Heat and cold: Younger longer through sweating and freezing?

Ice bathing, saunas or hot and cold showers have long been said to have health-promoting effects. one Study According to 2020, cold should have an anti-inflammatory effect, have a positive effect on metabolism, regeneration and the cardiovascular system, and strengthen the immune system. In many places, so-called Cryotherapy or cold chambers are even offered as a therapeutic program for inflammatory diseases such as muscular or joint rheumatism.

Extreme heat, such as that felt in the sauna, is said to have similarly positive health benefits. Scientific investigations show that regular sauna visits improve cardiovascular health, cognitive performance and physical fitness, among other things.

Heat and cold should also have a positive effect on healthy aging. Because: The heat and cold stimulus puts our body into a state of shock, which activates cell renewal processes.

This is what happens when the body is exposed to extreme heat and cold

Exact scientific data on whether cold or heat can really support our healthy longevity is not yet available.

What is known: If we expose our body to extreme heat or cold, this initially means stress for the blood vessels. When warm, they expand and blood is pumped to the extremities, arms and legs. When it’s cold, on the other hand, the blood vessels contract and the blood flows into our organs.

“The cold stimulus stimulates the mitochondria and improves the supply of oxygen in the body endorphins, poured out,” says Dr. Maximilian Schubert in the book “ Rejuvenation is possible“ von I have Ruge.

Hormesis: Younger longer thanks to stress?

studies also suggest that stress stimuli, such as heat or cold shocks, put the organism into a kind of survival and repair mechanism, which researchers refer to as hormesis. And it is precisely this reaction of the body that is supposed to have a positive effect on the aging process.

Hormesis describes the biological effect that small amounts of toxic substances or a harmful (physical) stressor have a positive effect on the organism and can strengthen the body’s defenses. Hormesis is z. B. triggered by physical activity, fasting and also by heat and cold.

It is important that the stress is purely physical and moderate. mental Stress on the other hand, any time is bad for your health and can promote various diseases.

Cold and heat as supplementary longevity methods

It has not yet been possible to scientifically determine that the aging process is slowed down by exposure to heat or cold, and to date there have been no long-term studies proving that sweating and freezing can prolong life.

Nevertheless, heat and cold can have a positive effect on the organism to a certain extent and complement a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Schubert: “The cold chamber alone will not keep us young. You can go to the cold chamber every day, as far as I’m concerned, but if the stress level in your own system remains high and at the same time the diet is not right and you don’t pay attention to a healthy lifestyle – too little sleep for example – then the cold chamber can’t eradicate that either.”

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