What is An Ice Bath? Are Ice Baths Good For You?

Introduction

Over the centuries, many athletes have been using cold exposure as a way to heal their torn muscles and for overall body recovery post-exercise. Ice baths provide a ton of benefits to your body, especially if you are a sportsperson.

You cannot ignore the soothing effect on your muscles, your improved breathing pattern decreased inflammation and generally better and elevated moods that you get to experience after an ice bath therapy.

As an athlete or fitness fanatic, you will realize elevated performance, which explains why Ice baths are a preferred form of therapy for most boxers. If you have recently joined any athletic training or are engaging in strenuous physical activities, you know that you need ice baths to soothe and heal your muscles.

Getting into an ice bathtub should help you maintain top form and as a result, you can always perform your best.

What is an ice bath?

When you fill your bathtub with cold iced water and immerse your body in the tub, that’s an ice bath. You can easily create your ice bath in the comfort of your home. Run some cold water into your bathtub until it is half full, then add a few buckets of ice cubes in there.

You have made yourself an ice bath, and all you need to do now is get in for those recovery benefits. Always remember that the recommended temperature of an ice bath is somewhere between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit.

Men taking ice bath
Image Source: Fight Camp

Wondering what an ice bath does? Or rather you need to understand what you stand to gain before getting into this extremely painful exposure? Well, you are right about that; an ice bath is extremely painful to sit in.

It takes a lot of perseverance to sit through the first 15 minutes especially if you are new at this form of therapy. It’s not all for nothing though as you stand to gain a lot from ice baths. The benefits to your mind and body are just out of this world.

Besides the healing effect on your torn muscles, ice baths make your brain more alert, improve your immunity and mental health, and improve your overall athletic performance among other benefits.

What do ice baths do?

Iced baths are a common practice among athletes, physical fitness fanatics, and bodybuilders. Many trusts that these baths pass for a sufficient recovery tool, with some major benefits. In fact, to some people, ice baths are a form of treatment. Some of the benefits of ice bath are mentioned below:

1. Soothing and preventing soreness in muscles

When you undertake a strenuous training session, your muscles are bound to experience some wear and tear. As such, you must allow your body some time to recuperate before undertaking another session.

You can support and enhance the healing process by incorporating stretches, massages, and even compression garments, among other techniques. The technique you choose determines the duration it takes for your body to recover fully.

If you are an athlete, for example, and you are in between activities in a competition, you need a rapid recovery solution. Ice bath therapy could just be the perfect speedy recovery solution to your inflammations and torn muscles. It could also be a great way for you to avoid feeling the pain that comes with strained body muscles.

Besides delaying the onset of muscle pain, ice baths also support the repair of muscle damage that results from intense workouts. When you submerge your body into an ice bath your blood vessels react by constricting. Once you leave the bath, they dilate.

In the process, your body effectively manages to eliminate metabolic wastes that accumulate in your lymph nodes post-workout. Due to the dilation of your blood vessels, your body experiences increased blood flow, which in turn packs your cells with oxygen and nutrients. This process is very effective in accelerating your body’s recovery.

2. Boosting sleep and overall mental health

Cortisol regulation in your body is a good way to reduce the symptoms of depression and eliminate cases of sleep disorders. Ice baths are great for your central nervous system. They are a great way to combat your sleep deprivation and conquer fatigue.

Cold water acts as a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system. As an athlete, or if you engage in strenuous exercises it is important to ensure that you always get quality sleep. Healthy sleeping patterns and enough sleep are vital to your overall health and productivity.

Ice bath therapy fine-tunes your brain and nervous system to trigger better and well-regulated sleeping patterns. Over 80% of athletes who practice ice bath therapy report better focus, enhanced mental form, and far superior sleep patterns.

3. Conditioning your body to effectively handle stress

The sudden change of temperature that comes after immersing yourself in an ice bath sends a wave of mood-altering chemicals into your brain. As a result, your body naturally takes on the fight-or-flight response.

