Harnessing the Power of Cold: A Guide to Cold Immersion Therapy for Women
New research confirms women activate brown fat more readily than men — and that cycle timing shapes how deeply deliberate cold reaches.
Video·High Intensity Health·10 min read·June 2026
New research suggests women may respond to deliberate cold exposure as well as — or better than — men, with brown fat activation and menstrual cycle timing at the center of the story.
Women and Cold Exposure: A Different Biological Response
The idea that deliberate cold exposure belongs primarily to men has persisted in wellness culture far longer than the evidence warrants. It was never grounded in biology — it emerged from who designed the protocols, who populated early studies, and whose experiences shaped the dominant narrative. A peer-reviewed study on sex differences in brown adipose tissue activity and cold-induced thermogenesis is beginning to correct that record. The findings are direct: women not only respond to deliberate cold — by one key metabolic measure, they outperform men.
The study followed a mixed-gender cohort of roughly 53 participants and employed positron emission tomography — PET imaging — to measure brown adipose tissue activation after cold exposure. PET imaging offers clinical-grade precision, tracking actual metabolic activity within fat tissue rather than inferring it from secondary indicators. After sufficient cooling, subclavicular brown fat and characteristic brown fat deposits were active in 44% of women compared to 35% of men. That is not a marginal gap. Women's bodies engage cold challenge more completely — and the metabolic rewards of that engagement are fully theirs.
What drives this difference is not yet fully understood, but the biological outcome is clear. Cold exposure activates brown adipose tissue in women reliably and to a significant degree — and the benefits that follow from that activation are substantial. Brown fat activation raises resting energy expenditure, supports circulatory efficiency, and contributes to the metabolic resilience that protects against chronic disease over time. These are not benefits borrowed from a male protocol — they emerge directly from the female body's own response to thermal challenge.
The cold modalities that activate this response are accessible to most people. A dedicated cold plunge, a 30-to-40-second cold shower, a lake or river entry on a cool morning — none of these require expensive equipment or a specialized facility. The practice is defined by deliberate thermal intent, not by the sophistication of the apparatus. That accessibility matters: the barrier to entry is low, and the potential for benefit is real.
This is emerging science, not settled consensus. One well-designed study opens a conversation rather than concluding one. Research into postmenopausal populations, hormonal contraceptive use, and the full range of cold modalities remains limited. What the current evidence does establish is a meaningful reframe: deliberate cold is not a practice adapted from a male baseline — it is a human protocol, and women engage with it as well as anyone.
hey friends welcome back so in today's hey friends welcome back so in today's show we're going to take a deeper dive show we're going to take a deeper dive show we're going to take a deeper dive into cold immersion therapy and into cold immersion therapy and into cold immersion therapy and deliberate cold exposure and talk about deliberate cold exposure and talk about deliberate cold exposure and talk about the gender differences is it safe for the gender differences is it safe for the gender differences is it safe for women to go and do deliberate cold women to go and do deliberate cold women to go and do deliberate cold exposure therapy are there any hormonal exposure therapy are there any hormonal exposure therapy are there any hormonal differences and during which point in differences and during which point in differences and during which point in women's menstrual cycle might cold women's menstrual cycle might cold women's menstrual cycle might cold immersion therapy be a good or bad idea immersion therapy be a good or bad idea immersion therapy be a good or bad idea there's a fascinating new paper that there's a fascinating new paper that there's a fascinating new paper that we're going to unpack the details of we're going to unpack the details of we're going to unpack the details of which from that i thought gave some which from that i thought gave some which from that i thought gave some really good insights particularly for really good insights particularly for really good insights particularly for women that are still menstruating as to women that are still menstruating as to women that are still menstruating as to when they might you know undergo cold when they might you know undergo cold when they might you know undergo cold immersion therapy in times of their immersion therapy in times of their immersion therapy in times of their cycle that may not be favorable we're cycle that may not be favorable we're cycle that may not be favorable we're going to talk about that then we have going to talk about that then we have going to talk about that then we have another paper here we're going to take a another paper here we're going to take a another paper here we're going to take a deeper dive into cold shock proteins deeper dive into cold shock proteins deeper dive into cold shock proteins this is a very fascinating new this is a very fascinating new this is a very fascinating new mechanism by which cold immersion mechanism by which cold immersion mechanism by which cold immersion therapy influences your physiology and therapy influences your physiology and therapy influences your physiology and protein degradation and may even impact protein degradation and may even impact protein degradation and may even impact the ability to degrade aggregated the ability to degrade aggregated the ability to degrade aggregated proteins within the brain that are proteins within the brain that are proteins within the brain that are linked with neurocognitive disorders linked with neurocognitive disorders linked with neurocognitive disorders like dementia parkinson's and like dementia parkinson's and like dementia parkinson's and alzheimer's so but let's first start off
