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Cold Exposure (Mood)Evidence & Dosage

Norepinephrine, depression, and mood effects of cold.

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
612
With abstract
49
Meta / Systematic / RCT
67
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1963–2028

Cold Exposure (Mood) in the context of Mental

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Top studies on Cold Exposure (Mood)

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. The Effect of Post-Exercise Cryotherapy on Recovery Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    PLoS One2015n=36meta71 influential citations

    The aim of this review and meta-analysis was to critically determine the possible effects of different cooling applications, compared to non-cooling, passive post-exercise strategies, on recovery characteristics after various, exhaustive…

    Finding: Cooling did not significantly affect objective recovery variables during the 96-hour recovery period.

  2. Cryotherapy following total knee replacement.

    Cochrane Database Syst Rev2023n=183systematic69 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Total knee replacement (TKR) is a common intervention for people with end-stage symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, resulting in significant improvements in pain, function and quality of life within three to six months. It is,…

  3. Effects of cold water immersion after exercise on fatigue recovery and exercise performance--meta analysis.

    Front Physiol2023n=419systematic63 influential citations

    Cold water immersion (CWI) is very popular as a method reducing post-exercise muscle stiffness, eliminating fatigue, decreasing exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), and recovering sports performance. However, there are conflicting…

  4. The effects of cold exposure (cold water immersion, whole- and partial- body cryostimulation) on cardiovascular and cardiac autonomic control responses in healthy individuals: A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

    J Therm Biol2024n=27meta62 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Cryostimulation and cold-water immersion (CWI) have recently gained widespread attention due to their association with changes in cardiovascular and cardiac autonomic control responses. Therefore, the aim of the present…

  5. A meta-analysis of performance response under thermal stressors.

    Hum Factors2007n=49Meta-Analysis54 influential citations

    <h4>Objective</h4>Quantify the effect of thermal stressors on human performance.<h4>Background</h4>Most reviews of the effect of environmental stressors on human performance are qualitative. A quantitative review provides a stronger aid in…

    Finding: Thermal stressors had a substantial negative effect on human performance.

  6. Pre-fertilization-origin preservation of brown fat-mediated energy expenditure in humans.

    Nature metabolism2025n=286E54 influential citations

    Environmental thermal stress substantially affects cellular plasticity of thermogenic adipocytes and energy balance through transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms in rodents. However, roles of cold-adaptive epigenetic regulation of…

  7. Influence of physical post-exercise recovery techniques on vagally-mediated heart rate variability: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Clin Physiol Funct Imaging2024n=24Meta-Analysis54 influential citations

    In sports, physical recovery following exercise-induced fatigue is mediated via the reactivation of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). A noninvasive way to quantify the reactivation of the PNS is to assess vagally-mediated heart…

    Finding: The review concluded that physical post-exercise recovery techniques can accelerate PNS reactivation as indexed by vmHRV, but effectiveness varies by technique and exercise type.

  8. Extreme temperature increases the risk of COPD morbimortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Sci Total Environ2025n=25Meta-Analysis53 influential citations

    <h4>Introduction</h4>This systematic review examines how extreme temperatures impact chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) morbidity and mortality, focusing on identifying vulnerable subpopulations.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a…

  9. Effect of Lowering the Dialysate Temperature in Chronic Hemodialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    Clin J Am Soc Nephrol2016n=484Meta-Analysis52 influential citations

    <h4>Background and objectives</h4>Lowering the dialysate temperature may improve outcomes for patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. We reviewed the reported benefits and harms of lower temperature dialysis.<h4>Design, setting,…

    Finding: In adults receiving chronic hemodialysis, reduced temperature dialysis significantly reduced intradialytic hypotension compared with standard temperature dialysis.

  10. Contrasting patterns of temperature related mortality and hospitalization by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in 52 Spanish cities.

    Environ Res2021n=52Meta-Analysis52 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Climate change is a severe public health challenge. Understanding to what extent fatal and non-fatal consequences of specific diseases are associated with temperature may help to improve the effectiveness of preventive…

    Finding: Heat was not found to have an impact on hospital admissions.

Frequently asked

What does the evidence say about Cold Exposure (Mood)?
Cooling did not significantly affect objective recovery variables during the 96-hour recovery period.
What dosage was studied?
• Post-exercise cryotherapy / cooling (CWI, WBC, cold air, cold pack/ice bag, sham cooling modalities) (Most common CWI leg immersion 5°C to 10°C or 11°C to 15°C; WBC down to -110°C; reported cooling time 10 min to 24 min (mean 13 min for studies with significant subjective effects)) • Cryotherapy with or without other treatments (e.g. compression, regional nerve block, continuous passive motion) (Low temperatures to skin surrounding surgical site; specific dose/temperature not reported) • Cold water immersion (CWI) after exercise (Immersion in water at ≤15°C; body parts varied (iliac crest/legs, umbilicus, mid-sternal, shoulders))
Which population does the evidence apply to?
Most studies investigated: unknown.
Are there safety considerations for Cold Exposure (Mood)?
• Cooling may delay muscle regeneration in animal models if excessive tissue cooling occurs. • Very low temperatures (-110°C) were used only in short exposure cold chambers. • The review states WBC did not induce harmful biochemical or hematological changes in prior studies. • Reported adverse events included discomfort and local skin reactions.

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