It’s the year 471 BC. You feel the comforting slap of your cowhide leather sandals on the soles of your feet as you walk. You make your way past a crowd bustling to get a glimpse of the biweekly Chariot race completing a lap around the Hippodrome of Athens. The sun beats down on you as you count the steps until you reach your local bath house, ready and raring for a refreshing dip in the icy waters.
A lot has changed since the time of Socrates, woven sandals have been replaced by Chunky studded Crocs, we bathe more than thrice in our lives and Chariot racing is less commonplace. Ice baths, however, have stood the test of time.
Plunges into baths of icy water were not uncommon in ancient Greece or Rome as they were understood to provide reems of health benefits. Thermalism, as it was known, was used to help ease muscle fatigue and other ailments in addition to being a cleansing practice.
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Not for the faint hearted, ‘cold water immersion’, or as it is commonly known, ‘ice baths’, may seem extreme but the short-term pain for long-term gain is celebrated by many. Building mental strength, speeding muscle recovery, stress reduction and more are some of the research-backed benefits
Read on for 4 surprising Ice Bath Benefits.
Builds mental strength and boosts mood
Some may be familiar with the Dutch Ice man, known as Wim Hoff. Consisting of cold water immersion for set periods of time, the Wim Hoff method is said to reward practitioners with maximum energy, restful sleep, an uncluttered headspace, and a host of other benefits.
Hoff’s stoic approach to using cold immersion therapy to experience pain helped him deal with grief and build tolerance. His practice has a cult following who swear by it.
But what does the research say?
A recent study titled Improved mood following a single immersion in cold water, found Cold-water immersion is a well-tolerated therapy that is capable of significantly improving mood in young, fit, and healthy individuals. 42 participants were examined in the study, taking part in cold water immersions of up to 20 minutes. There were 22 control subjects.
The results of the study were as follows: The cold-water immersion group showed a decrease in feelings of tension, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion compared to both their state before immersion and compared to the control group. The cold-water immersion group showed an increase in vigour and esteem-related effect after the immersion compared to before and compared to the control group.
These findings do not stand alone. Separate research conducted by Huttunen et al. and Massey et al. point to the same conclusions. Cold water immersion can act to improve mood.
Speeds Muscle Recovery
Exerting stress on the muscles by strenuous exercise or overstretching causes microtrauma and tears in the muscles. These tears take time to heal and ice baths can speed up the process according to an article published in Sports Medicine.
Examining the Impact of cold water Immersion or ice baths compared with passive recovery following a single bout of strenuous exercise, the article produced some interesting findings. It was discovered that cold-water immersion is more likely to positively influence muscular power performance, muscle soreness, serum creatine kinase, and perceived recovery after high-intensity exercise when compared with a passive recovery.
Boosts the immune system and metabolism
Research published in the National Library of Medicine found that the stress-inducing non-infectious stimuli of repeated cold water immersions, increased the metabolic rate of test subjects due to shivering. The article deliberates that the elevated blood concentrations of catecholamines, activated the immune system to a slight extent.
Whilst the biological significance of the changes observed remains to be elucidated other scientific literature could highlight the link between regular cold water immersion and an immune system boost.
Former medical doctor, health writer and BBC presenter, Dr Michael Mosley examines the results of a Randomized Controlled Trial conducted in the Netherlands; The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work.
3,018 people were recruited and then randomly allocated either to having a cold shower every morning for a month, or to a control group who continued as normal. A flu outbreak over the following winter proved to be a chance test of their immune systems and it was found that those people having cold showers were 30% less cent less likely to take time off for sickness than those in a control group.
Stress Reduction
Perceived stress levels are closely associated with measures of cardiac autonomic function, such as heart rate and heart rate variability, as detailed in a Science Direct published article.
A 2018 Randomised control trial, the Effects of Cold Stimulation on Cardiac-Vagal Activation in Healthy Participants, found cold stimulation at the lateral neck region results in higher heart rate variability and lower heart rate than in control conditions. This study sets the stage for further investigations of stress reduction potential using cold stimulation in the neck region.
A 2021 studypublished in the US National Library of Medicine highlights that there is developing evidence to suggest that open cold water swimming could have an impact on depression and anxiety. Whilst the results of the study are yet to be published, the text emphasises that cold water may have an impact on the inflammatory system which has been linked to depression.
Incorporating ice baths into your wellness routine can offer a myriad of benefits for your body and mind, and the experts at Pod Company have a helpful guide on how many ice baths a week can be safely integrated into your regimen to maximise the advantages of this invigorating cold therapy
Want to try an ice bath? Go and check out your local Recovery Lab studio
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