alzheimer's so but let's first start off alzheimer's so but let's first start off with this new paper titled sex with this new paper titled sex with this new paper titled sex differences in brown adipose tissue differences in brown adipose tissue differences in brown adipose tissue activity and cold induced thermogenesis activity and cold induced thermogenesis activity and cold induced thermogenesis so right out of the top there was a so right out of the top there was a so right out of the top there was a mixed gender group about 50 of the women mixed gender group about 50 of the women mixed gender group about 50 of the women i was like 47 i was like 47 i was like 47 women and 53 men in the study i think women and 53 men in the study i think women and 53 men in the study i think there was 53 some odd individuals uh in there was 53 some odd individuals uh in there was 53 some odd individuals uh in this particular study and here's in this particular study and here's in this particular study and here's in short what they found short what they found short what they found is that after undergoing some cold is that after undergoing some cold is that after undergoing some cold immersion they used a p-e-t way this is immersion they used a p-e-t way this is immersion they used a p-e-t way this is a positron emission topography to a positron emission topography to a positron emission topography to actually look at actually look at actually look at how much of the brown adipose tissue is how much of the brown adipose tissue is how much of the brown adipose tissue is being activated being activated being activated after these individuals after these individuals after these individuals were sufficiently cold were sufficiently cold were sufficiently cold check this out this is really check this out this is really check this out this is really interesting these subclavicular fat and interesting these subclavicular fat and interesting these subclavicular fat and the characteristic depots of brown fat the characteristic depots of brown fat the characteristic depots of brown fat were active in 44 were active in 44 were active in 44 of the women but only about 35 of the women but only about 35 of the women but only about 35 of men of men of men so again just to reiterate something so again just to reiterate something so again just to reiterate something here women upon cold exposure here women upon cold exposure here women upon cold exposure statistically have higher induces in
statistically have higher induces in statistically have higher induces in brown adipose tissue activation compared brown adipose tissue activation compared brown adipose tissue activation compared to men so i think for a lot of people to men so i think for a lot of people to men so i think for a lot of people out there that say you know what women out there that say you know what women out there that say you know what women should not get cold on purpose for its should not get cold on purpose for its should not get cold on purpose for its purported health benefits everything purported health benefits everything purported health benefits everything from decreasing chronic inflammation from decreasing chronic inflammation from decreasing chronic inflammation again possibly enhancing these cold again possibly enhancing these cold again possibly enhancing these cold shock proteins that degrade protein shock proteins that degrade protein shock proteins that degrade protein aggregates within the brain aggregates within the brain aggregates within the brain there's the benefits that are linked there's the benefits that are linked there's the benefits that are linked with resting metabolic rate i mean the with resting metabolic rate i mean the with resting metabolic rate i mean the list goes on we've talked about them list goes on we've talked about them list goes on we've talked about them before before before women can sufficiently induce their women can sufficiently induce their women can sufficiently induce their brown adipose tissue when they get cold brown adipose tissue when they get cold brown adipose tissue when they get cold and statistically to a greater degree and statistically to a greater degree and statistically to a greater degree than men and even more though that i than men and even more though that i than men and even more though that i think is quite interesting if we think is quite interesting if we think is quite interesting if we continue on to go down to these tables continue on to go down to these tables continue on to go down to these tables now we're looking at figure four here now we're looking at figure four here now we're looking at figure four here i think this is quite interesting and i think this is quite interesting and i think this is quite interesting and and this is a cold induced thermogenesis and this is a cold induced thermogenesis and this is a cold induced thermogenesis was not was not was not as activated during the ludial phase of as activated during the ludial phase of as activated during the ludial phase of menstruating women's cycle so menstruating women's cycle so menstruating women's cycle so it goes to show that possibly it goes to show that possibly it goes to show that possibly progesterone or estrogen progesterone or estrogen progesterone or estrogen the ratios there the ratios there the ratios there do influence the ability of the brown do influence the ability of the brown do influence the ability of the brown adipose tissue to be activated
adipose tissue to be activated adipose tissue to be activated upon cold exposure so for some women upon cold exposure so for some women upon cold exposure so for some women they might get more benefit of doing they might get more benefit of doing they might get more benefit of doing deliberate cold exposure maybe during deliberate cold exposure maybe during deliberate cold exposure maybe during the follicular phase of their cycle and the follicular phase of their cycle and the follicular phase of their cycle and maybe not doing so much during the maybe not doing so much during the maybe not doing so much during the luteal phase it totally would depend luteal phase it totally would depend luteal phase it totally would depend upon how you personally feel and how upon how you personally feel and how upon how you personally feel and how cold exposure makes you feel but i think cold exposure makes you feel but i think cold exposure makes you feel but i think it is important to recognize that there it is important to recognize that there it is important to recognize that there are hormonal influences here are hormonal influences here are hormonal influences here with regards to the cold induced with regards to the cold induced with regards to the cold induced upregulation of brown adipose tissue upregulation of brown adipose tissue upregulation of brown adipose tissue activity but as you can see here in both activity but as you can see here in both activity but as you can see here in both figure c d and e that is featured on the figure c d and e that is featured on the figure c d and e that is featured on the screen screen screen you can see that you can see that you can see that the brown adipose tissue activation the brown adipose tissue activation the brown adipose tissue activation is actually higher is actually higher is actually higher during the follicular phase in women during the follicular phase in women during the follicular phase in women compared to men and so again what does compared to men and so again what does compared to men and so again what does that really mean remember what is the that really mean remember what is the that really mean remember what is the brown adipose tissue this is a specific brown adipose tissue this is a specific brown adipose tissue this is a specific subtype of fat that is inducible that subtype of fat that is inducible that subtype of fat that is inducible that has metabolic protection that has metabolic protection that has metabolic protection that essentially wastes cellular energy which essentially wastes cellular energy which essentially wastes cellular energy which is good okay so you want the is good okay so you want the is good okay so you want the mitochondria in your fat cells to waste
