Ice baths are trending everywhere right now. And there is a good reason for that to happen. But it is not a new invention. Already the Greeks and Romans have reportedly practiced in ice bathing. What has changed in the last three thousand years, is that almost everyone can have an Ice Bath on their terrace. Everyone knows the feeling of stinging pain, when entering water that is just a little too cold. So we need to ask why would anyone want to do this? Submerging your body in a cold body of water, also known as Cryotherapy, is known to have positive effects on health. And before the Greeks and Romans knew of the positive physiological and psychological effects, it was used to relax. Yes, to relax.
Benefits of Ice Baths like Lumi Ice Baths
Reduction of Pain and Inflammation
Ice baths numb pain receptors and bring down inflammation. This is interesting not only for people who do sports but also for patients with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. The cold water can help reduce swellings and reduce discomfort for people after training.
Ice Tub Bathing helps to lower Body Temperature
Quite obviously, ice bath reduce temperature. For some people with very high temperatures, such as marathon runners, it is important to regulate the temperature. This can be achieved via Ice baths. It is also a very common practice to use Ice Baths after the Sauna. This change in temperature is considered healthy, but it should be seen with caution. Sudden big changes in temperature can also have negative effects on the body.
Focus and Meditation like Wim Hof
When applying meditation approaches such as the Wim Hof Method: Breathing, Focus and Controlled expose to the cold, then the body is exposed to unnatural conditions that can have a positive effect on stress and on sleep. Overall, it can strengthen the psychological stability and improve mental capacity. This is only true when following the instructions of such methods carefully. Challenging oneself beyond individual capacity is not healthy.
Cold Plunge helps Central Nervous System
Ice baths can help improve health conditions by supporting the central nervous system. This can further reduce fatigue, and it would help people to get through their day less tired and with more energy. It can further help improve response rate or reaction time and thus increase the energy levels for workouts.
Placebo Effect of Cold Ice Water Immersion
While there are some indications of the benefits of ice baths, scientists argue that some benefits do not go beyond what is known as Placebo. The research on ice bathing is also limited, and the human body is complex. There is no doubt that using ice baths has some positive effects. Nonetheless, caution should always be taken.
Risks of using an Ice Bath
Ice baths are not healthy for everyone. When you have:
- high blood pressure
- cardiovascular disease
- sensitivity
or are:
- pregnant
- a child
then you should skip the ice bath practice. Further, it is important for everyone to take the duration of an ice bath into consideration. Sometimes more is less. But most of the time, stinging pain will stop you from an unhealthy time period in an ice bath.
