Ice, Ice, Baby!
I’ve always been a wimp when it comes to being cold… or, I should say, I’ve always thought of myself as a wimp when it comes to being cold. All of our feelings and sensations are perceived and perceptions can be changed. Of course, if you’re cold to the point of hypothermia and other extreme cold risks, you should try to get warm regardless of how much you think you can withstand; but, that’s an extreme and, for the sake of this discussion, let’s assume that we all have the common sense to know the difference.
So, how the hell did I take a 5 minute ice bath? I’m not going to lie, it was unpleasant… until it wasn’t. At first my fight or flight response kicked in. It felt like if I stayed in longer than 30 seconds my bones would shatter — hi, I’m dramatic. But through long, deep breaths I was eventually able to relax — yes, I said relax — after about a minute and a half. Side note, if you think a plank minute is long, try the first minute of an ice bath. So, what happened in my body to allow me to relax in the same environment that made me feel like my legs were going to fall off just a minute before?
While there are many external factors that affect things like rate of digestion, blood pressure, and body temperature we are not as out of control of these as we may think. There’s this thing called your Vagus nerve, part of the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) , which controls your “rest and digest” mode. This system, in conjunction with others, plays a large role in keeping your body systems functioning efficiently and in balance (maintaining metabolic homeostasis). This is hugely important because if anything is keeping us out of balance for too long there are serious health consequences — like, life-shortening consequences. So, when you stimulate this Vagus nerve, typically through some type of prolonged stress — i.e. a five minute ice bath — it activates the PNS to try and maintain balance within your body to keep your systems functioning normally, even through an extreme environment. This increases what is called “vagal tone” and studies have shown that someone with a higher vagal tone is able better to handle stressful situations.
Long story short, by not panicking and hyperventilating because I thought I was going to die if I couldn’t get warm, I allowed the Vagus nerve and PNS do their thing and my body adapted to the stress placed on it.
Now, are you going to die tomorrow unless you do all of the things to stimulate the vagus nerve right now? No. In fact, I highly encourage you not to go crazy and try to “tone up” that nerve too much. I think we all know that just putting our bodies through stressful situations doesn’t necessarily lead to a better handling of stress. In fact, it is possible to overstimulate your Vagus nerve, although more common in athletes, which can also lead to serious health complications. Fun fact: I used to pass out as a teenager from vasovagal (sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure often due to stress) and was told, “eh, it happens a lot to girls your age” and was just sent on my merry way. It took me until the age of 27 to figure out what was happening to me at 15 — though, if you know anything about my life, that seems pretty par for the course lol.
The name of the game is balance. Your vagus nerve and entire nervous system is working towards maintaining balance within yourself just as you should be striving to balance your actions in daily life. So, don’t go to the extreme and jump in a DIY ice bath. Instead, here are some things you should be implementing into your routines that can give you similar results without the risks:
Regular exercise (see me if you need some guidance on exercise)
Omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics in your diet (consult a physician)
Take slow, deep breathes when feeling stressed (something I did during the ice bath)
Take up a meditation/mindfulness practice (I use the app Waking Up)
This one’s for fun, sing in the shower (cold water optional)
Most people live long, relatively healthy lives without even knowing that this system is in their body. But, especially for those of us who struggle with things like anxiety, depression, and/or lead a sedentary lifestyle, we can use this knowledge and implement maybe one or two things into our routine in order to lead a happier and healthier life.
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P.S. There are many details and topics that I didn’t get to touch on — I tried not to write a novel. Please feel encouraged to further research and take a look at my sources below. Also, In the coming weeks I will be discussing and applying to real life:
the mind-body connection
habit forming/implementing
Keep an eye out! Please let me know if there are any other specific topics you would like to know more about and be able to implement in you life.
*disclaimer: always seek the advice of your doctor/physician before implementing any dietary or physical fitness changes into your lifestyle.
