Yesterday: My First Ice Bath - Cold Showers Are For Sissies!

I took my first cold shower some six weeks ago and loved the bursting-with-life feeling it gave me so much that I decided that from that moment on, I would only ever take cold showers. And so I did.

As you can imagine, the experience quickly ceased to be as thrilling as it first was. I still enjoy a cold shower, but I've adapted to it so much that it doesn't feel at all extreme, or even exciting, anymore.

That's why I've decided to take the next step. I took my first ice bath yesterday. And let me tell you something: cold showers are for sissies!

After filling the bathtub with cold water, I added in all the ice I had prepared in the freezer, specifically for this occasion. Ice was floating on the entire surface of the water. I jumped in without any preparation. It was intense. Cold like I've never felt it in my entire life. I grunted with every exhalation. I was shuddering violently. My body started heating up like crazy almost instantly after the immersion. My skin got red, especially on the front of my waist and thighs. But after a minute or so, it wasn't that cold anymore (except in my feet, which felt extremely cold all the time - perhaps because of the distance from the heart - much colder than any other part of my body, including my head, which I also kept in the water).

When all the ice melted and the water got warmer (to my sense, at least - my wife described it as being "freezing cold" after putting a hand in it), I decided to get out of the bathtub. As soon as I rised from the water, I felt a burning sensation, especially on the front of my waist and thighs, where, as I already mentioned, my skin got reddest. I instinctively got back in the water to cool my "burning" skin. Then a thought struck me: That must be the cause behind the paradoxical undressing phenomenon (in a mild manifestation).

"Paradoxical undressing" refers to the action frequently performed by hypothermia victims who, their judgement impaired from the extreme drop in body temperature, start discarding their clothing. After they undress, they often roll around in the snow convinced that their bodies are burning instead of freezing. Needless to say, such behaviour greatly reduces a victim's chances for survival.

When I finally did get out of the water, it felt as if the house was heated to 30 °C at least (when, in fact, it couldn't have been more than 20 °C). I was merrily walking naked around the house, my hair still wet, and was preparing myself a meal rich in carbohydrates, for the bath suddenly made me crave such food (quite understandably, since I had just lost a lot of energy in the form of body heat). I put on some light clothing and started eating. All was normal.

Half an hour later, I began shuddering a little, but, since I wasn't feeling cold, I just ignored it. But very soon the shuddering became so violent it could no longer be ignored. I was shaking so hard my muscles started feeling exhausted from it. Interestingly, I STILL WASN'T FEELING COLD! Anyway, my wife and my own common sense talked me into putting on some heavy clothing and wrapping myself in a heavy blanket. A few minutes after covering up, I was finally starting to feel cold. Half an hour later, the shuddering ceased. Suddenly, I was very sleepy (cold-induced sleepiness - that's the reason the article's title begins with "yesterday" instead of "today").

It appears humans have very flawed instincts for protection from extreme cold. If we're lacking a little body heat, we feel it very clearly (like myself just after entering the bathtub). But if we're lacking lots of it, we start feeling as if we have an overabundance of it (as in the case of paradoxical undressing victims, or, in a milder example, of myself after my ice bath). Is it because we're a race that has evolved primarily in warmer climates, where better instincts for protection from extreme cold never had to be developed?

So there's a valuable lesson: If you were exposed to extreme cold, DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Obviously, if you'll ever be in an advanced stage of hypothermia (let's hope you won't!), you most likely won't have the presence of mind to recall and adhere to this piece of advice, anyway.

I will continue taking an ice bath at least once a week, to build up my warm-bloodedness. Once I adapt to that, I don't know what the next step might be. And I really don't know whether it would be wise to take it. Something tells me that if it's colder than an optimally prepared ice bath, it's too cold to be a healthy habit.

Feel free to comment, especially if you have any interesting personal experiences with cold showers, cold baths, ice baths or exposure to cold in general.