Are you looking for a quick activity that can relieve your pain, improve your mood and energize your day? An ice bath may be just what you need. While the suggestion to "take a cold shower" was once intended to cool feelings of desire, we now understand that almost everyone can benefit from cooling off in a bath.
Also known as cold water immersion, ice baths are exactly what they sound like: a very cold bath, made so with ice or icy water. In general, the water temperature is between 0°C and 15°C. They are very popular these days, both in the wellness and sports communities.
Why do so many people love ice baths, and are they right for you? Let's find out.
Warning
Before you jump into ice water, you want to make sure you are a suitable candidate for an ice bath. Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist in NYC and director of Comprehend the Mind, says they should be avoided by those with cardiovascular conditions, respiratory conditions, and pregnant women.
Additionally, people taking certain medications are not suitable because medications can interact with your body's ability to regulate temperature. "Medications that affect blood pressure, heart rate, or blood clotting may pose risks during ice baths," she says.
How Ice Baths Work
Immersing yourself in cold water lowers your body temperature, forcing your body to work hard afterwards to bring the temperature back to a stable state. While this may seem dangerous — and excessive exposure to cold is indeed dangerous except in a safely controlled, timed environment — it actually provides many emotional and physical benefits.
The act of immersing yourself in an ice bath triggers several physiological responses. Dr. Hafeez explains that there are three main occurrences: your metabolic rate increases, brown adipose tissue is activated, and hormones are released.
Increased metabolic rate occurs when your body increases its metabolic rate to generate more heat. “This may involve processes such as shivering, which produce muscle contractions generating heat as a byproduct,” says Hafeez.
The activation of brown adipose tissue, also known as BAT (for “Brown Adipose Tissue”), is directly linked to exposure to cold. “Brown adipose tissue, or brown fat, is a type of adipose tissue specialized for heat generation,” explains Hafeez. She says exposure to cold temperatures can activate BAT, producing heat through thermogenesis. “This helps maintain body temperature in cold environments,” she adds.
The release of hormones is why people feel a "boost" or "high" when they take an ice bath or cold shower. “Exposure to cold triggers the release of hormones like adrenaline and norepinephrine, which play a role in increasing heart rate, blood pressure and metabolic rate,” says Hafeez. “These hormonal responses help the body adapt to cold stress and maintain internal temperature homeostasis,” she adds.
Hafeez tells us that ice baths have gained popularity in wellness and sports circles for the reasons mentioned above, as well as the fact that they are considered mental resilience training.
“Enduring the discomfort of cold immersion requires discipline and mental strength, qualities that can translate to other areas of life.” —DR. SANAM HAFEEZ
“The visibility of this trend has been significantly increased by endorsements from celebrities, athletes and influencers on social media, which has amplified its appeal to a wider audience,” she explains.
Mental, Emotional and Physical Benefits of Ice Baths
Ice baths may seem difficult due to the physical discomfort, but the mental and emotional benefits make them very valuable.
"As someone living in Los Angeles who tends to avoid going outside if the temperature drops below 15°C, I regularly brave the cold to soak in an ice bath because I enjoy the effects so much." she says.
Mental
Increasing your resilience is one of the mental benefits of cold dips, but there are others. Endorphins can also make you feel better directly.
“The release of endorphins from cold exposure can elevate mood and induce relaxation and euphoria ,” says Hafeez, who notes that “this natural mood enhancement promotes a sense of calm and clarity mental, allowing individuals to temporarily escape from sources of stress and experience an increased state of well-being."
"I find ice baths invigorating and love the way they make me feel immune to stress. They can also promote better rest and improve the quality of your sleep."
Emotional
Ice baths can generate an overall improved emotional state. “The controlled environment of an ice bath allows individuals to practice emotional regulation techniques, such as deep breathing and mindfulness,” says Hafeez.
She notes that these techniques can then be applied to other areas of your life, and can improve your emotional resilience as well as your sense of emotional well-being. Cold therapies such as ice baths also stimulate your vagus nerve, which is responsible for regulating your parasympathetic nervous system . Vagus nerve stimulation practices can help us feel calmer and happier.
Physical
We all know that when you get injured, applying ice is the first step. Thanks to ice's ability to reduce inflammation, immersing yourself in ice water can also improve your body's inflammatory response after a workout. This is why it is so popular among athletes, as it can help improve muscle recovery times and make the recovery process smoother.
In turn, this can improve athletic performance and endurance. Ice baths may also play a role in strengthening the immune system by increasing white blood cell counts . Not to mention the well-known links between physical and mental health.
Tips for taking an ice bath safely
Once confirmed that you are fit for an ice bath, be aware that it will likely take some time to get used to a "full" ice bath, which is usually around five minutes. Some people stay for up to 15 minutes, but this should only be done by those who have a lot of experience with this practice.
It is not necessary to start with a bath in the temperature range of 0°C-15°C. Instead, Hafeez suggests that "you can start with cool water and gradually decrease the temperature or increase the duration of exposure as you get used to the cold."
Plus, you don't need to plan on staying in the water for a full five minutes. Just as you can gradually increase (or, well, decrease) the temperature, you can do the same over time. If you only last 30 seconds the first time, it's still a win! Gradually increase your time and reduce the temperature, staying a few seconds longer and a few degrees lower each time.
Before you begin, it helps to have a digital thermometer on hand to know the temperature of your water. If you live somewhere very cold and are doing this in winter, you may not even need ice, as the tap water might be in the 5-10°C range.
Conversely, if you live in a warmer area or the weather is hot, you will want to have a few large bags of ice on hand or even better a compressor or "Chiller" to cool your tap water.
The hardest part of an ice bath is, of course, how cold it is, and how much you have to fight your instincts to jump out once you're in. Hafeez recommends focusing on your breathing to overcome this.
"Practice deep breathing and relaxation techniques to help manage discomfort and stay calm during the ice bath. Deep, slow breaths can help regulate your body's response to cold stress and reduce feelings of anxiety or tension."
Hafeez also recommends distractions to help you cope with the cold. "Occupy your mind with activities or distractions to distract your attention from the feeling of cold. Listening to music, practicing mindfulness, or visualizing positive images can help distract your attention and make the experience more bearable."
You can also start in the shower, switching the water from hot to cold for a few tens of seconds. This is a much quicker way to prepare your body for the feeling of cold because it doesn't require a separate activity, and it can be excellent preparation for an ice bath.
I've discovered that, despite my generally calm temperament, submerging myself in freezing water makes me quite noisy. I allow myself to scream and yell as much as I need to. Once I've been in it for a while, I find counting incredibly useful. I increased my time in ice baths and cold showers by counting to 10, then 50, then 100. Now I stop around 400.
Conclusione
Ice baths provide strong mental, emotional and physical benefits, including speeding up muscle recovery time and improving your emotional well-being. Taking one is as simple as taking a bath, but is likely to feel much less comfortable than a hot bath.
For this reason, you will want to prepare for it, by slowly reducing the temperature and increasing your immersion time. Ice baths aren't for everyone, so before trying one, make sure you're fit to do so safely. Once you have confirmed that this is the right activity for you, you will be able to enjoy a truly refreshing time.
