I have been experimenting!

Note: this is not medical advice and you should not be taken as such. It is my own experience and observations I am sharing.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share some of my takeaways from trying out cold therapy for the last two weeks. I was made aware of this from Joseph Pack, a presenter from the ADHD conference that happened earlier this month.

If you are interested in learning more, I will link his website below. He teaches drug free methods to manage ADHD symptoms and part of his program is using cold exposure therapy. 

The method entails exposing yourself to cold water for a few seconds after having your regular shower to increase the production of two neurotransmitters that are generally low in quantity in a person with ADHD.

It increases the transmitter of dopamine by 250% and norepinephrine, which is both a transmitter and hormone by 500% in the brain for three hours after exposure. He claims that there are scientific papers that can prove all of this. So I decided to give it a try for myself and put it to the test.

I started with 3 seconds of exposure and have gradually worked my way up to 7 seconds in two weeks time. Initially, this was uncomfortable, no doubt about it, but the clarity I felt in my mind afterward was a truly amazing feeling that propelled me to continue doing it.

I made sure to note my state of mind and quality of clarity prior to the exposure versus afterward and I experienced a considerable state of heightened cognitive ability after exposure.

I can also confirm that these effects did last for hours afterwards allowing me to have better concentration and sustained energy levels throughout the day. I still have to pump myself up to get into the cold water every time, but I am noticing it is slowly getting easier to do and I look forward to that lasting feeling of clarity now.

This positive anticipation proves to me that it is increasing my dopamine levels. He suggests working your way up to staying in the cold water for two and a half minutes. Doing this therapy not only naturally increases these transmitters, but it also allows you to build grit and mental toughness which I believe helps with self confidence and perseverance. 

Joseph Pack's ADHD coaching site: https://www.drugfreeadhd.org/

ADHD conference replay: (Joseph's talk is the first one) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgl5GtDhVTA&t=2976s