mitochondria in your fat cells to waste mitochondria in your fat cells to waste energy dr ben beckmann the author of why energy dr ben beckmann the author of why energy dr ben beckmann the author of why we get sick has talked about this we get sick has talked about this we get sick has talked about this extensively you want your muscle tissues extensively you want your muscle tissues extensively you want your muscle tissues to be very coupled you want the energy to be very coupled you want the energy to be very coupled you want the energy that your muscles are using to do work that your muscles are using to do work that your muscles are using to do work to directly convert to atp but you want to directly convert to atp but you want to directly convert to atp but you want the mitochondria in your fat tissue to the mitochondria in your fat tissue to the mitochondria in your fat tissue to be wasteful to create heat to not to be wasteful to create heat to not to be wasteful to create heat to not to essentially burn fuel essentially burn fuel essentially burn fuel and so what the brown adipose tissue and and so what the brown adipose tissue and and so what the brown adipose tissue and its activity what that does is that its activity what that does is that its activity what that does is that causes uncoupling within the causes uncoupling within the causes uncoupling within the mitochondria within your fat cells which mitochondria within your fat cells which mitochondria within your fat cells which is good that's what you want so when you is good that's what you want so when you is good that's what you want so when you see here particularly figure e the brown see here particularly figure e the brown see here particularly figure e the brown adipose tissue activity is significantly adipose tissue activity is significantly adipose tissue activity is significantly increased increased increased especially during the follicular phase especially during the follicular phase especially during the follicular phase of women's cycles compared to men in of women's cycles compared to men in of women's cycles compared to men in this particular study and now you can this particular study and now you can this particular study and now you can see here there's uh in in figure d see here there's uh in in figure d see here there's uh in in figure d there's a smaller increase in the cold there's a smaller increase in the cold there's a smaller increase in the cold induced thermogenesis during the luteal induced thermogenesis during the luteal induced thermogenesis during the luteal phase compared to men but the follicular phase compared to men but the follicular phase compared to men but the follicular phaser is certainly more so we're going
phaser is certainly more so we're going phaser is certainly more so we're going to continue on and talk a little bit to continue on and talk a little bit to continue on and talk a little bit more about this but first friends i want more about this but first friends i want more about this but first friends i want to welcome you back thank you for being to welcome you back thank you for being to welcome you back thank you for being here thank you as always for hitting here thank you as always for hitting here thank you as always for hitting that like button thanks for subscribing that like button thanks for subscribing that like button thanks for subscribing if you think this content is interesting if you think this content is interesting if you think this content is interesting please leave a comment below and please leave a comment below and please leave a comment below and definitely share this with a friend who definitely share this with a friend who definitely share this with a friend who is curious about you know cold immersion is curious about you know cold immersion is curious about you know cold immersion therapy deliberate cold exposure you therapy deliberate cold exposure you therapy deliberate cold exposure you know should you go jump in a lake lake know should you go jump in a lake lake know should you go jump in a lake lake river stream and so forth we want to river stream and so forth we want to river stream and so forth we want to encourage people to challenge their body encourage people to challenge their body encourage people to challenge their body by way of hermetic stress or thermal by way of hermetic stress or thermal by way of hermetic stress or thermal stress there's a lot of good data there stress there's a lot of good data there stress there's a lot of good data there and we're going to really dive into and we're going to really dive into and we're going to really dive into these cold shock proteins i know you've these cold shock proteins i know you've these cold shock proteins i know you've heard of heat shock proteins the whole heard of heat shock proteins the whole heard of heat shock proteins the whole story about cold shark proteins is quite story about cold shark proteins is quite story about cold shark proteins is quite fascinating but fascinating but fascinating but i do want to thank this show sponsor i do want to thank this show sponsor i do want to thank this show sponsor skillshare.com the leading online skillshare.com the leading online skillshare.com the leading online community where you can learn a range of community where you can learn a range of community where you can learn a range of different skills and tool sets to help different skills and tool sets to help different skills and tool sets to help develop yourself personally and on a develop yourself personally and on a develop yourself personally and on a business level so if you're an business level so if you're an business level so if you're an entrepreneur if you're a creative if entrepreneur if you're a creative if entrepreneur if you're a creative if you're a business owner you should you're a business owner you should you're a business owner you should definitely take advantage of the offer definitely take advantage of the offer definitely take advantage of the offer that skillshare has offered for our that skillshare has offered for our that skillshare has offered for our community here at high intensity health community here at high intensity health community here at high intensity health by clicking the link below the first 1 by clicking the link below the first 1 by clicking the link below the first 1 000 people can get a free trial access 000 people can get a free trial access 000 people can get a free trial access to skillshare.com the link will be below