Each ice bath immersion trains your body and brain to better handle the daily stresses of life. This reaction also reduces the formation of inflammatory cytokines, which contribute to anxiety and depression. The initial temperature shock hits the body hard, but after that, the body adapts, calms down, and adapts to increased resilience to any environmental changes.

Your mental form also undergoes strenuous challenges when you expose your body to all these stimuli and stresses. But with the challenge comes stamina, which makes your body more resilient and more adaptable to future challenges.

According to research, training the vagus nerve significantly improves your body’s overall adaptation to stress and any challenging situations you encounter. The vagus system is connected to the parasympathetic nervous system, which makes it crucial to your overall body functionality.

4. Improving immunity

Ice baths expose your body to colder temperatures, which is great for improved metabolism and immunity. When exposed to colder temperatures, your body changes the performance of your fat cells. You have two types of fat cells: white and brown.

White fat cells are the unhealthy kind, while brown fat cells are the ones you need for better metabolism and overall health. The brown fat cell tissues are responsible for converting energy into heat through a process referred to as thermogenesis.

As a result, your body enjoys improved metabolism and an eliminated weight gain risk. One proven way to trigger this reaction is to immerse your body in cold water, as such ice baths are believed to effectively improve your overall metabolism, maintain a healthy weight, and boost your immunity.

Want to fight the flu? Immersing yourself in an ice bath could just be the solution you are looking for. You don’t need to take supplements or vitamins every time you catch a cold. 

Controlled hypoxia, which refers to an ice bath dip combined with various breathing mechanisms, activates adrenaline (your body’s stress hormone) to initiate an adaptation reaction to your immune system.

When your body senses stress, it goes over and beyond to maintain normal function and resultantly improves your overall immunity.

5. Boosting your overall sports performance

Cold water is known for its cooling effects on the body. As such, ice baths are a perfect pre-cooling technique for athletes.

If you are scheduled to take a cross-country run in a rather hot and humid environment, for example, immersing yourself in an ice bath should moderate the adverse effects of the heat and humidity.

In turn, you will experience improved performance. You don’t want to be gasping for breath and worrying about extreme temperatures while racing, as such use ice bath therapy to reduce your body temperature and promote your performance.

6. Preparing your body for subsequent workouts

Ice baths have a healing and therapeutic effect on your body. As such, it is a great way to recover your full body potential when in between workouts.

After an effective ice bath plunge, you will realize that your muscles are more relaxed, and without the pain, you would normally experience post-workout.

As such, they allow you to start your next set of exercises with a fully recovered body. It is the best way to exercise your full potential, especially during competitions.

7. Cooling down the body and limiting the risk of injury

When you are about to start a workout routine or get into a competition, having your body at a cooler temperature than normal gives you an added advantage. It helps with sweating, keeps your mind sharper, and even limits you from running out of breath quickly. As such, you are positioned to perform better than if your body was at normal temperature.

Hard to believe that ice baths lower the risk of injury, right? Well, here’s the logic. An ice bath helps your muscles and overall body to make full recovery after the stress of working out.

As such, taking on another workout challenge is easier since your body is completely recuperated and apt, which makes it difficult to suffer an injury. It would be a different case if you had opted to avoid an ice bath altogether.

Advantages and disadvantages of ice baths

We have covered why we need ice baths, which are also the advantages. Let’s have a quick look at the same below, and also mention a few cons of this type of therapy.

Advantages

  • Ice baths help numb pain
  • They help you sleep better
  • They improve your immunity and lower the risk of getting sick
  • Improves your mood
  • Help your mind stay sharp and focused
  • Reduce inflammation
  • They heal muscle tears and damage
  • They reduce stress
  • Eliminate the risk of injury

Disadvantages

  • If you have tight or stiff muscles, they may feel worse after an ice bath
  • Ice baths are likely to decrease the efficiency of strength training
  • You run the risk of hypothermia simply by sitting in an ice bath
  • If you have any heart condition, avoid ice baths as they can be dangerous to your health

What is the perfect ice bath temperature?

