Essentials: Cold & Heat Exposure for Metabolic Health | Dr. Susanna Søberg

With Andrew Huberman, Susanna Søberg · Thursday, November 5, 2026

Andrew Huberman speaks with metabolic scientist Dr. Susanna Søberg about the physiological mechanisms governing deliberate cold and heat exposure. They discuss brown adipose tissue activation, the phenomenon of the after-drop, shivering as hormetic stress, and Dr. Søberg's landmark research establishing the minimum effective weekly doses for cold immersion and sauna to optimize insulin sensitivity and metabolic health.

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Key takeaways

Dr. Susanna Søberg explains that skin cold receptors signal the hypothalamus to release norepinephrine, triggering brown adipose tissue immediately. Read more →
Susanna Søberg tracked winter swimmers over four to five months to evaluate how cold immersion alters systemic metabolism. Read more →
The sharpest decline in your core temperature occurs after you step out of the cold, a phenomenon metabolic scientist Dr. Susanna Søberg identifies as the after-drop. Read more →
The minimum effective weekly cold exposure is 11 minutes total, divided across 2 to 3 sessions. Read more →