Metabolic and Mental Health
Here’s What Happened When I Experimented with Thermogenesis for Decades.
Health and well-being benefits of using cold and heat exposure for therapeutic and leisurely reasons.
Purpose of the Article
My goal is to highlight the effects of thermogenesis in lowering the risks of metabolic and mental health disorders with takeaway points.
Both cold and heat therapy gave me numerous health and well-being benefits. Therefore, I want to pass along my tacit knowledge.
This article introduces the therapeutic value of extreme yet manageable cold and heat on the body based on the review of the literature, observations, and personal experience in simple language without going into scientific details.
As some people love hot and cold temperatures, I provide perspectives on both under two main headings. This article does not give advice. My goal is to inspire and encourage readers to research before trying them.
Please note that these practices are not for everyone. People with underlying conditions need validation and support from qualified healthcare professionals.
As I wrote about both cold and heat, I also linked the articles for details. First, I share the benefits gained briefly with reasons so that what you read in subsequent sections makes sense.
The Therapeutic Value of Thermogenesis
I have been investigating the therapeutic value of thermogenesis and experimenting sensibly for many years. Thermogenesis refers to the process of heat regulation in the body.
Before I started my exciting experiments, I reviewed scientific studies and observed people who successfully used these game-changing therapies innovatively. I decided to leverage the power of thermogenesis for health.
Even though heat therapy was relatively more manageable for me, I initially struggled with cold exposure. It took me a year to get used to it fully.
However, using cold and heat exposure together and alternatively made the practice easier and had a combined effect. Cold and heat have different therapeutic effects on the body.
The critical mechanism of thermogenesis relates to our survival system. Cold and heat exposure impact the endocrine, immune, nervous, blood, cardiovascular, and lymphatic systems, allowing the body to condition and adapt.
Benefits Gained from Thermogenesis Experimentation
Regular use of cold and heat therapy for decades brought me many benefits since my mid-twenties. The most noticeable ones were improving sleep, reducing stress, lowering inflammation, strengthening the immune system, and enhancing mood.
Since these therapies cleared the garbage in my body and brain, I believe they contributed to my cognitive reserves and overall lifespan. It is impossible to measure longevity benefits personally, but I read some long-term studies about them. For example, Harvard Medical School highlighted, “sauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems.”
This multifactorial assessment provided comprehensive literature on various benefits of sauna, including longevity.
For example, A study conducted in Finland followed up 2,300 middle-aged men for 20 years. During the investigation, men (49%) who went to a sauna once a week died, compared with those (38%) who went twice a week. Those who went four to seven times a week lived longer.
Inspired by this study, I particularly pay attention to toxins to reduce the risks of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. Both cold and heat exposure reduces toxins and pathogens in the body.
As informed by this randomized clinical trial, whole-body hyperthermia (e.g., sauna) can be used to treat major depressive disorders.
I observed the benefits objectively and subjectively. These observations provided me with empirical evidence of my progress. For example, since I started saunas and cold showers, I did not have a single cold or flu episode.
My skin health significantly improved. With the anti-inflammatory effects of cold exposure, my recovery times after workouts shortened. I also measured sleep quality objectively using my smartwatch.
In the bigger picture, both cold and heat therapy helped me reduce visceral fat and contributed to eliminating loose skin and gaining a defined body.
I don’t believe I couldn’t have gained abs after 50 without the contributions of cold and heat exposure initiating autophagy.
The paradox of Cold and Heat
All good lifestyle habits create a paradoxical situation for humans. Cold and heat also reflect a paradox in nature and our bodies.
The paradox comes from the nature of biology and physiology. The human body has tightly regulated homeostasis for temperature.
If the range gets big, the body struggles to survive and attempts to initiate strong reactions. One of them is the cytoprotective mechanism associated with longevity.
If these body reactions are managed well and timely, we can benefit from both cold and heat therapies strengthening the body’s adaptation to harsher conditions.
However, they are not for everyone as they stress the body significantly.
Both cold and heat therapies have longevity benefits from different angles, such as cleaning garbage, reducing inflammation, lowering chronic stress, and improving adaptation, which I cover under the following two headings.
