Dr. Stacy Sims

If we have a lower diversity of the gut microbiome, we don't have those bugs that will help with our sex hormone, I guess, reactivation and the ability for the sex hormones to work optimally.

If we have a lower diversity of the gut microbiome, we don't have those bugs that will help with our sex hormone, I guess, reactivation and the ability for the sex hormones to work optimally.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Absolutely. So if we're looking at cold plunge and it's all the rage, right? So we're seeing, let's get into ice water. It's going to invoke this massive parasympathetic response. I'm going to have lots of cognition and focus. It's going to create a hormonal response that improves my blood glucose. It's going to invoke a lot of autophagy and all the things that we see with fasting as well.

Absolutely. So if we're looking at cold plunge and it's all the rage, right? So we're seeing, let's get into ice water. It's going to invoke this massive parasympathetic response. I'm going to have lots of cognition and focus. It's going to create a hormonal response that improves my blood glucose. It's going to invoke a lot of autophagy and all the things that we see with fasting as well.

And it gives me this incredible sense of being in control. Male data. We look at women who were in ice bath. It's too cold to invoke those responses. And the reason for that is we have differences in... our skin sensation between men and women with regards to thermoregulation. So women have more subcutaneous fats and more fat under the skin. And we tend to vasoconstrict and vasodilate first.

And it gives me this incredible sense of being in control. Male data. We look at women who were in ice bath. It's too cold to invoke those responses. And the reason for that is we have differences in... our skin sensation between men and women with regards to thermoregulation. So women have more subcutaneous fats and more fat under the skin. And we tend to vasoconstrict and vasodilate first.

So that means that blood vessels will constrict tightly and then we'll start to have some internal changes. Or if we're too hot, we'll vasodilate first and then we'll have internal changes to create sweating. So we look at a cold plunge, there's too much constriction and it becomes too much of a threat to women and their bodies don't have the same response to ice water.

So that means that blood vessels will constrict tightly and then we'll start to have some internal changes. Or if we're too hot, we'll vasodilate first and then we'll have internal changes to create sweating. So we look at a cold plunge, there's too much constriction and it becomes too much of a threat to women and their bodies don't have the same response to ice water.

We see that 15 to 16 degrees C or around 55 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal temperature for women to experience the same effect that men have with ice. So there's a sex difference in the temperature to invoke the same response between cold water immersion responses. In the sauna, everyone responds. And we see that the adaptation for sauna is different, again, for men and women.

We see that 15 to 16 degrees C or around 55 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal temperature for women to experience the same effect that men have with ice. So there's a sex difference in the temperature to invoke the same response between cold water immersion responses. In the sauna, everyone responds. And we see that the adaptation for sauna is different, again, for men and women.

Because for women, with the difference of the vasodilation in the heat before they start sweating, it takes a longer time for core temperature to come up. So women can spend more time in the heat before they start to get changes in their hormone responses and blood volume adaptations. For men, they can go in and I kind of laugh.

Because for women, with the difference of the vasodilation in the heat before they start sweating, it takes a longer time for core temperature to come up. So women can spend more time in the heat before they start to get changes in their hormone responses and blood volume adaptations. For men, they can go in and I kind of laugh.

My husband will come in with me in the sauna and I'll sit there for like 10 minutes. I'm not sweating yet. And he's like pouring. He's like, I got to get out. And it takes me like 20 or 30 minutes in order to get the same response.

My husband will come in with me in the sauna and I'll sit there for like 10 minutes. I'm not sweating yet. And he's like pouring. He's like, I got to get out. And it takes me like 20 or 30 minutes in order to get the same response.

So when we look at the actual research and data that looks at acclimatization and looks at sauna invoking changes, we see again that women need more time, both longer time for an acute bout and longer time across the weeks in order to get the same cardiovascular adaptations as men.

So when we look at the actual research and data that looks at acclimatization and looks at sauna invoking changes, we see again that women need more time, both longer time for an acute bout and longer time across the weeks in order to get the same cardiovascular adaptations as men.

I think it's zero to four degrees C. Oh, okay.

I think it's zero to four degrees C. Oh, okay.