How to Use Cold & Heat Exposure to Improve Your Health | Dr. Susanna Søberg

In this episode, my guest is Susanna Søberg, PhD. She earned her
doctoral degree at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark,
researching the effects of deliberate cold and deliberate heat
exposure on metabolism and other aspects of human physiology. We
discuss how cold or sauna can improve metabolism, cardiovascular
and brain health, balance hormones, and decrease inflammation. Dr.
Søberg discusses how deliberate cold protocols can improve glucose
metabolism and insulin sensitivity and trigger release of
neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine which enhance
energy, mood, and focus. We compare cold showers and cold
immersion, traditional and infrared saunas, and other variables.
This episode provides actionable tools and answers to common
questions about the use of deliberate cold and heat to improve
health. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you
to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT:
https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up:
https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous:
https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr.
Susanna Søberg (00:03:39) Sponsors: Plunge, LMNT & Waking Up
(00:06:49) The Brain-Body Contract (00:07:40) Physiology in
Uncomfortably Cold Environments (00:12:05) Tool: Water Temperature,
“Cold Shock” & Discomfort (00:17:37) Cold Showers vs. Immersion
in Water, Brown Fat (00:22:11) Cold Receptors, Brown Fat &
Temperature Homeostasis (00:25:22) Shiver, “After Drop”, Healthy
Stress (00:31:08) Long-Term Health Benefits of Deliberate Cold
Exposure (00:31:51) Sponsor: AG1 (00:37:02) Blood Pressure &
Heath (00:38:26) Brown Fat, Insulin Sensitivity & Metabolism
(00:45:07) Temperature Regulation, Brown Fat vs. White Fat
(00:52:26) Cold Resilience, Scandinavia (01:00:16) Winter Swimmers
& Brown Fat; Discomfort (01:10:28) Sex differences & Brown
Fat, Cold-Adapted (01:15:21) Diving Reflex & Parasympathetic
Activation (01:18:44) Tool: Deliberate Cold & Sauna Protocol
(01:23:11) Winter Swimmers, Shiver; Circadian Rhythm & Brown
Fat (01:31:14) Tool: Minimum Threshold for Cold & Heat; Sauna
& Cardiovascular Health (01:35:19) Tool: Maintaining Stimulus
when Cold-Adapted; Shorter Sessions (01:38:09) Cold Exposure, Sleep
Quality, Clothing (01:47:37) “Brown Fat Negative” & Shiver
(01:52:13) Cold & Heat, Inflammation Reduction (01:55:40) Tool:
“Soberg Principle”: End on Cold, Metabolism (01:59:39) Cold
Exposure: Fed or Fasted? (02:00:32) Raynaud’s Syndrome; Hand/Feet
Protection in Cold (02:05:21) Tool: Headache & Cold Exposure;
Head Submersion & Head Coverings (02:11:29) Children &
Hypothermia Risk (02:17:16) Gender Differences & Cold Exposure
(02:19:57) Tool: Brief, Repeated Temperature Changes; Circadian
Rhythm & Temperature (2:27:53) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube
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