Acclimatisation - how long does it take and how well does it work?

[Folcwigga]

Interesting. Between this and the video on acclimatising to extremely hot weather, it looks like the human body adapts pretty well within a week or so, depending on the individual of course. I would imagine longer term adaptation would still give smaller improvements for quite some time afterwards, and would also be lost less quickly.

I'd agree with that. A week seems to be an adequate time to get used to a different strain on the body.


I think that would depend on the diet and lifestyle you had before you started though. Although the mental aspect must play a role too, the Shaolin monks are supposed to be able to raise their body temperature on demand in cold areas.

It would but generally it does tend to involve a change in diet and energy expenditure IME. I've not heard that about the Shaolin, must investigate. I've been trying to will blood into cold hands for years completely unsuccessfully.


From what i've seen he goes barefoot until there's permanent snow on the ground, then breaks out the woolies.

That makes sense. At temps that snow ceases to melt, the skin on his feet will be melting the snow and thus skin will be losing large amounts of energy changing the state of H2O from solid to liquid.

As a follow up, there have been some studies done on Shaolin monks showing that they can raise their core temperature at will.

During visits to remote monasteries in the 1980s, Benson and his team studied monks living in the Himalayan Mountains who could, by g Tum-mo meditation, raise the temperatures of their fingers and toes by as much as 17 degrees. It has yet to be determined how the monks are able to generate such heat.
The researchers also made measurements on practitioners of other forms of advanced meditation in Sikkim, India. They were astonished to find that these monks could lower their metabolism by 64 percent. "It was an astounding, breathtaking [no pun intended] result," Benson exclaims.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/04.18/09-tummo.html

 

[Robson Valley]

There is some very interesting biochemistry "redecorating" which happens.
My district swings from a few nights of -35C to shade highs of +37C on summer afternoons.

The function of your body cells depends upon being able to move molecules both in and out.
By gradually replacing the cell membrane molecules themselves, the surface layer of the cell continues to function
normally as the temperature drops/exposure increases. The reverse occurs in spring as the temperature rises.

Dang good thing for birds or they would stay perched on a wire from November to March.
Same goes for the skinny legs of our larger wildlife: the moose, whitetail & mule deer, Elk, Caribou, Bison
Wolves, Coyotes, Lynx, Bobcats and Cougar. Others tend to hibernate or otherwise den-up for the extreme cold.
Grizzly,& Black bears, skunks, porcupines and so on.

Humans: you can provoke the shift through deliberate exposure.
Suggestions go that the changes can become quite useful in less than 3 weeks.
Winter icefall climbers need their manual dexterity, they can encourage it.

 

[lannyman8]

having done this many time in heat and cold but mostly heat,it takes me about a week to get used to the change and about 2 weeks to become comfortable with it.

but as most have stated age has a factor but fitness levels are probably more important, if your a very fit person then it will take less time for sure, sex has a factor too and food types hydration ect ect ect.

all you can do is be fit, well fed and very well watered, hope for the best... you can also do advanced acclimatisation when in the area, which in basic terms means thrashing your self physically, this means you get used to the climate faster, but it comes with a risk, so never do it alone and you need to have some secure back up if things go wrong.

hope this helps.

Chris

 

[TinkyPete]

I agree with Lannyman, generally for me it takes between a week to two before you are fully settled and make sure you do not try and bust a gut in the first week do not do any long/fast runs or try to dig full fire trenches till you are sorted out. another factor can be altitude do not forget that the hyigher the alitude the longer it will take if you live at sea level, and then going to be at high plain or plateau work at 1000m ASL then it take a lot longer.

