Dr. Stacy Sims

When they're cold? No, we're talking about just in general. Okay. So if we're taking a woman and putting her on ice, the body's first response to environmental change is severe vasoconstriction. And with women with Raynaud's, we have a stronger constriction response because it's a protective mechanism. For men, they'll constrict and then start shivering to induce heat. Women will just constrict.

Okay. If we put ourselves into that 55 to 60 degree water or 15 to 16 degrees Celsius, we'll constrict and then start shivering. So we'll get the same benefit. It's just the ice is too cold for us to start that shivering. So we need the shivering for thermogenesis to get some of those responses. So we don't need ice. We need cool water. I have been doing this all wrong.

Okay. If we put ourselves into that 55 to 60 degree water or 15 to 16 degrees Celsius, we'll constrict and then start shivering. So we'll get the same benefit. It's just the ice is too cold for us to start that shivering. So we need the shivering for thermogenesis to get some of those responses. So we don't need ice. We need cool water. I have been doing this all wrong.

Okay. If we put ourselves into that 55 to 60 degree water or 15 to 16 degrees Celsius, we'll constrict and then start shivering. So we'll get the same benefit. It's just the ice is too cold for us to start that shivering. So we need the shivering for thermogenesis to get some of those responses. So we don't need ice. We need cool water. I have been doing this all wrong.

And do you feel uncomfortable when you get in the ice?

And do you feel uncomfortable when you get in the ice?

And do you feel uncomfortable when you get in the ice?

Yes. Because shivering is an automatic... a response for survival because when we're shivering, we're increasing metabolic heat. So we're able to keep our core temperature elevated so we don't die. And it's a strong response that the body has to cold. For women, when we're vasoconstricting and we're trying to hold heat in,

Yes. Because shivering is an automatic... a response for survival because when we're shivering, we're increasing metabolic heat. So we're able to keep our core temperature elevated so we don't die. And it's a strong response that the body has to cold. For women, when we're vasoconstricting and we're trying to hold heat in,

Yes. Because shivering is an automatic... a response for survival because when we're shivering, we're increasing metabolic heat. So we're able to keep our core temperature elevated so we don't die. And it's a strong response that the body has to cold. For women, when we're vasoconstricting and we're trying to hold heat in,

we don't have the capacity because water on the cold skin is pulling out the heat so fast that the body's just getting colder and colder and colder. And we won't really start shivering when it's that cold. So when we're looking at, like, if you get in the ice, it's way colder than if you get into a plunge pool that's cold.

we don't have the capacity because water on the cold skin is pulling out the heat so fast that the body's just getting colder and colder and colder. And we won't really start shivering when it's that cold. So when we're looking at, like, if you get in the ice, it's way colder than if you get into a plunge pool that's cold.

we don't have the capacity because water on the cold skin is pulling out the heat so fast that the body's just getting colder and colder and colder. And we won't really start shivering when it's that cold. So when we're looking at, like, if you get in the ice, it's way colder than if you get into a plunge pool that's cold.

So if we have four degrees plunge pool, four degrees Celsius, so that's about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and you sit there in a little microclimate and you don't move at all, you'll create a warm bubble around you and then you might start to shiver.

So if we have four degrees plunge pool, four degrees Celsius, so that's about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and you sit there in a little microclimate and you don't move at all, you'll create a warm bubble around you and then you might start to shiver.

So if we have four degrees plunge pool, four degrees Celsius, so that's about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and you sit there in a little microclimate and you don't move at all, you'll create a warm bubble around you and then you might start to shiver.

So that's what we say if you fall through the ice and you're trying to swim, it's like, no, just try to bob there to keep this warm microclimate around you. So if you get in cool water and you don't move, then you might start shivering. But for the most part, that doesn't happen. So for women, let's look at a little bit warmer so we get the same kind of responses and adaptations that men have.

So that's what we say if you fall through the ice and you're trying to swim, it's like, no, just try to bob there to keep this warm microclimate around you. So if you get in cool water and you don't move, then you might start shivering. But for the most part, that doesn't happen. So for women, let's look at a little bit warmer so we get the same kind of responses and adaptations that men have.

So that's what we say if you fall through the ice and you're trying to swim, it's like, no, just try to bob there to keep this warm microclimate around you. So if you get in cool water and you don't move, then you might start shivering. But for the most part, that doesn't happen. So for women, let's look at a little bit warmer so we get the same kind of responses and adaptations that men have.

So when we look at a cold plunge, the whole idea again is environmental stress. So we start to see an improvement in our parasympathetic sympathetic drive. So now we're able to get into that calming phase. Because again, body becoming resilient to stress. We have an increase in our body's capacity for using glucose. So we have better insulin sensitivity, better blood glucose control.