Deliberate cold & heat exposure
At Peak Labs, we’re proud to offer deliberate cold and heat exposure as part of our expanded recovery space—drawing from the work of leading researchers like Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Susanna Søberg.
These protocols are more than trends. They are backed by science and designed to support nervous system regulation, enhance metabolic function, improve mental clarity, and build long-term resilience. Whether through the stillness of an ice bath or the deep warmth of the sauna, these practices invite the body into a state of reset and repair.
Sessions are self-led, giving you the space to move at your own pace while still following research-backed guidelines. For cold exposure, we recommend 1–3 minutes in water between 10–15°C, focusing on calm, controlled breathing. For heat, aim for a total of 57 minutes per week in a sauna set between 80–100°C, ideally across 2–3 sessions. Both modalities work beautifully alone, but even more powerfully together. At Peak Labs, we provide the environment—the protocol is yours to embody.
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Hormetic Stress Response: Using a sauna regularly puts your body under a mild, controlled form of stress—similar to what happens during exercise. This “good stress” helps your body adapt, making it stronger over time and supporting things like mental clarity, physical recovery, and overall health.
Enhanced Exercise Performance: When combined with exercise, sauna bathing demonstrated a substantially supplementary effect on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), systolic blood pressure (BP), and total cholesterol levels.
Weight Management: Sauna bathing can lead to increased metabolism and weight loss.
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Triggers hormetic stress& improve vagal tone: enhances heart rate variability and stress resilience.
Boosts focus and alertness: by releasing norepinephrine.
Aids recovery: flushes out metabolic waste.
Reduces inflammation: causes vasoconstriction and lowering markers like IL-6 and CRP.
Improves immune function: increases white blood cells and activates natural killer cells.
Increases metabolism: activates brown fat, which burns stored fat for heat.
Improves insulin sensitivity through better glucose metabolism, as brown fat burns glucose for heat.
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For optimal results, aim for 2–4 sessions per week of both cold and heat exposure. Research suggests that around 11 minutes of cold and 57 minutes of heat per week, spread across multiple sessions, can support mood, metabolism, recovery, and overall nervous system regulation. Always listen to your body and adjust based on how you feel.