When I went to Kenya I start off in Nairobi and got to spend 10 days there wait for kit to arrive then we drove to Nanyuki where I spent a further two days before travelling out to a resevoir and spending 2 1/2 months there doing work. Whilst we were in Nairobi we did a few runs but nothing intensive and a few gym sessions. When we were in NSG I did a lot more although I did have a Scotish segeant major shouting at me to get out of the sun because of having been there over two weeks I was very white (i had gone to red (not sunburnt just red) for four days then went back to being pasty white) and even the jocks were sporting suntans were as I was not. I spent a toal of 5 months ion Kenya and stayed white the whole time even when in Archer's Post. During my time there I also climbed Mt Kenya and even though we had been there several months it still took a lot to get used to climb the mountain, I did get altitude sickness when we were a day short of the peak and had to go down to the lodge and took as day to get suited to climb the rest of the way. I got to see the dawn break on the summit the following day which will stay with me for the rest of my life.

So even if you are adapted to the area still do not forget if you have to go up or down in altitude you will still have to adapt to that each body is different and a lot of factors go into it as well as the enviornment around you. But within the military we work on two weeks as the standard for most places

 

[pysen78]

On the hot-cold thing body wise, I can't give you really good info, I never acclimatise to the heat!
Regarding the barefoot thing: I'm not crazy or anything but I like letting my feet breathe, and work as intended. This means walking barefoot in the house all the time. We pay out the nose for our heating, and generally in winter it's pretty cold inside. I winter I fairly often do shorter round trips around the yard in bare feet. Picking up the mail, walking to the outhouse for some firewood, or the walk to the car to plug the heater in.
I have to say, I prefer walking in dry powdery white stuff any day, which means ~ -5C or colder. It's more of an abrasive feeling to walking in, rather than cold, and I get the wool sock thing. I should try it.
Snow at around freezing is the worst. It melts on contact and saps the heat right out of the skin. (Due to the change from solid state to liquid I presume).
I've watched how my cat behaves in different temperatures, regarding this, and I think he agrees with me.
Isn't there someone on here who walks barefoot all the time? I think I remember reading about it.

Hands: I used to be able to do whatever I felt like with bare hands in the cold. Even building dams in streams with sheets of ice floating by when I was a kid, as long as core body temp was up. Nowadays, (36yo) I cant still do it, but get cold-cracks around the finger tips for nothing, so have to wear gloves.

 

[mrcharly]

I used to go barefoot almost all the time, and grew up running around the australian bush barefoot.

I think Cody saying it is due to mitochondria is wrong and the adaption is due to greatly increased blood circulation plus the development of very thick calluses. I could tolerate standing on brambles without problems, and even once found a thumb tack stuck in my foot - hadn't felt it, it didn't draw blood.

Walking in snow was really no problem at all. My feet didn't get cold. Ice was slippery but again no frostbite - in fact I could walk on surfaces that made my dog howl in pain (I had to carry him).

 

[Samon]

Would the man fare so well if he wasn't built like an ox with pig tails? Seriously.. he's massive. (He looks like he skips leg day though lol)

He's obviously got hard, crusted hooves and an adapted resistance to the chill in his lower legs and feet but the episode where he wore socks in knee deep snow was just silly. I don't know the exact science behind it all, but I think it's fair to say he is lucky he didn't get frost bite if he did genuinely go near bear foot like that.

And I'd never go barefoot in an urban environment.. needles, glass and sharp stones.

 

[Robson Valley]

Has to do with changing the biochemistry of cell surfaces. Measurable, documented facts in species studied.
Trying to decouple ATP formation from electron transport in mitochondria with the resulting energy changes appearing as heat
is a dang difficult thing to do. But, truely hibernating animals can turn it on, so not impossible.

Do your hands get stiff in the cold? You haven't been exposed for enough days
to make the needed biochemical changes. 2-3 weeks.

I started to watch a logger changing wheel bearings on a logging truck, -20C/0F, bare-handed.
Got chased indoors, it was too cold for me.

Backstage before a concert, big-shot piano players wear heated mittens to lower viscosity
for more adept playing.

 

[tsitenha]

With adjustment to work, caloric expenditures and intake, clothing and such you can acclimatise over a period of time. Not every one is the same so really do not over extend yourself. Realize that while everything may be ok right now, you may affect the back end of your life.
As far as neglecting foot covering, clothing (warmth or shade), look at the local first nations in the area and what they wear, they have adjusted over a long period of time, I like to think they got it right.
Be comfortable, safe and enjoy.

