I've heard that things like cold showers, cold water swimming etc are really good for ones health, especially if one has something like fybromyalgia or other inflamitory conditions and for mental health too.
Has anyone tried it, does it work or did it just make you so cold you couldn't get warm again?
Yeah I get that. I can tell I'm not selling it very well.
Cold showers in my opinion are much more difficult, it's easy to escape and to adjust the temperature. With the ice bath it's all over and done with once you're in. It's only the first 10 seconds that's are tough sometimes.
I just started with a few seconds
I don't think I would be able to manage 1 second of cold water, let alone a few. I dislike having showers (with warm/hot water) because the parts of my body that aren't in direct contact with the water always feel uncomfortably cold. It's like the coldness seeps into my bones and I have difficulty warming back up again.
Yeah, even small things like hair brushing or tags in clothes can feel intense.
Sensory stuff hits differently for us.
Some people on the spectrum feel sensations differently from the NT such as pain. Pain can feel much more extreme also, given it’s all nerve and brain related it makes sense. A simple brushing of the hair may be torture for some autistic individuals.
I hope you find somewhere that can offer you therapy that is suitable and right for your circumstances.
Interesting for sure.(•‿•)
Yes, I read your comments in this thread and certainly resonate as well; it's interesting sp given I had never read or asked others about their experience regarding cold baths.
I hadn't thought of the sensory side before now but I guess the rush of cold does override the constant noise I usually have in my head.
I'm just focusing on one thing for a change.
Survival.!!
Agreed, I do I few stretches and simple weights beforehand, and I'm on a slow build at the moment just up to a minute. I usually build up to the duration of listening to one of my favourite tracks.
Lochs and mountain rivers/streams sounds dreamy.
I find it like a sponge of suffering
I like this quote. I agree everything goes away, your body is just concentrating on survival. Maybe we leave some of the worst parts of our life in the ice bath for a while.
I think the problem with NHS and mental health at the moment is that it not suiting us is only one of the problems. The whole system is not working at the moment. When I previously had CBT about 5 years ago, the therapist told me that they had targets to reach a certain number of people under their umbrella but were not able to employ the required number of therapists to see that number of people. I think to the government we are just numbers and as long as they can see this many people are being seen, they're not that bothered after that.
And that is just one section of NHS that there are issues with which is also just one aspect of life there are currently issues with. There are so many systems that just need a complete overhaul and a lot more funding. All governments just seem to lack the money and the know how to actually make a difference.
I've no idea what the NAS does when it comes to mental health I'll be honest.
I am getting closer and closer to going private for therapy but it is such a commitment money wise even if I can get it at reduced cost and there still wouldn't be a guarantee it would be helpful.
I assume the NAS lobbies the government to some extent? I think we are way down the list of priorities. We have at least one other autism charity in N. Ireland who is very vocal in campaigning for effective services here, but our government assembly is appallingly ineffective in all areas and it has overspent.
Yes this is what I'm currently finding. I've wasted a lot of time jumping through the hoops of NHS therapy. They just go through the motions instead of actually looking at what a person's needs are. They've wasted time and money providing me with therapy which was never going to be suitable. If they sign posted/had available the therapy that was actually going to be a good fit for that individual not only would they save money but the wait times would also go down as they wouldn't be putting every person through every stage unnecessarily.
That’s exactly the problem. After my private diagnosis last year, the assessor gave me some literature which included a book list. However, they recommended one book, “Spectrum Women” as being particularly suitable for me as a person who knew little about what other autistic women feel and experience. It isn’t a therapy book but it was exactly what I needed at that time.
The NHS isn’t interested in investing in quality services for autistic people. If people had appropriate support to help them live their lives to the full, the NHS would save money in the long term.
I do cold shower / baths. Also the opposite, i.e very hot.
I do anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, using the coldest possible.
---To take into account---
If it gives me chill-blains, or any additional pain, I stop. I also do it less in winter.
You can try for brief periods at first, or with cold but not freezing water, so that it is not scary or traumatic.
I've found useful to do exercise before and after the cold bath / shower --so that the body warms up a bit.
Soon you get used to it and need none of that, which is how I currently do it.
For a while I did it in nature (lochs or mountain rivers/streams) and it is nice as well.
---Why do I do it---
I find it like a sponge of suffering.
Yeah I catch your drift, you made me smile. It was my rubbish attempt at humour.
Maybe the subcutaneous fat does play a part?
It does get a bit painful at times but from the videos I've watched there's something in there about our lifestyle now and the body never being really being put under that sort of stress anymore and this is a way to activate it, along with fasting. It brings a sort of mental clarity a sort of sharpness.
Not for everyone, I know.
I understand if you have been in a sauna and you have raised your temperature a cold plunge may help to cool off.
The Romans had a bathing sequence involving multiple rooms, including a caldarium, frigidarium, etc. so it is not new.
I think some cold countries have people plunge into frozen lakes, possibly after a sauna. I think this is more bravado than anything.
The cold plunge stresses the body and can release endorphins, much like eating excessively hot chillies. This is probably the reason for feeling calmer afterwards. It is clear it is stressful as people have heart attacks jumping into cold water on hit days.
I also wonder if having more subcutaneous fat may make it feel different for men and women.
Cold water can be physically uncomfortable or painful on certain parts of the body, which was what I was getting at before.
Yeah I get that, Monty my cat sits on the decking looking at me while I'm in there, possibly thinking she's lost her mind!
⊙﹏⊙
I do something where I put pictures to words, it helps me remember things.
Honestly, on this occasion I'm really trying not to.
w(°ｏ°)w
I just started with a few seconds and built up from there. It does actually get sort of addictive once you start to do it regularly.
