This Huberman Lab Essentials episode discusses the science and practical application of using cooling protocols to enhance athletic performance. Dr. Craig Heller explains the physiological effects of cold exposure, focusing on how targeted cooling of specific body parts (palms, soles, and upper face) can improve both aerobic and anaerobic exercise capacity.
Based solely on the provided transcript, here's a list of cooling protocols mentioned, along with Dr. Heller's commentary on their effectiveness:
Cold showers: These create a boundary layer, reducing effective heat loss. Not optimal.
Cold immersion baths: More effective than showers for heat loss due to the larger surface area involved, despite vasoconstriction.
Cooling palms, soles, and upper face: This is highlighted as the most effective method due to the presence of special blood vessels that facilitate heat loss. This is because these areas have "shunts" between arteries and veins, bypassing capillaries and allowing for direct blood flow and heat exchange.
Cool towel on quadriceps: Ineffective due to the insulating properties of skin and underlying tissues. Heat loss from muscles is primarily through blood flow.
Cold towel or ice pack on the neck or head: Ineffective and potentially dangerous. It can cause vasoconstriction and create a false sense of cooling while core body temperature continues to rise. This can trick the body's thermostat and mask dangerous hyperthermia.
Drinking ice water: Offers some cooling but is limited in capacity and can lead to issues with blood dilution if excessive.
Ice packs in armpits, groin, or neck (standard medical protocol): Less effective than cooling palms, soles, and face; cooling rate is approximately half as effective.
CoolMitt device: A purpose-built device for cooling the palms that overcomes the issues of vasoconstriction caused by extreme cold.
The transcript emphasizes that cooling the palms, soles, and upper face is the most efficient and safest method for overall body cooling and performance enhancement. Other methods are discussed in terms of their limitations and potential risks.
The transcript indicates that simply placing your hands and feet in cold water is not the optimal approach. While it might provide some cooling, the extreme cold often triggers vasoconstriction in the very blood vessels responsible for heat dissipation in those areas (palms, soles). This vasoconstriction seals in heat, counteracting the intended cooling effect. The ideal approach is a controlled cooling that avoids this vasoconstriction response. The CoolMitt device is presented as a solution that achieves this controlled cooling.
The transcript doesn't offer a specific "poor man's" substitute for the CoolMitt with the same level of controlled cooling, but it suggests experimenting cautiously with other methods, while emphasizing that the goal is to achieve cooling without triggering vasoconstriction. The speaker mentions using frozen peas or blueberries, but cautions that this approach needs monitoring. If the skin in the treated area feels cold to the touch after using the cold pack, vasoconstriction has likely occurred, negating the intended cooling effect. The safest and most effective method remains focusing cooling on the palms, soles, and upper face, but finding a way to control the temperature is crucial.
