YouTube short by Joy Kong, MD (uploaded June 21, 2025) arguing that medical research has historically neglected women; many clinical data and recommendations have been extrapolated from male populations despite physiological differences. The speaker contrasts sleep needs between men and women and cautions that cold plunges may raise cortisol in women, recommending cooler (not freezing) water instead.
There's just not a lot of studies done on women's health. We have been left behind. Now we're starting to catch up. And the data that we have extrapolated has been from male population, which also doesn't make any sense, because a woman's body is different physiologically. I mean, I don't know. I. Most men that I see, they can really go. They can live off of three to four hours of sleep. Women, not so much. Cold plunges are a new thing that was recently brought up where, you know, that was the like. Because it's not good for women. Oh, thank you. You. Thank you. No, we're not supposed to go into freezing ice water. It actually increases our cortisol response. So we need to go to the cool water. Yeah, that I'm okay with.
