Skip to content
What Are the Benefits of Ice Baths?
October 2, 2023

What Are the Benefits of Ice Baths?

Many years ago humans lived in caves, and our bodies were well adapted to both cold and hot temperatures. Nowadays, we reside in insulated, double glazed, centrally heated houses. However, exposure to the cold in the form of cold showers, ice baths, and open water swimming has seen a rise in popularity.

One reason for this is our awareness of a man named Wim Hof, a Dutchman who, through a combination of regular cold exposure and breath work, has gained the ability to control his autonomic nervous system. He has held world records for swimming under ice and completing a full marathon in the Arctic circle, wearing only a pair of shorts. In fact, Wim Hof's methods have been so successful that he now has over 30,000 students worldwide (1).

In addition to the rise in popularity of Wim Hof, more research into the benefits of cold exposure is being carried out, and the positive results are being publicized through blogs, social media, and television. So, what are the benefits of cold exposure? Cold showers have been shown to improve circulation, increase alertness, boost immunity, improve sleep, reduce pain, and help with weight loss. Ice baths can also help reduce inflammation and speed up recovery from exercise. Open water swimming has been linked with improved heart health and increased longevity. Furthermore, research suggests that cold exposure may also be beneficial for mental health. So let’s dive in and take a closer look at these benefits. 

 

Reduces stress and anxiety

When we are exposed to very cold temperatures, such as an ice bath or cold shower, the blood vessels constrict and reduce in width and speed up the heart. This increase in heart rate causes feel-good chemicals called endorphins to be released. These chemicals increase our feelings of well-being and happiness (2). In addition, dopamine is also released, which improves mental health by improving one’s mood (3).

 

Improved circulation and heart health

When you take a cold shower, your blood vessels constrict, and your blood flow slows down. However, as your body starts to warm up, your blood vessels dilate, increasing in width, and your blood flow increases. This back-and-forth movement of blood helps to keep your circulatory system healthy and efficient. Additionally, cold showers can help to improve heart health by strengthening the cardiovascular system. When your heart has to work harder to pump blood through constricted vessels, it becomes stronger and more resilient over time. As a result, routine cold exposure can help reduce the risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular problems (4).

 

Increased alertness

When you jump into a ice bath or take a cold plunge, you may feel a sudden burst of energy. That's because cold water stimulates the release of norepinephrine, a hormone and neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that increases alertness and speeds up reaction time (5). Research has shown that norepinephrine production can be increased by a massive 530% at 57°F when compared to water at 90°F (6).  So next time you're feeling sluggish, try taking a dip in cold water to give yourself a natural boost of energy.

 

Immunity Boosts

The lymphatic system is part of the immune system, as it helps to clear out waste, bacteria, and microbes from your cells. Unlike blood that is pumped through blood vessels by the heart, the lymphatic system has to rely on muscle contraction to pump the lymph fluid through the lymphatic system. If you don’t exercise, the lymphatic system becomes slow and inefficient, the fluid festers, and toxins build up. This can lead to illness and disease. In the same way that cold water immersion contracts blood vessels, cold showers and ice baths cause lymph vessels to contract and help to flush the waste out (7). If you want to keep your lymphatic system healthy and prevent illness, get yourself into a cold shower or ice bath; this is especially important if you don’t live an active lifestyle.

Our immune system is what protects us from getting sick. When we are exposed to cold temperatures, our body produces more white blood cells called monocytes (8). These help to protect us from bacteria and viruses by changing into macrophages, which eat the bacteria or virus (9). This boost in immunity can help us stay healthy and avoid getting sick. People who take cold showers or swim outside in cold open water on a regular basis have been found to be ill much less often (10) and have a more robust immune system (11). This is because they are constantly exposing their bodies to cold temperatures, which boosts their immunity.

 

Improves sleep

Sleeping in a cool room is a well-known strategy to improve sleep, but lowering the temperature can also help to improve your sleep quality, enable you to get to sleep a lot quicker, and then go into deeper, more restorative, slow-wave sleep (12).

IMPORTANT: Do not be tempted to do an ice bath within two hours of bedtime! Unlike a warm bath, it will not relax you but will increase your alertness due to the effects of norepinephrine, described earlier.

 

Reduces pain

Athletes have long used cold water to help ease pain and muscle soreness after a workout, and now there is scientific evidence to back this up. Studies indicate that soaking in cold water for short periods of time can help reduce muscle soreness later on. Medical experts believe that the reason cold water helps with pain is due to the constriction of blood vessels. This reduces blood flow to the area, which helps reduce swelling and inflammation (13).

The effects of cold exposure on boosting immunity and reducing inflammation also play a part in reducing pain. This is because when parts of the body are inflamed, they tend to be sore, tender, and painful. In addition, when we are ill, due to reduced immunity, it is often accompanied by pain. For this reason, many elite athletes prefer taking ice baths or cold plunges over taking painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs. We have also already established that cold exposure can boost the production of norepinephrine, which is great as this neurotransmitter also plays a part in reducing pain (14).

 

Boosts weight loss

Brown fat is a type of fat that is found in small amounts in the human body. Unlike white fat, which stores excess energy, brown fat burns calories to produce heat. Brown fat gets its name from its colour, which is due to the high concentration of mitochondria it contains (15). These miniature organs, known as organelles, use body fat and glucose to generate energy, and this process helps to keep the body warm when exposed to cold temperatures. Studies have shown that regular exposure to cold temperatures can increase the amount of brown fat in the body. This helps to boost the metabolism and promote weight loss (16). If you're looking to shed a few extra pounds, consider taking a dip in ice-cold water!

 

Improves insulin sensitivity

Swimming in cold water on a regular basis has also been found to improve insulin sensitivity. Many individuals who struggle with obesity also become insulin-resistant; this makes ice baths a valuable tool in reducing the risk of developing diabetes (17).

 

Reduces inflammation

Inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease can be reduced by cold water exposure. This is due to protection of the brain and spinal cord from inflammation. Regular exposure to cold water, such as ice baths and swimming in open water, increases the levels of the hormone melanocortin adrenocorticotropin, which then increases cortisol (18). These two hormones help to reduce inflammation by acting on immune cells (19).

 

Increases longevity

Exposure to the cold can reduce stress (20), improve sleep (21), promote weight loss (22), and boost immunity (23). All of these play a part in improving your health increasing longevity.

Although taking a cold plunge or immersing yourself in an ice bath may not sound very appealing and can definitely put many people outside of their comfort zone, there are many benefits to your mental and physical health. It is something that you can implement in just a few minutes a day that you can reap many benefits from and live a longer, healthier life.

References

  1. Cold Therapy https://www.wimhofmethod.com/cold-therapy
  2. Adapted Cold Shower as a Potential Treatment for Depression https://www.academia.edu/35318099/Adapted_Cold_Shower_as_a_Potential_Treatment_for_Depression
  3. Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures http://bit.ly/3EuIJt6
  4. Dynamic Adaptation of the Peripheral Circulation to Cold Exposure https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1549-8719.2011.00126.x
  5. Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline) https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22610-norepinephrine-noradrenaline
  6. Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s004210050065
  7. How to support "The lymphatic system" https://www.superpharmacy.com.au/blog/how-to-support-the-lymphatic-system
  8. Monocytes from familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome patients are activated by mild hypothermia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4322003/
  9. What Does It Mean If Your Monocyte Levels Are High? https://www.healthline.com/health/monocytes-high

 

Filed in: Better Sleep, Health Benefits, Heart Health, Ice Bath, Immune System, Improved Circulation, Longevity, Pain Relief, Reduce Anxiety, Reduce Inflammation, Stress Relief, Weight Loss