A proper ice bath temperature should range between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the ideal temperature to effectively deliver therapeutic effects to your body within the duration of your immersion. You also don’t want it to be colder than this as it could have some negative effects on your skin, by may be causing you to have frostbite or worse.

How to take an ice bath?

If you are taking your ice bath at home and alone, it is important to take some safety measures to ensure that you are doing it correctly. Follow the steps below to ensure your bath is both safe and effective:

  • Fill your bathtub with cold water
  • Position your after-bath garments so that you can easily reach them from the tub
  • Choose proper attire for your ice bath. To keep your skin safe and protected remember to wear some clothes. For example, you can wear a sweatshirt and some shorts to keep your torso warm while your lower body is immersed
  • Set an alarm to alert you when the time is over
  • Get into the ice bath
  • Allow your lower body to remain immersed for the preferred duration (don’t overstay in the tub)
  • Get out of the tub and warm up. For a faster warm-up, take a warm drink

Are ice baths good for you?

There’s no sure way to say either yes or no. Therefore, the best way to know whether or not ice baths are for you is to try them. Before you get started on this test, remember that they are not for the faint-hearted.

Sitting in one can be extremely painful and can even lead to hypothermia or frostbite. If it is your first time in an ice bath, remember to limit exposure. It is best not to exceed 15 minutes in the tab. Still, that could be a very long time, so the best way forward is to listen to your body.

If within the first few minutes your body hasn’t numbed up and you are still experiencing pain it could be a good idea to just get out of the tub or add some water to your bath. You could also notice that your body is getting too tired or your skin has started to change color.

In either case, it is advisable to get out of the tub. Never fail to listen to your body, it knows what is good for you.

If you have any underlying conditions, for example, if you suffer from cardiovascular disease, don’t get into an ice bath tab. If you must, seek the guidance of your doctor. Also, never get into the tub alone, always ensure that you have someone nearby, especially for the first few times. 

Never go into the tub completely naked if you are new to the experience. Having some clothes on should help shield your sensitive areas. Finally, only immerse your lower body into the tab.

What’s the recommended time to sit in an ice bath?

The recommended time to sit in an ice bath varies from one person to the next. It could be as little as 5 minutes, up to an hour, or even longer. It all depends on your body and whether you are new to ice bath therapy or not.

For a beginner, 5 minutes to start is ideal, and you can gradually increase the time as you grow in the practice. The most important part of it all is to listen to your body. If the initial jolt of pain does not subside within the first 5 minutes, get out of the tub and try again next time.

Normally, your body should go numb within those first 5 minutes, so the real task is always enduring the initial change in temperature. Once you manage to feel comfortable with a 5-minute therapy, you can now increase your ice bath duration by 5 or 10 minutes. Make these gradual increments, until your body is strong enough to withstand an hour in the ice-cold tub.

While you know that you can work yourself up to longer periods in an ice bath, you need to understand that the challenge is enduring the first few minutes of each bath. The moment you immerse your body into an ice bath, your system experiences a certain degree of shock, and it takes a couple of minutes for you to acclimatize to the new temperatures.

This effect is one that you will always experience even after practicing ice bath therapy for a while. Just always breathe through it, and let the ice numb your muscles; after that, it becomes a lot easier.

Are you interested in an ice bath, but worried because you don’t work out? That’s a non-issue. Yes, ice baths are common among athletes, and understandably so due to the numerous positive effects, they have on the body and their overall performance.

However, that does not limit the use of ice baths to athletes only, anyone can enjoy the benefits of this super therapy. Just always remember to practice caution, for example, by starting with shorter immersion periods and gradually working your way to longer durations. When done properly and safely, an ice bath immersion will help you feel better both inside and out.

Conclusion

Now that you have it all cleared out, it is time for you to incorporate ice baths into your workout routine. You know now how effective these baths are, it is time for you to test them out and experience the benefits on a personal level.

Gina Alvarez

Content Creator at Always Ful

Myself Gina Alvarez. I am a Creative Wordmonger & Content Creator of Always Ful. ...

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