As cold and heat therapy gives many benefits, I want to share my experience to provide perspectives to beginners. Therefore, I briefly discuss my protocol to start and use nowadays under each topic.
1 — Benefits of Cold Therapy
Extreme cold challenges the body and causes biological reactions. Acute stress activates numerous bodily systems and processes.
The body has a built-in mechanism to address acute stress from cold temperatures. The body increases energy utilization and employs healing mechanisms to warm the cells, tissues, and organs.
When the body exposes to cold below the normal range, it creates hormonal protection. For example, stress hormones, especially cortisol, increase quickly to address the risk.
However, this cold exposure creates an acute increase, not chronic. Therefore, I consider this hormonal change healthy. Once the exposure ends, the body reduces cortisol release. During sharp cortisol release, inflammation lowers.
I suffered from elevated cortisol before. Therefore, I emphasize the importance of this tricky hormone in our metabolic and mental health.
In addition to hormonal and neurotransmitter effects, the body initiates self-healing systems during cold exposure to survive.
Autophagy is one of them, as I explained in an article titled Here Is What Happened When I Experimentally Initiated Autophagy Decades Ago.
Cold exposure has a significant effect on the health of mitochondria. For example, old and damaged mitochondria exposed to cold die, and the body creates newer and denser mitochondria.
Well-functioning mitochondria energize our cells. I provided 12 tips to gain denser mitochondria.
I documented the benefits of cold exposure in an article titled A Cold Shower a Day Might Keep the Doctor Away in My Experience.
Practical Ways to Start Cold Exposure
In this section, I share how I started cold showers to give an idea to beginners. Initially, I was hesitant and shivered even from slight cold exposure.
I start with cold showers by first exposing my arms and legs. Touching cold water to my torso was a big challenge creating an unbearable reaction.
Fortunately, my experienced friends confirmed that this reaction was what I needed exactly. With support and inspiration, I tried it for around 20 seconds for a few months. Then, gradually, reactions became bearable.
Then, I started to expose my body to cold air. The best way was to go out on cold winter days to complete my regular 10,000 steps. Instead of tracksuits, I wore a half-sleeved t-shirt and a short.
In addition, I walked on the cold sand beach and grass barefoot. Day by day, I felt more comfortable with the cold.
Then, I started putting ice packs on my belly for around 20 minutes during my meditation sessions. Interestingly, I did not feel the cold at all. This helped me make my white fat in the abdominal area turn into brown fat and my mitochondria denser.
After adapting my body to the cold, I started icebaths which were much more challenging. Initially, it looked impossible. It was too harsh on my body.
However, I learned a secret from my centenarian friends in the health center. They advised me to try after a dry sauna session when my body got extremely heated.
This approach worked. In a few months, I had no difficulty trying icebaths. It was amazing how my body got adapted to cold exposure.
Even after adaption for decades, ice baths still give me shivers. But they are manageable. As soon as I feel the shivers, I jump into the sauna and feel fantastic afterward.
2 — Benefits of Heat Therapy
Reading numerous long terms studies related to sauna use for longevity inspired me to leverage the benefits safely.
Recent studies indicate many benefits of dry saunas, such as improving cardiovascular health, removing toxins from the body, improving the immune system, inducing deep quality sleep, reducing dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s) risks, and contributing to life span by activating the SIRT2 genes.
For example, this paper points out that:
“Compelling data from observational, interventional, and mechanistic studies support the assertions that sauna use extends healthspan, and multiple recent reviews have described the cardiovascular, neurological, and metabolic benefits associated with sauna use.”
This study informs:
“Frequent sauna use was associated with reduced risk of developing age-related neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, in a dose-dependent manner. Men who reported using the sauna 4–7 times per week had a 66% lower risk of developing dementia and a 65% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, compared to men who reported using the sauna only once weekly.”
The most significant effect of heat on the body is on the lymphatic and blood circulation system. The lymphatic system gets activated during heat exposure, and blood vessels widen.
