Cold, Energy, and the Cure for Chronic Tiredness: Why Doing Nothing Makes Us More Exhausted

For a long time, I thought I was just not a morning person. My days started slowly, sometimes painfully. Even after 8 or 9 hours of sleep, I would wake up feeling like I hadn’t slept at all. Coffee barely scratched the surface. Exercise helped a bit—but only temporarily. My real energy would only kick in around lunchtime, when my body finally seemed to "switch on."

No matter what I tried—changing my diet, sleeping longer, pushing myself to move—nothing truly worked. It felt like something deeper was off. I wasn’t sick. But I wasn’t thriving either. I was stuck in a foggy, sluggish state where everything took effort. Until I met the cold.

The Paradox of Tiredness and Inactivity

It sounds strange, but doing nothing can make us feel more tired. The more we stay inactive—physically, mentally, emotionally—the more our energy systems slow down. Our bodies are built for rhythm, stimulation, and change. Without those, we start to drift into a low-energy mode, like a phone in battery-saving mode. The body saves resources because it’s not sure they’re needed.

And yet, so many of us try to treat fatigue with rest. We sleep longer, lie down more, take it easy. Rest is essential, of course. But chronic tiredness often has a different root. It’s not a lack of sleep—it’s a lack of activation.

Why Activity Creates Energy

When we engage in movement, cold, heat, challenge, or anything that pushes us slightly out of our comfort zone, we activate our sympathetic nervous system—the part responsible for alertness and action. It tells our body: “Wake up! Something’s happening!” Hormones like adrenaline, norepinephrine, and dopamine kick in. Blood flows faster. Cells start burning energy. You feel alive.

In contrast, when we remain passive and unstimulated for too long, our system tilts towards the parasympathetic mode—slower, calmer, more restful. Great for recovery, but if we stay there too long, we may slip into apathy or even mild depression.

The key is balance—and activation at the right moments.

How Cold Changed Everything

The first time I stepped into an icy lake, I wasn’t thinking about mitochondria, hormones, or nervous systems. I just wanted to feel something. And I did. The shock was immense. My breath disappeared. Time slowed down. But when I stepped out of the water, I was awake—truly awake—for the first time in what felt like years.

From that day on, I began incorporating cold showers, lake plunges, and winter swims into my routine. And slowly, something shifted. My mornings stopped being a struggle. My head felt clearer. My mood improved. The cold had reset something deep inside me.

The Biology Behind It

Cold exposure stimulates several processes that can help battle chronic tiredness:

• Mitochondrial activation: Cold exposure triggers a mild stress response that encourages the body to produce more mitochondria—the "powerhouses" of our cells. More mitochondria = more energy.

• Hormonal boost: Cold prompts the release of norepinephrine and dopamine, which elevate focus, mood, and alertness—often more effectively than caffeine.

• Improved circulation: Cold constricts blood vessels and then dilates them afterward, improving blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues—especially the brain.

• Reduction in inflammation: Chronic low-grade inflammation can make us feel foggy and drained. Cold helps reduce inflammatory markers and regulate the immune response.

• Resetting circadian rhythm: Exposure to natural cold, especially outdoors, can help realign the body’s internal clock, making waking up in the morning easier and more natural.

  
  

From Surviving to Thriving

Cold didn't turn me into a superhero. But it gave me a way out of the fog. It reminded my body how to wake up, how to generate its own energy, and how to engage with the world instead of floating through it. It made me realize that often, we don’t need more rest—we need activation, challenge, and change.

If you feel tired all the time and nothing seems to help, maybe it’s not about doing less. Maybe it’s about doing something different—something bold, raw, and surprisingly ancient.

For me, that “different” was cold.