Consider it short-term pain for long-term gain.

Do you exercise regularly? There are so many reasons to take an ice bath. Image: iStockSource:BodyAndSoul

Thanks to cryotherapy and the Wim Hof method, cold water immersion is having a moment. Ben Seymour, athlete, coach and partner at Recovery Lab, explains why both athletes and amateurs can benefit from a post-exercise ice bath.

You don’t need to be an athlete to benefit from an ice bath. At face value, we know cold water immersion helps to relieve inflamed and fatigued muscles. But more surprisingly, it’s also great for your mental health, immune system and metabolism, and it could even help you get a better night’s sleep.

Ready to dive in? Here are five benefits of taking an ice bath.

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For years, athletes and fitness enthusiasts have sworn by jumping into the cold ocean or taking a cold shower post-workout to help their muscles recover. This is because when you work out strenuously, your muscles get little micro-tears. The adaptation happens in the recovery phase, which is why eating a protein-rich diet and incorporating things such as foam rolling and cold-water immersion is handy.

Your blood vessels constrict when they are in cold water which decreases metabolic activity, reducing tissue breakdown and swelling. Then when your body is no longer in the cold water, there is a faster return of blood flow to the lymph system, which helps your body flush out the metabolic waste built up during a workout. Evidence has also suggested that it can reduce inflammation in the muscles which can then reduce the likelihood of muscle soreness.

Even if you are not big on tough workouts, ice baths are beneficial for your muscles regardless, so if you are struggling with aches and pains from being desk-bound or carrying a kid around all day, it may be for you.

As cold water immersion helps to reduce muscle soreness, it is essentially speeding up the recovery process and helping reduce your risk of injury. As your muscles are more or less recovered, you will start your next workout in a fresher state, which should help limit the odds of getting injured.

Meditation, mindfulness and breath work have been trending of late, and for good reason as these practices are so important for your mind, stress and cortisol levels. While ice baths might sound like the least relaxing thing on the planet, they may have some surprising benefits for your mental health and mindset.

Why? Because you are forced to focus on your breathing and your resolve. Some may even turn to meditation to distract themselves so they can get through it. Adaptation and resilience are important for anyone to have, and pulling out all the stops, tricks and techniques to get you there is beneficial to your overall wellness.

Cryotherapy is where you are in a chamber that goes to minus 200 degrees for 2-3 minutes. Image: iStockSource:BodyAndSoul

The cleansing nature of ice baths, in that they flush out the toxins in the lymphatic system once you are out of the cold water, can calm your nervous system. This will help reduce fatigue and may improve your sleep quality.

A recent Australian study conducted using 11 male cyclists found that evening exercise followed by an ice bath improved sleep quality due to the decrease in temperature the cyclists found after the ice bath. It found that having the ice bath at least one hour before bed helped them get to sleep faster, and they slept more restfully.

Dr Michel Mosely wrote an extensive article on cold water immersion and how even he has started taking cold showers regularly. Aside from it perking you up, Dr Mosely referenced a Dutch study published in 2016 where 3,018 people were recruited online and told to have a cold shower every morning for 30, 60 or 90 seconds. As a result of this study, they found that those taking cold showers were 30 per cent less likely to catch the flu that was going around at the time.

Ice baths are somewhat less intense than cryotherapy, but as you stay in there longer, it may require more grit. Cryotherapy is where you are in a chamber that goes to minus 200 degrees for 2-3 minutes. An ice bath is less Arctic, however as it is wet and it will feel very cold. Studies suggest that you should fully immerse yourself into the ice bath for 5-15 minutes and that should be the maximum that you go in for. Unlike with Win Hof, we don’t recommend going for a run after, instead allow your body to thermoregulate itself and then rest and recover.

Ben Seymour is an athlete, coach and partner at Recovery Lab. Learn more about Recovery Lab’s ice bath recovery sessions here.

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