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

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 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Plunge: https://plunge.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman The Brain Body Contract Tickets: https://hubermanlab.com/tour 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 Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

Om Podcasten

Huberman Lab discusses neuroscience — how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.  Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. He also works on neural regeneration and directs a clinical trial to promote visual restoration in diseases that cause blindness. Huberman is also actively involved in developing tools now in use by the elite military in the U.S. and Canada, athletes, and technology industries to optimize performance in high stress environments, enhance neural plasticity, mitigate stress and optimize sleep.   Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals including Nature, Science and Cell and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover and other top media outlets.  In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 5 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.