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it turns out that that indeed is the it turns out that that indeed is the case and in women case and in women case and in women especially during the follicular phase especially during the follicular phase there is actually a significant increase there is actually a significant increase there is actually a significant increase in the activity of the cold induced in the activity of the cold induced in the activity of the cold induced thermogenesis within the brown adipose thermogenesis within the brown adipose thermogenesis within the brown adipose tissue so tissue so tissue so i think women who are menstruating that i think women who are menstruating that i think women who are menstruating that are concerned about whether or not there are concerned about whether or not there are concerned about whether or not there is added benefit from is added benefit from is added benefit from you know getting cold on purpose well you know getting cold on purpose well you know getting cold on purpose well this is just one study but it did show this is just one study but it did show this is just one study but it did show that yes getting cold on purpose does in that yes getting cold on purpose does in that yes getting cold on purpose does in fact stimulate that metabolically fact stimulate that metabolically fact stimulate that metabolically protective brown fat in women so that protective brown fat in women so that protective brown fat in women so that should be should be should be should be should be should be important and i think uh enough evidence important and i think uh enough evidence important and i think uh enough evidence to to get people to actually start to to to get people to actually start to to to get people to actually start to maybe take these small baby steps like maybe take these small baby steps like maybe take these small baby steps like starting out with a cold shower you starting out with a cold shower you starting out with a cold shower you don't have to invest in a you know five don't have to invest in a you know five don't have to invest in a you know five ten thousand dollar roscoe forge what ten thousand dollar roscoe forge what ten thousand dollar roscoe forge what you can do is start with a cold shower you can do is start with a cold shower you can do is start with a cold shower in the morning you know dr sobergen and in the morning you know dr sobergen and in the morning you know dr sobergen and others have looked at about seven others have looked at about seven others have looked at about seven minutes cumulative of deliberate cold minutes cumulative of deliberate cold minutes cumulative of deliberate cold exposure over the course of a week okay exposure over the course of a week okay exposure over the course of a week okay so again it doesn't have to be this like so again it doesn't have to be this like so again it doesn't have to be this like i'm going to sit in this ice bath like i'm going to sit in this ice bath like i'm going to sit in this ice bath like joe rogan and shiver for 20 minutes you
joe rogan and shiver for 20 minutes you joe rogan and shiver for 20 minutes you can start out with a 30 to 40 second can start out with a 30 to 40 second can start out with a 30 to 40 second cold shower you can call your friend and cold shower you can call your friend and cold shower you can call your friend and say hey let's go jump in the river this say hey let's go jump in the river this say hey let's go jump in the river this weekend let's go in the ocean let's go weekend let's go in the ocean let's go weekend let's go in the ocean let's go in this cold lake let's just do it just in this cold lake let's just do it just in this cold lake let's just do it just a little bit because here's the thing a little bit because here's the thing a little bit because here's the thing most people are just not doing this and most people are just not doing this and most people are just not doing this and the data shows that ambient room the data shows that ambient room the data shows that ambient room temperature you know if we live in this temperature you know if we live in this temperature you know if we live in this climate controlled environment we go climate controlled environment we go climate controlled environment we go from our air-conditioned home to the from our air-conditioned home to the from our air-conditioned home to the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned grocery store or air-conditioned grocery store or air-conditioned grocery store or workplace we are not challenging um our workplace we are not challenging um our workplace we are not challenging um our thermal stress pathways the heat shock thermal stress pathways the heat shock thermal stress pathways the heat shock proteins and then as we're going to talk proteins and then as we're going to talk proteins and then as we're going to talk about very soon the cold shock proteins about very soon the cold shock proteins about very soon the cold shock proteins we need we need thermal stress on both we need we need thermal stress on both we need we need thermal stress on both ends of the spectrum as we've talked ends of the spectrum as we've talked ends of the spectrum as we've talked about it helps to cause your autonomic about it helps to cause your autonomic about it helps to cause your autonomic nervous system to be more resilient nervous system to be more resilient nervous system to be more resilient raising heart rate variability raising heart rate variability raising heart rate variability activating this sort of hibernating activating this sort of hibernating activating this sort of hibernating brown fat you know we're born with this brown fat you know we're born with this brown fat you know we're born with this but because our climates are so but because our climates are so but because our climates are so temperature controlled our brown fat is temperature controlled our brown fat is temperature controlled our brown fat is not really activated and so we need this not really activated and so we need this not really activated and so we need this periodic activation so it turns out that periodic activation so it turns out that periodic activation so it turns out that women tend especially during their
women tend especially during their women tend especially during their follicular phase it would be interesting follicular phase it would be interesting follicular phase it would be interesting to study post menopausal women and men to study post menopausal women and men to study post menopausal women and men to see if there's any differences there to see if there's any differences there to see if there's any differences there but but but i think this this is quite interesting i think this this is quite interesting i think this this is quite interesting but women you have brown fat too and you but women you have brown fat too and you but women you have brown fat too and you can activate it by getting cold on can activate it by getting cold on can activate it by getting cold on purpose now purpose now purpose now let's just finish off with some very let's just finish off with some very let's just finish off with some very interesting sort of emerging research interesting sort of emerging research interesting sort of emerging research with regards to these cold shock with regards to these cold shock with regards to these cold shock proteins now as we've talked about proteins now as we've talked about proteins now as we've talked about we've done i think three or four we've done i think three or four we've done i think three or four different videos i'm talking about the different videos i'm talking about the different videos i'm talking about the hsp 70 the heat shock protein 70. these hsp 70 the heat shock protein 70. these hsp 70 the heat shock protein 70. these are really intimately involved in some are really intimately involved in some are really intimately involved in some of the benefits that are linked with of the benefits