“Cold therapy” against feeling tired in the afternoon

Many people know this feeling… If you often experience afternoon fatigue, you probably start drinking coffee around 4:00 pm. Of course, there is nothing wrong with drinking coffee in the afternoon; but if you have trouble falling asleep at night, you can find another habit that will get your energy back instead. Here is a simple method: cold therapy or exposure to cold. This method is very popular, especially on social media lately. For example, on TikTok, you may have experienced the phenomenon of your face being in a bowl of ice. However, there are several different ways to do cold therapy; Some are even easier than others. Let’s go! Read on to learn more about cold therapy.

What is Cold Therapy: Benefits of Face Immersion in Ice Water

Immersing your face or body in a bowl or bath of ice water can directly affect your mood. Clinical psychologist Arik Prater says exposure to cold can have a stimulating effect. It can also reduce short-term anxiety by activating the sympathetic nervous system. Ben Greenfield, physiologist, personal trainer and New York Times bestselling author.Soaking your face in cold water is one of the best ways to strengthen the vagus nerve and allow your nervous system to have that flexibility.” He speaks. “When your vagus nerve is strengthened, it can communicate more effectively with other organs – the heart, lungs, diaphragm, brain – and also respond much more subtly to stress.”

Let’s open a little bracket here about the vagus nerve. Because we’re sure you’ve heard its name a lot lately… If you’re wondering what the vagus nerve is, let’s briefly explain: The longest nerve in the body, the vagus nerve, starts from the brainstem and continues into the abdomen. It monitors and receives information about the functioning of the heart, lungs and other internal organs so that you can focus your attention on other issues.

The job of the vagus nerve is to regulate bodily reactions to ensure your safety or alert you to danger before you even think about it. Before you know it, the brain scans the environment for signs of danger, putting you on high alert so you can fight or flee, or disable you in risky situations. It also scans for security cues that help you stay calm enough to open up to social interaction with other people. So, you can think of the vagus nerve as the main thoroughfare between mind and body. Therefore, it is now believed that vagus nerve activation may be a way to improve or restore overall health and alleviate the physiological discomfort that leads to adverse mental conditions.

It goes without saying that ice has anti-inflammatory properties when applied topically!

For this reason, many people prefer to apply ice to their face to relieve facial swelling and soothe painful cracks. But ice water isn’t the only thing you can do; For a more beneficial ritual, you can use ice spheres when massaging your face …

But let’s say you’re in the middle of a busy day at work and don’t have the time (or resources) to dip your face in ice cold water; Are there other options for cold treatment? The answer is yes! You can stick your head in the freezer and get the same benefits.

How is cold therapy applied?

Above we explained the function of cold therapy, that is, the effect of cold on the face. However, you don’t want to freeze your brain by freezing your face for half an hour or by immersing it in cold water. So let’s explain how to make the application right.If you choose the ice bowl method, start by filling a large bowl with ice water. Greenfield, “The colder the water, the better.

says. To avoid irritating your skin, keep your face underwater for a few seconds, but no more than 30 seconds. You’ll also need to get up to breathe in between. It’s also very good if you need to take a break or two while diving.

As we explained above, if you don’t have the right conditions for the bowl method, you can open the freezer and expose your face to cold air for a few seconds. If you choose this method, avoid leaning on any stool (to avoid tripping and falling). If you begin to experience headaches or any other discomfort, stop cold therapy immediately. Prater says this simple method can eliminate afternoon fatigue without a cup of coffee.

As you can see, cold therapy can be a caffeine-free way to combat daytime fatigue and anxiety. To try this application, you can choose the ice bowl method, keep your head in the freezer, or if you have the right conditions, you can completely immerse yourself in the ice bath. A nice detail about cold therapy is this: this energy prompt is completely free!