[Full_Clark]

As anecdata rather than a commentary on the article's results, I find that a 10-min cold plunge produces up to 2 hours of elevated mood and energy. I think there's a decent dataset out there to back this up as a long-period increase in endorphin production, or maybe a heightened sensitivity to endorphins, but I can't find it at the moment. (SEO efforts by ice-bath merchants and fitness/recovery gurus is quashing any scientific publications when I search.)

On the thought of that "I accomplished something hard today" feeling, after a cold plunge I also experience a decrease in how hard it is to get myself started on some difficult task I've been dreading doing. Would you say you have the same thing, where you've already done one challenging thing, so the next domino falls more easily?

[vonnik]

Anecdata: ice plunges are a meta-cognitive skill. Several minutes in 45 F water results in a 12h+ boost in mood and good feelings in the limbs and skin, and 2-3 hours of heightened attention. I’m currently doing this ~4 times a week.

It’s the opposite of addiction’s dopamine cycle - a small pain the leads to a long-lasting high, rather than a drug’s small high that leaves you in its debt.

[criddell]

Do you have a cold plunge pool at home? If so, is it something you made?

[rednerrus]

https://andrewconner.com/cold-plunge/ https://diycoldplunge.com/

I would go the cooler route if I was starting today.

[vonnik]

I’m very lucky that a gym on my walking route to work installed a cold plunge. So I can get cardio and sauna from the same routine. (The effects in the first comment can and do come from pure plunge tho.)

[RHSman2]

Micro dosing versus macro dosing?

[vonnik]

In my case, macro and more of it. Huberman recommends 11min per week. For better or for worse, I'm doing a little over twice that.

[p1esk]

10 minutes in ice cold water?

[Full_Clark]

Not ice-cold. 10-12 C.