that are linked with of the benefits that are linked with getting hot on purpose i.e going in a getting hot on purpose i.e going in a getting hot on purpose i.e going in a hot tub or a sauna or doing hot yoga or hot tub or a sauna or doing hot yoga or hot tub or a sauna or doing hot yoga or exercise those activities do up regulate exercise those activities do up regulate exercise those activities do up regulate these heat shock proteins and the heat these heat shock proteins and the heat these heat shock proteins and the heat shock proteins are involved in shock proteins are involved in shock proteins are involved in increasing nitric oxide synthase and increasing nitric oxide synthase and increasing nitric oxide synthase and causing the vasodilatory effects that causing the vasodilatory effects that causing the vasodilatory effects that are linked with the cardiovascular are linked with the cardiovascular are linked with the cardiovascular health benefits associated with regular health benefits associated with regular health benefits associated with regular and consistent sauna therapy exercise and consistent sauna therapy exercise and consistent sauna therapy exercise and and hot tub therapy but on the other and and hot tub therapy but on the other and and hot tub therapy but on the other end of the spectrum we have these cold
end of the spectrum we have these cold end of the spectrum we have these cold shock proteins who would have thought shock proteins who would have thought shock proteins who would have thought right you have the yin and yang here and right you have the yin and yang here and right you have the yin and yang here and this this paper this was just recently this this paper this was just recently this this paper this was just recently published a few years ago but it turns published a few years ago but it turns published a few years ago but it turns out that getting cold on purpose leads out that getting cold on purpose leads out that getting cold on purpose leads to a 200 fold increase to a 200 fold increase to a 200 fold increase in cold track protein a which is in cold track protein a which is in cold track protein a which is so so so hsp is the acronym for the heat shock hsp is the acronym for the heat shock hsp is the acronym for the heat shock proteins if you would like to continue proteins if you would like to continue proteins if you would like to continue to follow this emerging story about the to follow this emerging story about the to follow this emerging story about the physiology of cold shock proteins the physiology of cold shock proteins the physiology of cold shock proteins the acronym that's used by scientific acronym that's used by scientific acronym that's used by scientific researchers in jargon is cspa so for researchers in jargon is cspa so for researchers in jargon is cspa so for cold shock protein a so within minutes cold shock protein a so within minutes cold shock protein a so within minutes of getting cold these are inducible of getting cold these are inducible of getting cold these are inducible they're up regulated and it turns out they're up regulated and it turns out they're up regulated and it turns out that the the cold shock protein that the the cold shock protein that the the cold shock protein targets and the binding proteins are targets and the binding proteins are targets and the binding proteins are actually connected to inflammatory hubs actually connected to inflammatory hubs actually connected to inflammatory hubs within the body and so i think this is within the body and so i think this is within the body and so i think this is where where where you know let's just say you know let's just say you know let's just say take a step back and take a big picture take a step back and take a big picture take a step back and take a big picture overview of who should consider overview of who should consider overview of who should consider deliberate cold exposure deliberate cold exposure deliberate cold exposure individuals with autoimmunity
individuals with autoimmunity individuals with autoimmunity individuals with concerns and familial individuals with concerns and familial individuals with concerns and familial risk for risk for risk for neurocognitive or neurodegenerative neurocognitive or neurodegenerative neurocognitive or neurodegenerative diseases we also know that anxiety diseases we also know that anxiety diseases we also know that anxiety depression mental health issues have an depression mental health issues have an depression mental health issues have an involvement with chronic low-grade involvement with chronic low-grade involvement with chronic low-grade inflammation and and so that's an inflammation and and so that's an inflammation and and so that's an individual that might want to consider individual that might want to consider individual that might want to consider getting cold on purpose and also people getting cold on purpose and also people getting cold on purpose and also people with autoimmunity or history of cancer with autoimmunity or history of cancer with autoimmunity or history of cancer and or heart disease also diabetes and and or heart disease also diabetes and and or heart disease also diabetes and metabolic diseases have some sort of metabolic diseases have some sort of metabolic diseases have some sort of characteristic chronic smoldering characteristic chronic smoldering characteristic chronic smoldering background inflammation background inflammation background inflammation as we age we get more inflamed as well as we age we get more inflamed as well as we age we get more inflamed as well and another sort of mechanism and another sort of mechanism and another sort of mechanism again this is just speculative emerging again this is just speculative emerging again this is just speculative emerging research we might know more about this research we might know more about this research we might know more about this in the next decade about the nuances and in the next decade about the nuances and in the next decade about the nuances and the subtleties here about exactly how the subtleties here about exactly how the subtleties here about exactly how this works mechanistically but these this works mechanistically but these this works mechanistically but these these cold shock protein hubs where they these cold shock protein hubs where they these cold shock protein hubs where they lie within the genome and sort of their lie within the genome and sort of their lie within the genome and sort of their metabolome are connected to inflammatory metabolome are connected to inflammatory metabolome are connected to inflammatory hubs as well we know that tnf-alpha hubs as well we know that tnf-alpha hubs as well we know that tnf-alpha nuclear factor kappa beta are these
