Connect with us

Tech

2 Minutes Is Fine for Cold Plunging, the Experts Say

Published

on

2 Minutes Is Fine for Cold Plunging, the Experts Say


Depending on your disposition, a minute in an ice bath can feel like agony or ecstasy. Perhaps you wince at the thought of stepping foot in an ice bath, or maybe you’re an experienced cold plunger who can’t get enough of the endorphin-releasing sensation. Either way, sitting in an ice bath isn’t simply an endurance game. How long you cold plunge for matters.

There are many ways to access cold water therapy from having a cold shower, to submerging your body in a dedicated cold plunge pool. Perhaps you’re a seasoned pro and have invested in one of the latest cold plunge tubs with an automatic chiller, or maybe you prefer wild swimming on a cold winter day, or you’re simply keen to get the best from your gym’s cold therapy area. Either way, setting limits on how long you remain in the cold water is key to reaping the benefits.

Jump To

To Cold Plunge or Not?

  • Photograph: Martin Cizmar

  • Photograph: Martin Cizmar

  • Photograph: Martin Cizmar

Polar Monkeys

Brainpod 2.0

Those who love a cold plunge will no doubt tell you they love it—for muscle relief, improved circulation, focus, energy—or perhaps even a better understanding of homogeneous algebra? Why stop there? But cold water is a stressor and comes with risk, so it’s important to know how long to cold plunge for and whether it’s right for you.

We tackle some of these questions in whether you should cold plunge before or after a workout, but if you’re unsure if cold plunging is right for you, always consult your doctor. Go into the water mindfully and with a clear plan of how long you plan to stay in. Be cautious about dunking your head, as the sudden chill sometimes makes people gasp—not a great thing to do while your head is underwater.

How Long Do You Cold Plunge?

The time limit and risk factor for cold plunging depends on numerous factors such as how experienced you are, your body fat percentage and body size, and how controlled your breathing is. I spent months testing cold plunge pools and have managed to build up tolerance over time. But everyone is different. After the first few attempts of only being able to endure about 10 seconds before dramatically exiting the water, my body has adapted.

I now tend to sit in my ice bath for one minute each time, but that’s enough for me and enough to clear my head ready for my working day.

For experienced ice bathing enthusiast Dan Bosomworth, founder of Brass Monkeys, it’s a different story. “Personally, I ice bath for two or three minutes at 37.4°F to 41°F (3-5°C) most mornings,” he says. “That’s my sweet spot where it’s cold enough to feel challenged and short enough to stay consistent.” Consistency beats intensity every time.

“It’s finding what challenges you enough to release those catecholamines—the stress chemicals that drive the benefits,” Bosomworth says. “Research recommends aiming for around 11 minutes in total per week for metabolic benefits as that’s where you start seeing meaningful brown fat activation. You can break that up into what works for you and your schedule–perhaps daily 90-second sessions or longer 3-5 minute dips a few times weekly. At colder temperatures below 41°F (5°C), even 1-2 minutes triggers a significant stress response.”

Personalize Your Plunge

Image may contain: Plant, Potted Plant, Tub, and Hot Tub

When it comes to how long you cold plunge for, Bosomworth recommends going colder for shorter, or warmer for longer. For beginners, 30 second cold showers that build up to two minutes can help, although they’re not essential. “Once the cold water starts to feel manageable, move to a cold bath around 50°F (10°C) for a minute or two or what feels right,” he says. “Only then should you introduce ice.”

Also, think about why you’re cold plunging. If you’re just after a mood boost, 30 seconds of cold water is adequate. Exercise recovery can be accomplished in around two minutes. If you’re working on your mental resilience, you might want to try even longer.



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech

Onnit’s Instant Melatonin Spray Is the Easiest Part of My Nightly Routine

Published

on

Onnit’s Instant Melatonin Spray Is the Easiest Part of My Nightly Routine


I’ve always approached taking melatonin supplements with skepticism. They seem to help every once in a while, but your brain is already making melatonin. Beyond that, I am not a fan of the sickly-sweet tablets, gummies, and other forms of melatonin I’ve come across. No one wants a bad taste in their mouth when they’re supposed to be drifting off to sleep.

This is where Onnit’s Instant Melatonin Spray comes in. Fellow WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins first gave it a go, and reported back favorably. This spray comes in two flavors, lavender and mint, and is sweetened with stevia. While I wouldn’t consider it a gourmet taste, I appreciate that it leans more into herbal components known for sleep and relaxation.

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

Onnit

Instant Melatonin Mist

Keep in mind that melatonin is meant to be a sleep aid, not a cure-all. That being said, one serving of this spray has 3 milligrams of melatonin, which takes about six pumps to dispense. While 3 milligrams may not seem like a lot to really kickstart your circadian rhythm, it’s actually the ideal dosage to get your brain’s wind-down process kicked off. Some people can do more (but don’t go over 10 milligrams!), some less, but based on what experts have relayed to me, this is the preferable amount.

A couple of reminders for any supplement: consult your doctor if and when you want to incorporate anything, melatonin included, into your nighttime regimen. Your healthcare provider can help confirm that you’re not on any medications where adding a sleep aid or supplement wouldn’t feel as effective. Onnit’s Instant Melatonin Spray is International Genetically Modified Organism Evaluation and Notification certified (IGEN) to verify that it uses truly non-GMO ingredients.

Apart from that, there may be some trial and error on the ideal amount for you, and how much time it takes to kick in. Some may feel the melatonin sooner than others. For my colleague Molly, it took about an hour. Melatonin can’t do all the heavy lifting, so make sure you’re ready to go to bed when you take it, and that your sleep space is set up for sleep success, down to your mattress, sheets, and pillows.



Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

I Tested Bosch’s New Vacuum Against Shark and Dyson. It Didn’t Beat Them

Published

on

I Tested Bosch’s New Vacuum Against Shark and Dyson. It Didn’t Beat Them


There’s a lever on the back for this compression mechanism that you manually press down and a separate button to open the dustbin at the bottom. You can use the compression lever when it’s both closed and open. It did help compress the hair and dust while I was vacuuming, helping me see if I had really filled the bin, though at a certain point it doesn’t compress much more. It was helpful to push debris out if needed too, versus the times I’ve had to stick my hand in both the Dyson and Shark to get the stuck hair and dust out. Dyson has this same feature on the Piston Animal V16, which is due out this year, so I’ll be curious to see which mechanism is better engineered.

Bendable Winner: Shark

Photograph: Nena Farrell

If you’re looking for a vacuum that can bend to reach under furniture, I prefer the Shark to the Bosch. Both have a similar mechanism and feel, but the Bosch tended to push debris around when I was using it with an active bend, while the Shark managed to vacuum up debris I couldn’t get with the Bosch without lifting it and placing it on top of that particular debris (in this case, rogue cat kibble).

Accessory Winner: Dyson

Dyson pulls ahead because the Dyson Gen5 Detect comes with three attachments and two heads. You’ll get a Motorbar head, a Fluffy Optic head, a hair tool, a combination tool, and a dusting and crevice tool that’s actually built into the stick tube. I love that it’s built into the vacuum so that it’s one less separate attachment to carry around, and it makes me more likely to use it.

But Bosch does well in this area, too. You’ll get an upholstery nozzle, a furniture brush, and a crevice nozzle. It’s one more attachment than you’ll get with Shark, and Bosch also includes a wall mount that you can wire the charging cord into for storage and charging, and you can mount two attachments on it. But I will say, I like that Shark includes a simple tote bag to store the attachments in. The rest of my attachments are in plastic bags for each vacuum, and keeping track of attachments is the most annoying part of a cordless vacuum.

Build Winner: Tie

Image may contain Appliance Device Electrical Device Vacuum Cleaner Mace Club and Weapon

Photograph: Nena Farrell

All three of these vacuums have a good build quality, but each one feels like it focuses on something different. Bosch feels the lightest of the three and stands up the easiest on its own, but all three do need something to lean against to stay upright. The Dyson is the worst at this; it also needs a ledge or table wedged under the canister, or it’ll roll forward and tip over. The Bosch has a sleek black look and a colorful LED screen that will show you a picture of carpet or hardwood depending on what mode it’s vacuuming in. The vacuum head itself feels like the lightest plastic of the bunch, though.



Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Right-Wing Gun Enthusiasts and Extremists Are Working Overtime to Justify Alex Pretti’s Killing

Published

on

Right-Wing Gun Enthusiasts and Extremists Are Working Overtime to Justify Alex Pretti’s Killing


Brandon Herrera, a prominent gun influencer with over 4 million followers on YouTube, said in a video posted this week that while it was unfortunate that Pretti died, ultimately the fault was his own.

“Pretti didn’t deserve to die, but it also wasn’t just a baseless execution,” Herrera said, adding without evidence that Pretti’s purpose was to disrupt ICE operations. “If you’re interfering with arrests and things like that, that’s a crime. If you get in the fucking officer’s way, that will probably be escalated to physical force, whether it’s arresting you or just getting you the fuck out of the way, which then can lead to a tussle, which, if you’re armed, can lead to a fatal shooting.” He described the situation as “lawful but awful.”

Herrera was joined in the video by former police officer and fellow gun influencer Cody Garrett, known online as Donut Operator.

Both men took the opportunity to deride immigrants, with Herrera saying “every news outlet is going to jump onto this because it’s current thing and they’re going to ignore the 12 drunk drivers who killed you know, American citizens yesterday that were all illegals or H-1Bs or whatever.”

Herrera also referenced his “friend” Kyle Rittenhouse, who has become central to much of the debate about the shooting.

On August 25, 2020, Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, traveled from his home in Illinois to a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, brandishing an AR-15-style rifle, claiming he was there to protect local businesses. He killed two people and shot another in the arm that night.

Critics of ICE’s actions in Minneapolis quickly highlighted what they saw as the hypocrisy of the right’s defense of Rittenhouse and attacks on Pretti.

“Kyle Rittenhouse was a conservative hero for walking into a protest actually brandishing a weapon, but this guy who had a legal permit to carry and already had had his gun removed is to some people an instigator, when he was actually going to help a woman,” Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic strategist, said on Fox News this week.

Rittenhouse also waded into the debate, writing on X: “The correct way to approach law enforcement when armed,” above a picture of himself with his hands up in front of police after he killed two people. He added in another post that “ICE messed up.”

The claim that Pretti was to blame was repeated in private Facebook groups run by armed militias, according to data shared with WIRED by the Tech Transparency Project, as well as on extremist Telegram channels.

“I’m sorry for him and his family,” one member of a Facebook group called American Patriots wrote. “My question though, why did he go to these riots armed with a gun and extra magazines if he wasn’t planning on using them?”

Some extremist groups, such as the far-right Boogaloo movement, have been highly critical of the administration’s comments on being armed at a protest.

“To the ‘dont bring a gun to a protest’ crowd, fuck you,” one member of a private Boogaloo group wrote on Facebook this week. “To the fucking turn coats thinking disarming is the answer and dont think it would happen to you as well, fuck you. To the federal government who I’ve watched murder citizens just for saying no to them, fuck you. Shall not be infringed.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending