Cold Plunge Enthusiasts?

[BrightonCorgi]

Need to be careful taking a cold plunge

Coronation Street star reveals her husband of 47 years died in a freak swimming accident - after jumping into freezing outdoor pool he thought was heated | Daily Mail Online

[rabidraccoon]

On 10/3/2023 at 8:14 PM, ElJavi76 said:

So I double dip here. I’ve got an infrared two person sauna in my basement. Took a lot of convincing but the wife finally said yes. I enjoy it a ton and so does my younger son. The wife occasionally gets in but my daughter wants nothing to do with sweating. So heard enough podcasts from Huberman, and before him Wim Hof, about contrast therapy. I was sold. So I talked the lady into it again. Rogan and others have these baller cold plunge/ice baths. They retail for like 6-12K USD. I’d be cutting into my cigar budget so I went the DIY route. Watched enough YouTube videos to become an expert at this. Bought a chiller on Amazon that’s the same unit that’s equipped in all of those $6K units. Got a 1/2 hp pump and filter. I bought a 150 gallon tub. I got yelled at with questions like where do you plan on putting that thing? The irony… she got in it first. In the summer months the tub sweats a bit but I can get the water into the mid to high 40’s Fahrenheit. In the Winter I can get the water as low as 38 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s like razor blades on first contact but you feel like you drank 8 cups of coffee when you get out. I started doing 90 seconds early on but I’ve done as much as 6 minutes. Believe it or not it doesn’t feel as cold when you’re trying to cool down after a 45 min sauna session. Out of bed and into 40 degree water feels way colder than the other way around. From dopamine dumps to lowering inflammation and increased resiliency… it’s even supposed to upregulate your metabolism. I’ll take it. Placebo or not I like the feeling I get when I plunge. There are enough studies to show this stuff works. The Nordic countries have used cold water exposure for a long time. There’s science behind heat exposure and heat shock proteins. I like to go into the sauna before long walks to consume all of the liberated fats. Men who sauna 3 to 4 times a week have lower incidence of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. I have a lot of cigars I need to smoke when I’m old. 
 

Brrrr I mean Cheers!

This is a great episode from a Psychiatry podcast on the benefits of Sauna (based on a study from Finland): tldr (although the benefits are coupled with the social aspects of Sauna use), for 4-7 times per week users:

https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/psychiatry-psychotherapy-podcast/episode-221-sauna-amp-heat-exposures-impact-on-mental-amp-physical-health

• 47% lower risk of hypertension (Zaccardi et al., 2017)

• 62% lower risk of stroke (Kunutsor et al., 2018)

• 66% decreased risk of dementia and a 65% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease (Laukkanen et al., 2017)

• 37% reduced risk of pneumonia (Kunutsor et al., 2017)

• 78% reduced risk of having a psychotic disorder diagnosis on Finnish Hospital Registry (Laukkanen et al., 2019)

 

[ha_banos]

Hot is good. No. Wait cold is good! 🥶🥵🥶🥵

[HarveyBoulevard]

I like to get a big ice bath and put it in the Sauna. Then I float in the ice bath in the Sauna and rotate my body front to back every minute so I can make sure I am getting all the benefits of the heat AND the cold.

[chasy]

3 hours ago, HarveyBoulevard said:

I like to get a big ice bath and put it in the Sauna. Then I float in the ice bath in the Sauna and rotate my body front to back every minute so I can make sure I am getting all the benefits of the heat AND the cold.

I do the spit roast approach.

22 hours ago, rabidraccoon said:

This is a great episode from a Psychiatry podcast on the benefits of Sauna (based on a study from Finland): tldr (although the benefits are coupled with the social aspects of Sauna use), for 4-7 times per week users:

https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/psychiatry-psychotherapy-podcast/episode-221-sauna-amp-heat-exposures-impact-on-mental-amp-physical-health

• 47% lower risk of hypertension (Zaccardi et al., 2017)

• 62% lower risk of stroke (Kunutsor et al., 2018)

• 66% decreased risk of dementia and a 65% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease (Laukkanen et al., 2017)

• 37% reduced risk of pneumonia (Kunutsor et al., 2017)

• 78% reduced risk of having a psychotic disorder diagnosis on Finnish Hospital Registry (Laukkanen et al., 2019)

Ideally, I’d like to have both a cold plunge and an infrared sauna at home. Sauna is definitely more enjoyable, but the cold plunge works wonders on sore joints and is a huge mental boost.

[BrightonCorgi]

21 hours ago, chasy said:

I do the spit roast approach.

Ideally, I’d like to have both a cold plunge and an infrared sauna at home. Sauna is definitely more enjoyable, but the cold plunge works wonders on sore joints and is a huge mental boost.

The issue I have with infrared sauna is they do not get hot enough. My gym keeps it at 180ish.

From Co-Pilot:

Traditional Finnish Sauna: Typically, between 140-200°F (60-93°C). Many people find their comfort zone around 170-190°F (77-88°C)

Infrared Sauna: Operates at a lower temperature range, usually between 100-125°F (38-52°C)

Steam Sauna: Generally kept between 110-114°F (43-45.5°C).

[chasy]

1 hour ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Traditional Finnish Sauna: Typically, between 140-200°F (60-93°C). Many people find their comfort zone around 170-190°F (77-88°C)

Infrared Sauna: Operates at a lower temperature range, usually between 100-125°F (38-52°C)

Steam Sauna: Generally kept between 110-114°F (43-45.5°C).

Some friends have done traditional sauna with infrared panels installed. I think maybe best of both worlds?

[Chibearsv]

21 hours ago, chasy said:

but the cold plunge works wonders on sore joints and is a huge mental boost.

Did I get those same benefits this morning taking the trash to the curb? It certainly was a cold plunge. 😁

[BrightonCorgi]

5 hours ago, chasy said:

Some friends have done traditional sauna with infrared panels installed. I think maybe best of both worlds?

It won't get as hot if infrared is the heating technology used.