nuclear factor kappa beta are these nuclear factor kappa beta are these innate immune system byproducts and innate immune system byproducts and innate immune system byproducts and mediators mediators mediators that drive and perpetuate chronic that drive and perpetuate chronic that drive and perpetuate chronic inflammation it turns out that these inflammation it turns out that these inflammation it turns out that these cold shock proteins help to antagonize cold shock proteins help to antagonize cold shock proteins help to antagonize those signaling hubs those signaling hubs those signaling hubs so you might say okay well why do i need so you might say okay well why do i need so you might say okay well why do i need to take a cold shower well if you have to take a cold shower well if you have to take a cold shower well if you have high blood pressure if you have sleep high blood pressure if you have sleep high blood pressure if you have sleep apnea if you have allergies if you have apnea if you have allergies if you have apnea if you have allergies if you have a little arthritis a little arthritis a little arthritis you could benefit from decreasing that you could benefit from decreasing that you could benefit from decreasing that background noisy inflammation background noisy inflammation background noisy inflammation and and and possibly one additional way to reduce possibly one additional way to reduce possibly one additional way to reduce the chronic smoldering inflammation in the chronic smoldering inflammation in the chronic smoldering inflammation in addition to eating a better diet in addition to eating a better diet in addition to eating a better diet in addition to exercise in addition to addition to exercise in addition to addition to exercise in addition to mindfulness and stress reduction mindfulness and stress reduction mindfulness and stress reduction strategies is getting cold because strategies is getting cold because strategies is getting cold because mechanistically these signaling hubs and mechanistically these signaling hubs and mechanistically these signaling hubs and these cold track proteins help to reduce these cold track proteins help to reduce these cold track proteins help to reduce the inflammatory burden so again we the inflammatory burden so again we the inflammatory burden so again we don't have randomized human controlled don't have randomized human controlled don't have randomized human controlled studies to show that people who cold studies to show that people who cold studies to show that people who cold bath have lower you know arthritic bath have lower you know arthritic bath have lower you know arthritic symptoms compared to people who don't symptoms compared to people who don't symptoms compared to people who don't right we don't have that yet right we don't have that yet right we don't have that yet but but who would have thought that there's
who would have thought that there's who would have thought that there's these these things called cold shock these these things called cold shock these these things called cold shock proteins that are inducible up to 200 proteins that are inducible up to 200 proteins that are inducible up to 200 fold increase above baseline when people fold increase above baseline when people fold increase above baseline when people get cold studies have found so again get cold studies have found so again get cold studies have found so again this is there's a lot of data in this is there's a lot of data in this is there's a lot of data in bacteria in in rodents but we don't have bacteria in in rodents but we don't have bacteria in in rodents but we don't have a lot of you know prospective studies in a lot of you know prospective studies in a lot of you know prospective studies in humans but i think it's it's quite humans but i think it's it's quite humans but i think it's it's quite interesting so i just wanted to share interesting so i just wanted to share interesting so i just wanted to share that story with you as we you know sort that story with you as we you know sort that story with you as we you know sort of finish off here and talk about the of finish off here and talk about the of finish off here and talk about the physiology of getting cold but try to be physiology of getting cold but try to be physiology of getting cold but try to be consistent with this you know if you consistent with this you know if you consistent with this you know if you think about exercise you get the most think about exercise you get the most think about exercise you get the most benefits when you're training monday benefits when you're training monday benefits when you're training monday wednesday friday saturday whatever when wednesday friday saturday whatever when wednesday friday saturday whatever when you're consistent with this if you kind you're consistent with this if you kind you're consistent with this if you kind of cold plunge willy-nilly yeah once a of cold plunge willy-nilly yeah once a of cold plunge willy-nilly yeah once a month you don't acclimate and month you don't acclimate and month you don't acclimate and and that's where i think and that's where i think and that's where i think sort of the magic happens here is when sort of the magic happens here is when sort of the magic happens here is when you're consistent and deliberate about you're consistent and deliberate about you're consistent and deliberate about this and you build up your tolerance and this and you build up your tolerance and this and you build up your tolerance and by doing that i think you're probably by doing that i think you're probably by doing that i think you're probably inducing and priming these pathways inducing and priming these pathways inducing and priming these pathways whether it's mediated through the brown whether it's mediated through the brown whether it's mediated through the brown fat or mediated through the cold shock fat or mediated through the cold shock fat or mediated through the cold shock proteins you're helping to sort of
proteins you're helping to sort of proteins you're helping to sort of entrain these you know whether it's a entrain these you know whether it's a entrain these you know whether it's a genetic target or a cellular molecular genetic target or a cellular molecular genetic target or a cellular molecular pathway you're inducing that you're pathway you're inducing that you're pathway you're inducing that you're you're you're emphasizing that you're you're emphasizing that you're you're emphasizing that physiology so physiology so physiology so try to be consistent from a circadian try to be consistent from a circadian try to be consistent from a circadian rhythm perspective i think it makes more rhythm perspective i think it makes more rhythm perspective i think it makes more sense based upon the diurnal rhythm in sense based upon the diurnal rhythm in sense based upon the diurnal rhythm in your core body temperature its lowest in your core body temperature its lowest in your core body temperature its lowest in the morning so if you struggle with the morning so if you struggle with the morning so if you struggle with sleep if you struggle with sleep if you struggle with sleep if you struggle with waking up energetic you might want to waking up energetic you might want to waking up energetic you might want to try in addition to getting early morning try in addition to getting early morning try in addition to getting early morning and morning sunlight and being very and morning sunlight and being very and morning sunlight and being very deliberate about that getting cold in deliberate about that getting cold in deliberate about that getting cold in the morning because your peripheral the morning because your peripheral