I like the idea but how do you deal with placebo and selection effects when there's no way to blind, and the participants are primed to want to report a positive outcome? Also I'd point out that there are negatives, mainly that cold showers suck and are actively painful for those of us with very low cold tolerance.
Well I don't know about a 90 second cold shower. Don't try it on a very hot day because the temperature of the warm air on cold skin will cause increased sweating and physical discomfort.
On the other hand, I lived in a commune at one period and we didn't have hot water, so all showers were cold and during the winter days it was kind of refreshing physically as one stepped out in an even colder room and needed to dress quickly and increase physical activity.
The effects of physical activity on depression have been studied, and are probably much better than any anti-depressant. The more one does, the less one is depressed. Depression extends as one is idle. That is pretty clear from many many studies.
A cold shower could stimulate a need for physical activity and could therefore be beneficial.
I would be most interested in the cognitive aspects of the response (for instance, counterintuitiveness of the coldness not feeling aversive or causing hypothermia in the way one might imagine beforehand).
Just some practical tips for anyone who wants to try this:
1. Sea swimmers adapt by starting in warmer months and continuing thru winter. I think that's actually quite important because most normal people will find the shock too much in a cold winter climate, unless they adapt.
2. I can stay in an 8C sea for about 8 minutes. Any longer and I don't have enough strength to get out!
3. If you try 'Sea Swimming' in winter be warned: do not swim out of your depth as the cold saps your energy very quickly.
WARNING! I too am not your average subject for this as I live on a boat, currently in Ireland, and while I do have hot water I swim in the sea twice a week all winter and, despite the shock each time, I look forward to every occasion. Be careful! Cold sea swimming is addictive! I imagine cold showers to be dangerous too!
My protocol is to step into the shower, crank both taps to full, and turn on the showerhead; cold shock, maximum water pressure, warming to a pleasant shower in 20 seconds or so: therapeutic, efficient, clean, mostly pleasant. I am not your ideal subject; crazy, perhaps, but not depressed.
I like the idea but how do you deal with placebo and selection effects when there's no way to blind, and the participants are primed to want to report a positive outcome? Also I'd point out that there are negatives, mainly that cold showers suck and are actively painful for those of us with very low cold tolerance.
Well I don't know about a 90 second cold shower. Don't try it on a very hot day because the temperature of the warm air on cold skin will cause increased sweating and physical discomfort.
On the other hand, I lived in a commune at one period and we didn't have hot water, so all showers were cold and during the winter days it was kind of refreshing physically as one stepped out in an even colder room and needed to dress quickly and increase physical activity.
The effects of physical activity on depression have been studied, and are probably much better than any anti-depressant. The more one does, the less one is depressed. Depression extends as one is idle. That is pretty clear from many many studies.
A cold shower could stimulate a need for physical activity and could therefore be beneficial.
But that's a limited study of one.
You should get in touch with this guy - he's trying to build a network of people who do this kind of research:
https://www.experimental-history.com/p/lets-build-a-fleet-and-change-the
https://www.adammastroianni.com/science-house
I would be most interested in the cognitive aspects of the response (for instance, counterintuitiveness of the coldness not feeling aversive or causing hypothermia in the way one might imagine beforehand).
I've suggested this to my partner, who has bouts of depression that last from a few days to a few weeks. I'll report back if she attempts it.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/13/wim-hof-breathing-cold-exposure-method-benefits-study
Just some practical tips for anyone who wants to try this:
1. Sea swimmers adapt by starting in warmer months and continuing thru winter. I think that's actually quite important because most normal people will find the shock too much in a cold winter climate, unless they adapt.
2. I can stay in an 8C sea for about 8 minutes. Any longer and I don't have enough strength to get out!
3. If you try 'Sea Swimming' in winter be warned: do not swim out of your depth as the cold saps your energy very quickly.
4. A following sauna is bliss.
WARNING! I too am not your average subject for this as I live on a boat, currently in Ireland, and while I do have hot water I swim in the sea twice a week all winter and, despite the shock each time, I look forward to every occasion. Be careful! Cold sea swimming is addictive! I imagine cold showers to be dangerous too!
My protocol is to step into the shower, crank both taps to full, and turn on the showerhead; cold shock, maximum water pressure, warming to a pleasant shower in 20 seconds or so: therapeutic, efficient, clean, mostly pleasant. I am not your ideal subject; crazy, perhaps, but not depressed.