EPISODE · Jan 24, 2024 · 1H 8M
Professor Mike Tipon MBE, MSc, PhD | Cold Water Immersion: Kill or Cure?
from Degrees of Health
Head of the extreme environments lab at Portsmouth University, Professor Mike Tipton MBE has spent his working life understanding, evaluating and enhancing the comfort, performance and survival of human beings in extreme environments. With decades of knowledge gained in the lab, the aim is to apply the science to areas where it has most use and benefit. Having worked with the likes of the Ministry of Defence, RNLI and Olympic and Paralympic athletes, Mike is well-positioned to speak to the scientific and practical sides of the human response to cold water immersion.Critically, he clarifies what we don’t yet know, and what we need to be aware of in the time frame between now and finding out. We discuss what happens and why, the benefits and risks of both unintentional and intentional immersion, common mistakes about cold water, what he calls ‘the thermostatic human’, and ultimately, his faith in the resilience of human beings. Anglers, coastal walkers, yacht sailors, dinghy sailors, kayakers, open water or wild swimmers - pretty much anyone who operates or interacts by, under, or on the sea - there is an ocean of critical information to learn in this episode. It is applied science at the top of its game.Find Mike:University of Portsmouth website----------------------------------------------------------------------Mentioned in this podcast:Non-freezing cold injuryCold shock responseMammalian dive reflexAutonomic conflictLewis PughStudies mentioned in this podcast:Humans: A homeothermic animal that needs perturbationCold water immersion: kill or cure?Cold water therapies - minimising risksMoving in extreme environments: open water swimming in cold and warm waterOpen water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorderDrifting into unconsciousness: Jason Zirganos and the mystery of undetected hypothermiaHuman Brown Adipose Tissue—A Decade Later----------------------------------------------------------------------Want to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
Head of the extreme environments lab at Portsmouth University, Professor Mike Tipton MBE has spent his working life understanding, evaluating and enhancing the comfort, performance and survival of human beings in extreme environments. With decades of knowledge gained in the lab, the aim is to apply the science to areas where it has most use and benefit. Having worked with the likes of the Ministry of Defence, RNLI and Olympic and Paralympic athletes, Mike is well-positioned to speak to the scientific and practical sides of the human response to cold water immersion.Critically, he clarifies what we don’t yet know, and what we need to be aware of in the time frame between now and finding out. We discuss what happens and why, the benefits and risks of both unintentional and intentional immersion, common mistakes about cold water, what he calls ‘the thermostatic human’, and ultimately, his faith in the resilience of human beings. Anglers, coastal walkers, yacht sailors, dinghy sailors, kayakers, open water or wild swimmers - pretty much anyone who operates or interacts by, under, or on the sea - there is an ocean of critical information to learn in this episode. It is applied science at the top of its game.Find Mike:University of Portsmouth website----------------------------------------------------------------------Mentioned in this podcast:Non-freezing cold injuryCold shock responseMammalian dive reflexAutonomic conflictLewis PughStudies mentioned in this podcast:Humans: A homeothermic animal that needs perturbationCold water immersion: kill or cure?Cold water therapies - minimising risksMoving in extreme environments: open water swimming in cold and warm waterOpen water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorderDrifting into unconsciousness: Jason Zirganos and the mystery of undetected hypothermiaHuman Brown Adipose Tissue—A Decade Later----------------------------------------------------------------------Want to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
NOW PLAYING
Professor Mike Tipon MBE, MSc, PhD | Cold Water Immersion: Kill or Cure?
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m
Feb 18, 2026 ·11m
Feb 11, 2026 ·45m