80 days cold bath?

[Tuccatoo]

Has anyone tried or heard of the 80 days of cold baths to stimulate the Hypothalamus to produce dopamine?

[Joolsg]

Lawd no. I’m not sure if I could commit to that. If I had a guarantee it would work I’d definitely try it but until then, I’m not gonna do it.

[Hidden]

Cold baths? Winter is coming!

[Parminter]

Well, cold showers/swims/standing naked in the snow do, apparently, increase dopamine. Anybody who has leapt into cold water knows the wonderful feeling you have when you emerge. (Even if you have a stinking headache!).

The hypothalamus produces a slew of good hormones, so presumably, it is a fine idea.

Start your shower hot, then slowly make it colder and colder. That is the only way I could do it.

Humans have been leaping into cold water in the Winter for a long time, for therapeutic reasons. Witness the Nordic peoples and the Russians.

The eighty days must mean there is some permanent change. The hypothalamus is one area of the brain that can continue to produce new cells throughout life - perhaps that is the key. And as the hypothalamus can shrink with age, perking it up a bit is a jolly good idea.

Brrrrr......

[Tuccatoo in reply to Parminter]

Well, here I go!!

I have been putting off plunging into a cold bath for so long, since I heard about it, but I have suffered from RLS for 30 years and have tried everything, yes, everything suggested here on this forum. (except real cannabis!)

Thank you so much to all of you who contribute as it has been so helpful. It was here that I found out about augmentation. The doctor kept increasing the dopamine agonists and after a while I was worse off than ever. So having come off everything, cold turkey, I am now in a better place.

A better place means pretty free during the day but not at night. Up nearly every hour and in torture and despair, as you will all know.

So, if this works after 80 days 😱 I will let everyone know!!

First day was this morning...........aaaaaah!

[Parminter in reply to Tuccatoo]

From Cold Turkey to Cold Showers.

I have taken on the challenge and jumped into a cold pool every day since your post.

I certainly feel a lot perkier.

Go for it, Tuccatoo!

[CarolinaFriederike in reply to Tuccatoo]

How did it go for you? My mom has RLS as well and I'm looking for some ideas for her. Did the wim Hof method give you relief?

[Alc71]

Not heard of this, but I have slept outside for several nights, in the cold when nothing was working on my restless legs and it did help

[LotteM]

Is that the approach of the so-called ‘iceman’ to increase the functioning/effectiveness of the immune system? Wim Hof??? Have to look up his name and ideas.

Edit: got his name right. You may not know him, he is Dutch.

Where dis you learn about the 80d cold baths approach?

[Hidden]

Think i would end up with Hypothermia.!!

[Tuccatoo in reply to Hidden]

I felt like that this morning after my first ice cold bath! Still anything is worth trying when you live in torment and are sleep deprived. 🙃

[Tuccatoo]

I learnt about it from a friend who suffers from a very rare disease called Elhers Danlos. Her Mum was told about it and she tried it out on her when she was 12 years old. It really helped her and so she encouraged me to try. It is supposed to stimulate the Hypothalamus which produces dopamine. We are led to believe that lack of dopamine is the cause of RLS as Parkinsons drugs do help sufferers initially.

I am prepared to give it a try as nothing so far has helped me. I'll let you know if it helps in any way 😊

[Chrisandbob]

Wishing you all good things Tuccatoo. Only 73 days to go! Please keep us posted.

[Tuccatoo in reply to Chrisandbob]

Thank you for all the encouragement. I am determined to go the whole hog to prove it one way or the other! Anything is worth trying just in case it will bring relief. I have done 8 ice cold baths so far. Total immersion head under and 2 minutes of torture. I find singing very loudly is a distraction. I get in and march up and down, then go on my knees, sit down and phew under I go with just my nose above water for those 2 minutes. The singing is very loud! I promise to let you know if it is worth it. That will be on Boxing Day or Christmas day if I stick in an extra cold bath...............I've worked it out 😳

[Chrisandbob]

I so empathise with your desperation and I so admire your bravery! Whatever the outcome, it will be a great achievement Tuccatoo. My roots are in Scandinavia so I very much agree with Parminter’s comments about the therapeutic effect of plunging into icy water... surely it must work.. they can’t all be crazy!😂