In light of the new energy regulations, it makes sense to consider how you can actively train your body to tolerate cold better. In addition to the constantly updated COVID protection measures, we must prepare for a colder 2022/2023 winter due to the indisputable energy crisis. You can already train your body's cold receptors with a few measures to prepare yourself as best as possible for the changes in the coming months.
How do you train your body to adapt better to the cold?
In addition to decisions to lower temperatures in public buildings, clubs and sports facilities must also prepare for an overall colder winter. To save electricity and gas, several cities and municipalities have already announced measures that mean drastic cuts, especially for sports facilities. To help you adapt better to colder pool water or cold showers in public sports facilities, it makes sense to consciously train your body for expected cold stimuli. But how can you prepare to tolerate cold stimuli better and feel less cold? The best training sounds a bit crazy, but it works. You consciously expose yourself to cold stimuli such as cold water to toughen up your body, so that it perceives external cold as less threatening. This can be done through contrast showers or Kneipp treatments, for example.
Different perceptions of cold in women and men
We humans do not all have the exact same sensitivity to cold or heat. One person feels chilly in the office at 21 degrees, while the next wants to throw open the window because they feel too warm. Remarkably, there is usually a clearly noticeable difference between the genders. Men do not get cold as often or as quickly as women. But why is that? First of all, we need to understand how our perception of cold works physiologically. Every one of us senses cold (and heat) via thermoreceptors located under our skin, which together with other receptors form our superficial sensitivity. Minute temperature differences are detected there and forwarded to the central nervous system. This primarily serves as a survival mechanism. We feel cold as soon as our body temperature drops below a certain threshold. For example, some people have more cold sensors than others. Thin people also feel cold faster because they have a thinner layer of fat as insulation. However, one of the most important factors is the percentage of muscle mass. This also explains why men tend not to get cold as quickly as women. Men have an average muscle mass percentage of 40 percent, which keeps their basal metabolic rate high and thus produces more body heat. In women, the muscle mass percentage is around 25 percent. This means less body heat production, resulting in feeling cold faster. Additionally, due to evolution, women have the disadvantage that in cold conditions, blood flow is redirected more quickly away from the peripheral extremities to the core to protect a potentially developing new life.
Contrast showers and Kneipp treatments train cold receptors
Both methods use the same basic principle: Both alternating showers with cold and warm water and immersing or pouring cold water over body parts serve to train the cold receptors in the subcutaneous layer, making them feel less cold over time. However, it is best to follow a specific procedure, as a cold stimulus that is too sudden can lead to life-threatening situations in the worst case. Therefore, the rule of thumb for cold water applications is always to start far from the heart and at the outer extremities in order to slowly accustom yourself and your cardiovascular system to the sudden cold stimulus. So if you come out of the sauna and have acclimatized outside for a few minutes, you start by letting cold water run over your right foot, then lower leg, as well as the outside of your right hand/arm. Then follows the inside. Always work toward the heart, never away from the heart. So always start with the furthest body part (foot/hand), then work your way piece by piece along the body toward the heart. First the outer sides, then the inner sides. You can work either with a Kneipp hose, which you will find in any sauna facility, or with a deluge shower. Cold showers at home follow this same order. Kneipp water treading actually works on the same principle: you first submerge your toes and foot, followed by your lower leg. This means you do not keep your foot constantly in the cold or warm water basin and push the water ahead of you, so to speak, as you walk. Instead, with every step, you lift your leg completely out of the water and submerge it again starting with your toes. This looks a bit like a stork walking.
Effects of cold water applications on the body
Cold water applications or contrast cold-warm showering are said to have many positive properties:
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Blood circulation is stimulated and improved
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Cold water applications lead to an increased release of dopamine and norepinephrine: you get more energy and feel more active
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your immune system becomes more resilient
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brown adipose tissue is triggered, activating the metabolism more, which in turn leads to a reduced perception of cold
Cold water applications as preparation for winter
As you can see, conscious cold water applications allow you to train your body to handle colder temperature stimuli better. Exercising in the cooler autumn air or taking walks also helps prepare your body better for the cold. Feel free to start with Kneipp treatments, sauna sessions followed by a cold water douse, or contrast showers as early as summer. That way, you slowly accustom your body to it. Always listen to your body and feel your way into the cold slowly. It isn't for everyone, but if you do well with cold water applications, you have found a great method to toughen up your body, immune system, and mind. This allows you to face a colder winter with greater calmness.
