July 2021 - Headgym

How the cold can lower stress

Incredible findings on how the cold can boost the immune system, lower cortisol and even raise serotonin.

Decreasing Stress

There are many ways the cold is believed to lower stress in the body, one of which is called hardening. This is when the body is exposed to small amounts of stress caused by the cold, and the nervous system gradually gets used to handling small amounts of stress, so it becomes less impactful when it appears in day to day life.

Throughout our bodies, we have a sixty-six thousand miles long vascular system that has been deprived of stimulation. This vascular system contains millions of small muscles in our veins, capillaries and arteries that are used to help blood flow. However, by wearing clothes and protecting ourselves from the elements, these muscles have not been exercised and have become weak. The heart has to compensate for this as can be seen in the heart rate. Due to this increased heart rate, our brain thinks that we are in a stressful situation and therefore produces an increased amount of cortisol, the brains fight or flight hormone. This increases things such as stress or anxiety as our brains think we are in danger. A cold shower alone can exercise the vascular system and lower the heart rate anywhere from 20-30 beats per minute. This not only lowers stress but will strengthen your cardiovascular system reducing the chances of cardiovascular disease.

Fighting Depression

A clinical trial in 2008 found that taking a cold shower for 5 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week, was shown to help mitigate and decrease symptoms of depression.

Similar to electroshock therapy, cold water sends an electrical impulse to your brain. This shocks your brain and nerve system, increasing alertness and energy. However, endorphins may also be released, causing increases in certain brain chemicals, such as dopamine and oxytocin, also known as the happiness chemical. This encourages feelings of optimism and general positivity in life.

Immune System

The cold and warm stimulations constrict and dilate your blood vessels, which strengthens your immune system. A scientific study also shows that cold showers may boost the number of white blood cells in your body, which are used to protect against diseases. Researchers also believe that the increased metabolic rate, caused by the cold, also stimulates the immune system.

Losing weight

Scientists have also found evidence that exposure to the cold speeds up metabolism, as well as stimulating the generation of brown fat, a type of fat tissue that generates energy by burning calories. The combination of these two factors shows that the cold could also prove useful in losing weight or fat.

Focus

Cold showers wake your body up and induce a higher state of alertness, as well as provoking you to take deep breaths. This stimulates carbon dioxide in the body, which helps you concentrate and stay focused throughout the day.

Not only this but it takes a strong mind to endure the cold, and doing so may increase willpower in other areas of your day to day life.

How you can do it

It is recommended to carry on your showers as normal except for the last 2-5 minutes of cold. It is advised to start with 30 seconds of cold water at the end of your shower and work up to two and a half minutes over the course of ten days. To achieve the best experience and results do not contract muscles or become tense but follow your breathing with long breathes out and shorter breaths in. By doing this instead of the body panicking and going into fight or flight mode it is able to adapt and cope with the cold. After ten days, your bodies vascular system will be fully recovered and at its natural point.

Depression

A brief explanation of the causes of depression, why it may appear, and how to act on it.

The cause of depression

There are many different explanations for the cause of depression, and currently, there is no definitive answer. One of the causes scientists originally believed was that depression is an imbalance of chemicals in the brain with treatment mainly focused on boosting serotonin. However more recently scientists believe, it may be due to neuron network deterioration in parts of the brain such as the hippocampus, amygdala or thalamus. Studies have shown that the hippocampus is smaller in some depressed people’ with evidence to show that exposure to stress hormones, cortisol, impair the growth of nerve cells in this part of the brain.

When nerve cells and networks deteriorate in the hippocampus, it is likely to affect memory and emotion negatively. Scientists now are working on treatments to stimulate neurogenesis and increase hippocampus generation instead of focusing on serotonin, as previously done. However, serotonin focused drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) may have had an unintended effect on stimulating neurogenesis and resulted in positive outcomes.

There has also been evidence supporting the fact that genetics can play a part in depression. There is a variation of the serotonin transporter gene that can affect how vulnerable someone is to depression. Everyone has two copies of this gene and they can either be short or long. If there are 2 long genes you are least likely to experience depression. However, in a study, they found that 33% of individuals with one short gene became depressed after one stressful life event, and the odds faired even worse for people with two short genes.

Triggers of depression

Depression is often triggered by stressful life events however it is not always a specific event. Increases in stress over time, whether it’s caused by work or a loved one’s death, can all contribute to triggering a depressive episode. There is also such thing as seasonal affective disorder, where depressive episodes occur during the winter months. Depression can occur at any age however it is diagnosed in women twice as often as men. People who have family members or close friends with depression are more likely to develop depression.

Symptoms of depression

Symptoms vary greatly depending on the individual and can also vary in intensity.

Weight loss or gain difficulty
concentrating difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than usual
fatigue
small burdens may seem impossible to manage
self-destructive behaviour
unshakable guilt
feelings of worthlessness
loss of interest or pleasure

These symptoms are quite noticeable to people around the individual, and if experienced it is best to seek a primary care physician or mental health professional.

Diagnosis

A primary care physician or mental health professional may ask questions about medical history or symptoms experienced when making a diagnosis. A proper evaluation must be made as symptoms may be caused by medical conditions or medication. Family members and those surrounding an individual experiencing symptoms must encourage them to seek the help of a professional as depression itself may distort the ability to recognise the problem. There is no set or specific test when a depression diagnosis is made.

Untreated episodes may last several months however major depression can last any length of time, so a professional must be seen as early as possible. Treatment can shorten and decrease the severity of an episode while also helping prevent it from returning. Treatment often provides excellent results with many people recovering completely. However, maintenance is often required to prevent an episode of depression from returning.

Treatments

Current treatments for depression are a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Medication is usually a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, more commonly known as SSRI’s. Sometimes two antidepressants may be used together or with a mood stabilizer such as lithium. If psychotic symptoms are present antipsychotic medication may also be prescribed. It should be known that it may take several attempts to find the right antidepressants for the individual as well as several months to find the correct dose and for the effects to be seen. Like all medicine, antidepressants have side effects, which should be researched or explained, by a physician before using them. Many new studies point towards new unconventional medications for treating depression, such as hallucinogenic drugs. However, these are in the early stages and are not currently prescribed.

Psychotherapy often accompanies the medication, usually methods such as cognitive behavioural therapy. This is where the individual is helped to recognise a pattern of negative thinking and is taught techniques to control symptoms. Other methods include insight-oriented or interpersonal psychotherapy, which can help depressed people sort out conflicts in personal relationships or explore the history behind their symptoms.

While these treatments may help drastically there are also small things that an individual can do to help themselves. Things such as exercise or a healthy diet can improve mood and strength in the face of depression . There is an endless list of habits to help improve mood or mental stability from meditation to cold showers. Small positive habits add up and can have a big impact on the mind.