In a deep dive on hot and cold therapy, Bob Kaplan, Peter Attia's head of research, shares insights into the evidence supporting these therapies. They discuss the efficacy of cold therapy for muscle soreness and explore intriguing connections to depression and immune function. Kaplan reveals the potential longevity benefits of dry saunas, critically analyzing the existing literature. They also discuss how stress manifests physically and share personal anecdotes about the challenges of managing time zone changes, adding a relatable touch to their expert conversation.
Hot and cold therapy has various physiological benefits including improving cardiovascular health, boosting endothelial function, enhancing glucose metabolism, impacting autonomic nervous activity, providing cerebral protection, and increasing stress resistance.
Stress can manifest physically in the body, leading to body aches and discomfort, affecting sleep patterns, and overall well-being. It is important to recognize and address stress-related effects on the body.
Deep dives
Hot and cold therapy: A deep dive discussion
In this AMA episode, the hosts delve into the topic of hot and cold therapy, devoting a significant portion of the episode to discussing its benefits. They mention that they have conducted extensive research on this topic and highlight that hot and cold therapy has been found to have numerous physiological responses. These responses include improving cardiovascular health, boosting endothelial function and arterial stiffness, enhancing glucose metabolism, impacting autonomic nervous activity, providing cerebral protection, and increasing stress resistance. The hosts also touch upon how cold therapy can reduce delayed onset muscle soreness and discuss the method of using ice baths for this purpose. They mention the difficulty of controlling for the placebo effect in these studies and share personal experiences with ice baths. However, they caution that further research is needed to determine the true impact of hot and cold therapy on overall health and lifespan.
The Impact of Stress on the Body and the Challenges of Moving
In the episode, the hosts briefly discuss the topic of stress and its impact on the body. They share personal experiences related to stress and highlight how it manifested physically, leading to body aches and discomfort. The hosts also mention that stress can affect sleep patterns and overall well-being. They specifically talk about the stress associated with moving and how it can be a significant source of marital stress. They mention that moving with children can be even more challenging, particularly when it comes to adjusting sleep schedules and managing virtual schooling. Overall, they emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing stress-related effects on the body.
Transition, Adjustments, and Time Zones
The hosts briefly touch on the topic of adjusting to new locations and time zones. They discuss the challenges faced when moving across time zones and offer strategies for minimizing jet lag. They mention adjusting sleep schedules gradually to align with the destination's time zone and share examples of how they have implemented this strategy personally. They also mention that adjusting to new locations can bring about additional stress, particularly when it involves moving with a family and managing school schedules. Overall, they suggest proactive measures to adapt to new time zones and mitigate the effects of jet lag.
In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter and Bob explore the quality of evidence for hot and cold therapy. In the discussion, they evaluate the safety, efficacy, and opportunity costs of various hot and cold therapy protocols, and Peter ultimately considers the addition of dry sauna to his longevity toolkit. Once again, Bob Kaplan, Peter’s head of research, will be asking the questions. If you’re not a subscriber and listening on a podcast player, you’ll only be able to hear a preview of the AMA. If you’re a subscriber, you can now listen to this full episode on your private RSS feed or on our website at the AMA #16 show notes page. If you are not a subscriber, you can learn more about the subscriber benefits here.
We discuss:
How stress can show up as physical pain, and tips for changing time zones [1:45];
Literature overview of heat and cold therapy [7:15];
Cold therapy for delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) [12:00];
Quality of evidence for cold therapy for depression or immune enhancement [19:30];
Cold therapy and brown adipose tissue (BAT) [21:15];
Weighing the safety, efficacy, and opportunity cost of cold therapy [28:45];
An overview of heat therapy benefits [40:00];
Longevity benefits of sauna—reviewing the studies [41:30];
Limitations in the sauna literature—Where might we be fooled? [54:30];
Possible mechanisms conferring the longevity benefits of sauna, and how it compares to exercise [1:02:15];
Parting thoughts on sauna, opportunity costs, and Bob’s personal regimen [1:06:30]; and