the morning because your peripheral central clocks are influenced by the central clocks are influenced by the central clocks are influenced by the foods that you eat and the light that foods that you eat and the light that foods that you eat and the light that you're exposed to so you're exposed to so you're exposed to so again again again a lot of evidence here to suggest that a lot of evidence here to suggest that a lot of evidence here to suggest that this is a healthy habit and routine this is a healthy habit and routine this is a healthy habit and routine the final comment that i will say is if the final comment that i will say is if the final comment that i will say is if you work or live you work or live you work or live you know i've had people reach out to me you know i've had people reach out to me you know i've had people reach out to me that say hey look i work on fishing that say hey look i work on fishing that say hey look i work on fishing boats in alaska like do i really also boats in alaska like do i really also boats in alaska like do i really also need to get an ice bath if your need to get an ice bath if your need to get an ice bath if your occupation is such that you're regularly occupation is such that you're regularly occupation is such that you're regularly influenced and exposed to the cold
influenced and exposed to the cold influenced and exposed to the cold elements of course you do not also need elements of course you do not also need elements of course you do not also need to get into an ice bath but you know to get into an ice bath but you know to get into an ice bath but you know most people are not out working in in most people are not out working in in most people are not out working in in cold environments right they're in a cold environments right they're in a cold environments right they're in a cozy cozy cozy condo or office building that is condo or office building that is condo or office building that is temperature controlled so we need to temperature controlled so we need to temperature controlled so we need to understand you know you also do not need understand you know you also do not need understand you know you also do not need to double down on this if you're to double down on this if you're to double down on this if you're regularly exposed to cold anyway most regularly exposed to cold anyway most regularly exposed to cold anyway most people are indoors they're sedentary people are indoors they're sedentary people are indoors they're sedentary climate controlled we're trying to you climate controlled we're trying to you climate controlled we're trying to you know create tools that are accessible know create tools that are accessible know create tools that are accessible for for for people living these sort of modern people living these sort of modern people living these sort of modern industrial lives i.e getting them cold industrial lives i.e getting them cold industrial lives i.e getting them cold on purpose with a cold shower or a on purpose with a cold shower or a on purpose with a cold shower or a plunge plunge plunge so that they can experience some of so that they can experience some of so that they can experience some of those hormetic stressors what do you those hormetic stressors what do you those hormetic stressors what do you think how has cold immersions helped you think how has cold immersions helped you think how has cold immersions helped you in your life i would love to know leave in your life i would love to know leave in your life i would love to know leave me a comment below and me a comment below and me a comment below and your comments actually help a lot of your comments actually help a lot of your comments actually help a lot of other people when they watch these other people when they watch these other people when they watch these videos too so videos too so videos too so thanks as always for watching all the thanks as always for watching all the thanks as always for watching all the way through thank you for hitting that way through thank you for hitting that way through thank you for hitting that like button thanks for subscribing and like button thanks for subscribing and like button thanks for subscribing and we'll catch you on a future episode down we'll catch you on a future episode down we'll catch you on a future episode down the road bye now
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Timing Your Practice Around the Menstrual Cycle
Within that broader finding lies a more nuanced layer — one that speaks directly to women who are still menstruating. The same study examined brown adipose tissue activation across different phases of the menstrual cycle and found that cold-induced thermogenesis is reduced during the luteal phase. The ratio of progesterone to estrogen appears to modulate the thermal response, dampening the degree to which brown adipose tissue activates in response to cold. This is not a prohibition — it is biological context: the body responds differently at different points in the cycle, and a practice that honors that difference is simply more precise.
The follicular phase tells a different story. During this phase — the first half of the cycle, marked by rising estrogen — brown adipose tissue activation in women was not only sustained, it significantly exceeded men's. This is one of the more concrete sex-specific findings in cold exposure research to date. For women who want to optimize their practice, leaning into deliberate cold during the follicular phase aligns the ritual with the body's own biological momentum — a window of heightened thermal responsiveness where cold challenge yields its strongest metabolic return.
This does not mean cold exposure is without value during the luteal phase. Personal tolerance, recovery demands, overall energy levels, and the rhythm of a particular day all shape the decision to practice or to rest. What cycle-aware practice offers is not a fixed schedule but a richer self-understanding. Following your body's signals during the luteal phase is not avoidance — it is attention. A protocol that moves with your biology delivers more than one that runs against it.
The research leaves meaningful questions unanswered. Postmenopausal women were not included in this study, leaving the influence of declining reproductive hormones on cold-induced thermogenesis largely unexplored. The role of hormonal contraceptives — which significantly alter the hormonal environment — in modulating brown fat response is similarly uncharted. These are substantial gaps, particularly for the many women whose hormonal context falls outside the study population. The field is advancing; these groups deserve dedicated investigation.
Women, you have brown fat too — and you can activate it by getting cold on purpose.
What this evidence begins to establish is that cold exposure for women is an adaptive practice — one that deepens in proportion to self-knowledge. Cycle-aware cold practice is self-directed and responsive, not imposed or fixed. You bring your understanding of your own cycle to the ritual, and that understanding makes the practice genuinely yours. Deliberate cold, practiced with this awareness, becomes something richer than a wellness habit — it becomes an ongoing dialogue with your own physiology.
