technology. O3 is a powerful and natural disinfectant and oxidizer. Together, the filter and O3 system keep the tub water fresh and clean, without using chemicals. This means that if you sit in the tub for 3 minutes, the same water will not touch you twice!
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Please wear a swimsuit to enter the tub and bring a towel to dry off with at the end. You may also want to bring a set of dry, clean clothes to change into afterwards. You can also bring flip flops to wear between the changing area and the tub.
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Anywhere from 30 seconds to 60 minutes per visit.
Your AIM wellness coach will work with you to customize the temperature and duration of time in the tub based on your goals. For example, you may start out at 55 degrees for 1 minute then build up to staying in for 5 minutes at that temperature. Eventually, you may drop the temperature to 50 degrees but only stay in for 30 seconds.
These numbers will be determined based on your goals, the current scientific protocol to reach those goals, your current level of stress, recent exercise participation, time of day, and for females, where you are in your current monthly cycle.
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An AIM wellness coach will be with you to help coach you through the experience and keep you safe.
For some individuals, the dread of getting into the cold takes some encouragement. You may feel a surge of adrenaline before you even enter the water.
Once you do enter the water, everyone will experience this surge of adrenaline; it is a non-negotiable stimulus. This will lead to some shortness of breath. Your coach will be with you to remind you to breath and may even suggest certain breathing exercises. It’s important to try to remain calm in the face of this challenge. This is where you build resiliency and grit. The cold also decreases cognitive function by between 30-80%. Your coach may have you engage in a cognitive activity, not as a distraction, but to teach your pre-frontal cortex to stay “online” during a stressful situation. This cognitive exercise in the cold tub can help you in real life when faced with a stressful situation that requires you to think clearly and quickly.
In other cold tubs or barrels, you may hear the advice to keep moving your limbs to break the thermal barrier. The idea is that if you are still, the water right next to your body becomes warmed by the heat given off your body. In order to keep the cold always near your skin, they tell you to move your limbs to move the warm water away. You are welcome to do this in our tub, but our state-of-the-art tub offers a high flow rate which feels like sitting in a cold stream. The water is always moving so there is no thermal barrier to break meaning a higher quality cold exposure therapy dose.
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Absolutely! In fact, if your goal is to improve your metabolism, we recommend spending time in our sauna and ending with the cold tub.
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Plan out your cold exposure therapy time! Please plan on arriving a few minutes early to change, use the restroom, and store your belongings before your time slot begins. A session includes up to 10 minutes in the tub and 5 minutes of consultation time with your wellness coach. Before you step into the tub you will meet with your wellness coach to review your specific goals, how you felt after your last cold exposure therapy session, and how you feel today so they can customize your cold tub session. They will also coach you through the experience offering breathing exercises, visuals, or cognitive exercises.
We try to accommodate as many of our clients as possible, so we book the tub back-to-back with enough time in between to clean and get things ready for the next client. Staying longer delays other guests. Please make sure you vacate the tub area when your booked time is up. Additional time in the tub is subject to a $2.00/minute charge.
Cancellation Policy: We require cancellations more than 24 hours before your scheduled appointment time. Paid sessions cancelled or rescheduled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be forfeited. Paid sessions cancelled or rescheduled with more than 24 hours’ notice will be credited to your AIM Longevity Lab account for future use. If you are going to be late for your appointment, it will cut into your cold exposure therapy time, but we will try our best to accommodate if possible.
All sales are final. All sessions purchased expire one year from the date of purchase unless otherwise noted.