 

[santaman2000]

With adjustment to work, caloric expenditures and intake, clothing and such you can acclimatise over a period of time. Not every one is the same so really do not over extend yourself. Realize that while everything may be ok right now, you may affect the back end of your life......

I was thinking the same thing. Particularly when adjusting to hot climates. The danger of overexposure to the sun is often underestimated. Whileyou may think that sunburn has healed, the truth is that sunlight is radiation; the dosage is cumulative.

 

[Gray]

It takes me between 3 to 5 days to acclimatise, adjusting my diet has a big impact depending on whether i need to go hot or cold. It does work though, without a doubt.

 

[Swallow]

NOTE ON FROSTBITE

we were told during Wayne's first outdoor aid course that once you have had frostbite you are much more susceptible to it in the future. So cold would not be something you adapt to in the sense of not having frostbite. (if that makes sense).

 

[skog]

Acclimatisation does help and normally takes 1 to 3 weeks depending on genetic make up and the environment ( hot or cold). Always found it quicker to go hot than cold and can really suffer with my hands in the cold. Go blue enough to make a smurf jealous. +1 for calorific intake to esp going cold. Mil Arctic rations are 5k+ calories. One of tge only times on exercise I managed to put weight on. Bloody hate chicken noodles 😈

 

[BlueTrain]

I think your feet will become enlarged (wider, especially) and more calloused if you do not wear shoes, no matter what the climate is. It isn't acclimation at all. It's merely the side effect of going barefoot. That will also happen in a way if you do a lot of heavy work without wearing protective gloves. You hands become calloused and less sensitive. My father told me not to wear gloves too much because it will make your hands soft, which I have found to be true. I don't really work with my hands--I work with my fingers.

On the other hand, I suspect that studying what the local "natives" wear should be viewed with caution. In some hot climates the locals go about covered head to toe while in other places they are virtually naked. In cold climates, the traditional dress of some people is fur in the winter, in other places, wool. Neither go barefoot. Sometimes it is difficult or very expensive to attempt to duplicate what the locals wear and often as not, we overlook some aspect that is necessary for their "system" of clothing to be most efficient.

Some of the details include the diet, which doesn't translate into dramatic television. Nor does reducing activity in very cold weather to reduce perspiration, which is quite the opposite of what one might think would be a good thing. A reasonable thought is that we have to keep active to keep up our body heat. It makes a lot of sense but it's wrong. Even those who live year-round in The North have their problems with the climate, typically during the times when the weather isn't freezing but merely wet, muddy and miserable. That's when they love having rubber boots.

I will also add that it's possible to be perfectly comfortable at fairly low temperatures while wearing absolutely nothing, say down to as low as 50 degrees F. But even though you may be comfortable and not notice the temperature if you are active and there is no wind, you skin will still feel cold to the touch. I think the expression is "face all over." Even so, when the temperature falls low enough, you can get frostbite on your cheeks and nose.

 

[Minotaur]

There was program about DNA and in it they demonstrated the so called Viking gene which gives you the ability to deal with the cold. They basically got people to put their hands into cold water and the ones with the gene did not seem to have any problems with the cold so some people will react to exposure differently.
Being barefoot a lot has got to have an effect on how you deal with temperatures as you would just learn to deal with it. Like practicing anything you learn to live with it. Also your body must deal with it differently from experience.
Finally if you want to practice the Shaolin meditation stuff practice in nice comfortable surroundings because these are skills you need to have trained before you need them ie the US Marines are teaching meditation to their marines to combat post traumatic stress. Also I can do a couple of the tricks mentioned not to the same extent however I can do them so my point is I am not as good as when I practiced them all the time. You will have to learn meditation and practice it daily to get these tricks to work in a way that will benefit you.

 

[santaman2000]

....the US Marines are teaching meditation to their marines to combat post traumatic stress.......

The Marines preferred method of stress relief is to kill whatever and/or whoever is causing the stress.

 

[Minotaur]

The Marines preferred method of stress relief is to kill whatever and/or whoever is causing the stress.

lol True so true.