High temperatures cause more blood flow to the skin and heart. Therefore, the heart beats faster. For example, my pulse is around 60 bits per minute (bpm), but in the dry sauna, after 15 minutes, it reaches 150 bpm as I check with my smartwatch.
The heat exposure makes the lymphatic vessels bigger. However, when we cool down, the lymphatic vessels shrink. The lymphatic system maintains fluid levels in tissues.
The lymphatic system especially removes fluids leaking out of our bloodstream. During the heating and cooling process, the lymphatic fluid moves to allow toxins to be removed from the body.
Therefore, I enjoy combining cold and hot showers every night before bed. It detoxifies the body and induces a night of restorative sleep.
I particularly investigated the cardiovascular benefits of saunas. When I heard the frequency of sauna use could improve the prediction of the long-term risk for cardiovascular disease mortality, I delved into the literature.
After reviewing many papers, I created a literature review and shared its summary in an article titled Saunas Might Improve Cardiovascular Health.
A cardiologist, Dr. Thomas H. Lee, said:
“The cardiovascular effects of sauna have been well documented in the past. It lowers blood pressure, and there is every reason to believe that its effects are good for blood vessels.”
Overall regular dry sauna use helped me reduce stress, increase energy, improve sleep quality, speed up recovery from exercise, reduce inflammation, enhance productivity, improve skin conditions, lighten up my mood, and optimize overall blood markers indicating better health.
Practical Ways to Benefit from Heat
Heat exposure was much easier for me. My experience started with dry saunas the first time I discovered them in Finland. Centenarians on those saunas inspired me to add it to my lifestyle.
Initially, decades ago, I was only staying in the dry sauna for five minutes. I gradually increased it to 20 minutes. However, my sweet spot is 15 minutes in a 70 C degree sauna.
The body starts perspiring intensely after 15 minutes. I have a five minutes break, either taking a cold shower or a few minutes of an ice bath. I usually take three sessions in the dry sauna.
In addition, I love hot weather. I go out on hot days and enjoy perspiring under the sun. I usually walk for around 20 minutes, exposing 40% of my body to the sunlight to get adequate Vitamin D.
My skin is tolerant to sunlight. However, as I read in the literature, some skin types, especially Scandinavians and Asians, cannot handle sunlight. Thus, it is critical for those people to refrain from the sun. Skin cancer is a serious concern.
Walking on hot beach sand in summer is an extra pleasure for me. I walk on hot sand for a few minutes and into the seawater to cool down. After 20 minutes, I feel great.
Conclusions and Takeaways
The therapeutic values of cold and heat exposure are well-known and benefit many people. However, they are not for everyone, as excessive cold and heat stress the body.
The primary mechanism of cold and heat therapy is activating self-healing systems in the body. Cold and heat exposure to the body affects the endocrine, immune, nervous, cardiovascular, blood, and lymphatic systems inducing self-healing properties.
These systems induce a thermoregulatory response in restoring homeostasis and conditioning the body for future stressors. Adapting the body to minor stressors gradually can be a therapeutic approach.
As cold and heat exposure provides therapeutic value, regular practice might be used to lower metabolic and mental health disorder risks for healthy people.
In addition, both cold and heat can be enjoyable after the body gets adapted to them. I love cold showers in the morning and at night every day. I made saunas and cold showers as my hobbies, enhancing the quality of my life.
People with underlying health conditions must obtain support from qualified healthcare professionals before starting these regimens, as they create significant stress for the body.
In addition to thermogenesis, I also use intense exercise and fasting as helpful stress for the body to condition for future stressors, as explained in a story titled Why Fasting and Exercise Might Help Us Live Healthier and Longer.
While acute stress provides therapeutic value, chronic stress, especially from suppressed emotions, is detrimental to the body.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a happy and healthy life.
Besides aiming to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and writing about neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine, one of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.
I aim to educate, create awareness, and empower my readers to take control of their health and well-being.
To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.
Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Major Diseases.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.
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Sample Humorous Stories
Finally, After Burning Her House, Georgia Found Enlightenment
Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling
8 Psychological Points I Had to Unlearn and Relearn the Opposite
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