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Thrills and Chills: Transforming Ice Baths From Frightening to Fulfilling

Cold plunges, or ice baths, are a form of cryotherapy that is becoming a more common practice in today’s world of health and fitness. However, jumping into an ice bath with temperatures between 48 and 59 degrees can be scary, but if you face this fear head on, then you can reap these health benefits:

 

benefit 1- Reduce Inflammation and Swelling – Ice baths narrow your blood vessels which decreases blood flow to your muscles which may reduce inflammation and swelling.

benefit 2- Relieve Sore Muscles & Aids Exercise Recovery – Taking an ice bath may help relieve sore muscles as less inflammation and slower nerve signaling can mean less pain. In addition, when you get out of the ice bath, your blood vessels dilate (reopen), which increases circulation. When the nutrient rich blood flows back to your muscles, it helps remove metabolic waste that builds up during exercise.

benefit 3- Support Immunity – A small study on hydrotherapy by Mooventhan & Nivethitha (2014) in the North American Journal of Medical Sciences found that people who combined cold water immersion, breathing, and meditation had fewer bacterial infections compared to those who did not.

benefit 4- Improve Mental Health – Taking four ice baths a week can lead to less stress, anxiety, and depression. Scientists believe that lowering your body temperature via cold plunges activates the nervous system by triggering a controlled stress response. These changes may help individuals adapt to stress over time and improve your mood.

Preparing an ice bath is the easy part. Fill a bathtub with tepid water and bags of ice until the temperature reaches 50-59 degrees. (Use a thermometer to check the temperature.) Step into the bath waist down or neck down. It typically helps to ease into cryotherapy by starting with higher temperatures (55-59 degrees) waist down and gradually making the baths colder each time. Stay in the tub for 5 to 10 minutes. Staying in too long can cause hypothermia so it is important that you set a timer. Your fingers and toes will be uncomfortable and you may want to keep them out of the water to endure the cold temperature longer. Get out of the tub carefully and dry off thoroughly.

Cold water plunges may pose a risk to people with certain conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or circulatory problems such as peripheral artery disease, so speak to your healthcare provider prior to taking your first plunge.

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