The effect of cold hardening on the human body.
Tempering the body with cold - this name is a technique to increase the resistance of the human body to the effects of cold factors with the help of regular cold training. Pouring cold water is the most effective way. As a result of repeated and systematic cooling of the skin, the surface layer thickens the skin's thermal-insulating capacity.
In a person more tempered to cold, heat generation is greater, and with a strong cooling, the heat balance lasts longer. Thanks to the restructuring of metabolic processes and the training of blood vessels, the tempered people have a higher skin temperature than people who have never been hardened by cold. Therefore, it is established that the cold-tempered organism has a higher resistance to colds and frostbite.
Several basic principles of water hardening.
In order for blood vessels to "accustom" to rapid expansion or contraction, and also to improve protective functions of the body and accelerate the reaction of metabolic processes in the body to the cold, it is necessary to act gradually and systematically. Gradually lower the water temperature to increase the quenching effect. If there are signs of hypothermia, quenching with water should be discontinued.
Increasing the degree of adaptation of the organism to the cold is facilitated by combining the procedure of tempering with gymnastics.
It is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the organism when selecting the method of hardening, such as fitness, age, the presence of any chronic diseases. It should be remembered that in 2 - 3 months after cessation of hardening, the degree of organism hardening weakens and gradually disappears.
Methods of quenching with water.
If a person has a tendency to catarrhal diseases and has not been previously hardened, it should begin with the tempering of the air, as hardening with ice water has a more powerful effect on the body as a whole.
To begin with, you need to be more in the open air, on walks. Also take an air bath at home, completely stripped, and gradually increasing the time of the procedure. When the body gets used to cool air baths, you can go to water quenching.
Since the thermal conductivity of water is much higher than that of air, the quenching effect from it is much higher. In addition, water is also a kind of massager, affecting the skin receptors: improves blood circulation and promotes better outflow of lymph. Very well tempered swimming in swimming pools with cool water or in open water. At home, common forms of hardening are dousing with water and wiping with a wet towel.
At the very beginning of tempering, the temperature of the water should be within 34 - 35 degrees. If the procedure is carried out daily, the temperature of the water should be reduced by 10 degrees per week. At temperatures of 22 to 24 degrees, do not reduce it for 2 to 3 months, continuing to pour and rub. Then you can continue the temperature drop by 10 degrees once in 10 days, and bring it to the temperature of the water from the tap, that is, up to 10 - 12 degrees. But this is only under conditions of normal sleep, the absence of colds and increased excitability. To finish the procedure of douche, it should be vigorously wiped with a dry towel to increase blood circulation.
With a small amount of time, hardening brings a lot of benefit - receding catarrhal diseases, sleep normalizes and daytime activity of a person increases.