[Paddlewise] Cold water adaptation - Part II

No one seems to know the answer to the first question, about the
disappearance of the "ice cream headache" after a few days of exposure to
cold water (surprising).

The follow up question is this:

Does the same type of adaptation, when applied to your whole body, have the
potential to delay the onset of hypothermia?

In other words:

Can one increase their actual resistance to cold water through repeated
controlled exposure?

If the answer is yes (with some science or empirical evidence to back it
up), then other questions obviously follow such as: "How frequent of
exposure is required to maintain meaningful resistance?"

I am really wondering if there is this additional benefit from "rescue
practice". In that case, maybe they should be conducted with the minimal
immersion gear tolerable.

I have noticed that my perceived ability to tolerate being in cold water
increases with repeated exposure, but unlike the ice cream headache, there
are no clear symptoms to show that something has actually changed. It may
just be that I don't mind being cold as much.

 

             Steve Brown

 


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