Brown Fat: The Metabolically Protective Tissue Cold Reawakens
Brown adipose tissue is not ordinary fat. Where white fat stores energy for future use, brown fat generates heat — and it does this through a precise mechanism at the level of the mitochondria. In brown fat cells, the mitochondria are intentionally uncoupled: they burn fuel without efficiently converting it to cellular energy. Instead of producing work, they release that energy as warmth — raising body temperature and protecting metabolic health by burning through fuel rather than accumulating it. Active brown fat raises resting energy expenditure and supports the kind of metabolic baseline that resists chronic disease.
This stands in deliberate contrast to skeletal muscle. In muscle tissue, tight mitochondrial coupling is exactly what you want — every unit of fuel converting as efficiently as possible into physical work, power, and sustained performance. In fat tissue, the opposite holds true. Brown fat's metabolic value lies in its capacity for waste: uncoupled mitochondria in fat cells burn energy as heat rather than storing it. A body with active brown fat maintains a higher metabolic baseline even at rest — and that baseline carries long-term protective implications.
Most adults carry brown fat — concentrated near the neck, clavicle, and upper back — but rarely activate it. Modern life has engineered that activation away with thoroughness. We move from climate-controlled homes into climate-controlled cars and climate-controlled workplaces, rarely encountering a thermal environment demanding enough to call the brown fat into action. The body needs thermal stress to maintain the systems that manage thermal stress. Without periodic cold challenge, brown adipose tissue sits dormant — a metabolic protection present but never used, quietly switched off by the persistent comfort of modern temperature management.
Deliberate cold reliably reawakens it. Beyond brown fat activation, regular thermal stress — cold challenge and heat exposure working as complementary forces — trains the autonomic nervous system toward greater stability. The sympathetic nervous system, which governs activation and alertness, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs calm and recovery, both become more adept at shifting between states. Heart rate variability rises. A body that regularly encounters thermal challenge is a body that regulates more efficiently — and recovers more completely.
We go from our air-conditioned home to the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned grocery store or workplace — we are not challenging our thermal stress pathways.
Cold exposure does not give you brown fat — you already carry it. What deliberate cold practice does is restore the activation that thermoneutral modern environments have suppressed. The human body evolved alongside cold, and brown adipose tissue is the evidence of that co-evolution — tissue built for exactly this kind of thermal challenge, capable of generating warmth and protecting metabolic health, waiting for the periodic stimulus that gives it purpose again. That stimulus is available to anyone willing to step into the cold.
Cold Shock Proteins and the Case Against Chronic Inflammation
When the body encounters cold, it responds at the cellular level within minutes. Research has documented a roughly 200-fold upregulation of cold shock protein A — CSPa — in response to deliberate cold exposure. These are not exotic molecules; they are proteins the body already produces, inducible and ready, with cold as the signal that activates them at scale. Cold shock proteins set off a cascade of anti-inflammatory effects, quieting the chronic low-grade inflammation that underlies many modern conditions. The result is a body that becomes measurably less inflamed — and more capable of sustaining that state.
The mechanism involves two key inflammatory signaling pathways: TNF-alpha and NF-kB. These are components of the innate immune system — powerful when activated appropriately, damaging when chronically elevated by the persistent low-grade stressors of modern life. Cold shock proteins help antagonize both pathways, reducing the inflammatory burden at its source. For people living with autoimmune conditions, metabolic disease, high blood pressure, or sleep apnea, that reduction has real-world meaning: less persistent discomfort, clearer energy, deeper sleep, and a quieter physiological baseline from which recovery becomes possible.
The neuroprotective potential of cold shock proteins is one of the more compelling emerging angles in this research. Aggregated proteins within the brain — misfolded structures that normal cellular machinery fails to clear — are a defining feature of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related neurodegenerative conditions. Cold shock proteins appear to support the body's protein-clearing processes, potentially slowing the accumulation of these aggregates and preserving the cognitive clarity and neurological function that define a healthy brain across decades. The human studies are early, but the mechanistic rationale is credible and the implications for longevity are significant.
Who stands to benefit most from deliberately cultivating this response? The research points to a broad group: individuals managing autoimmune conditions, those with a family history of neurodegeneration, people navigating metabolic disease or persistently elevated inflammatory markers, and anyone contending with the age-related inflammatory burden that accumulates steadily across adulthood. Anxiety and depression, both of which carry significant inflammatory underpinnings, extend this circle further. Cold exposure does not replace medical care — it is one deliberate, evidence-grounded addition to a broader protocol of recovery and longevity.
The entry point is modest, and the threshold is lower than most expect. Research points to roughly seven minutes of cumulative deliberate cold exposure per week as sufficient for meaningful physiological response. A 30-to-40-second cold shower each morning covers that threshold across the week; open water — a lake, a river, the ocean in autumn — qualifies equally. The goal is not endurance but regularity: a consistent thermal challenge, introduced deliberately, held long enough for the body to respond, and returned to with enough frequency to sustain the adaptation.
Cold exposure practiced this way is a protocol — one of the most direct means available to reactivate physiological systems that modern comfort has quietly suppressed, restoring the anti-inflammatory balance and metabolic clarity your body is designed to maintain. Cold shock proteins, like brown fat, are not interventions imported from outside — they are features of your own biology, waiting for the signal that brings them forward. The signal is cold. Seven minutes a week is where the practice begins. The body already knows what to do with the rest.
