Advantages and disadvantages of ice baths on the body and mind
It’s 10 in the morning and cross country practice has just ended, senior Finn Christiansen enters his garage and opens the white chest freezer. Sinking into the 50-degree water, this is where Finn will brave the cold stinging water for 5 brutal minutes.
“It allows me to practice discipline and willpower because it’s tough getting in there in the morning,” said Christiansen.
Because Finn does distance running, ice baths can help immensely with the stress it puts on his muscles. Similarly, Junior basketball player Addi Mack has been taking ice baths for 5 years.
“Right after I get out of the ice bath I already feel a lot better,” said Mack.
Last year Mack was able to take her baths at school but this access was cut short during summer. Now Mack goes home and throws a couple of ice buckets in her tub instead.
“In a way, I feel going home is more beneficial because it gives my muscles time to settle,” said Mack.
Ice baths have gained popularity among premier athletes because of their noticeable benefits. But this does not mean that High school athletes like Christiansen and Mack can’t do them as well.
Currently, the research on ice bath benefits is limited, but the media has often claimed that the idea of ice baths is a placebo effect, not really benefiting the body in any way. On the contrary, scientists have pushed to find answers to this so-called “healing effect.”
A National Public Radio project looked into ice baths and their impacts, publishing an article in November 2023 labeled. Their findings included:
- The effects of cold water exposure can vary depending on how long, what temperature, and how often. This large variety of evidence makes it hard to release a generalized statement.
- Cold water exposure has been proven to regulate blood sugar through building insulin sensitivity. But this includes the push for shivering; when you shiver your muscles are in use, causing responses that are similar to physically working out. In a way the cold further acts as its own workout.
- Small evidence has also shown that cold plunging can keep you from getting sick, papers have exhibited changes in white blood cells, showing that furthermore, the immune system could be more prepared to fight off an infection.
- Cold water can help to lower chronic inflammation, but it’s often tricky to know that it actually is chronic inflammation. Mark Harper, an anesthesiologist, ran a trial with 700 outdoor swimmers and found that a quarter of them used it for chronic conditions.
- Cold water immersion can boost your mood. A study showed that after 40 people took ice baths they instantly felt an increase in mood. Dopamine levels do increase in the cold but it is hard to know its effect on your organs.
- Cold temperatures can help you to control your response to stress by training your autonomic nervous system. This is because cold water makes your fight or flight kick in; Immersing your body in cold water can help to adapt your body and in turn teach it to be less activated.
- Ice baths can help to reduce soreness after working out but it can also stunt the muscle growth you just built up. This is not a bad thing, but more something you should be aware of if you are trying to build muscle mass.
- Cold plunging can give you brown fat superpowers which help to keep our bodies warm by soaking up large amounts of glucose and fatty acids. Research has shown that adults with more brown fat in their tissue are less prone to developing metabolic disorders.
In addition, motivational speakers like Wim Hof have spoken out about the topic. According to Hof’s website called Cold Water Immersion ice bathing can have great health benefits.
“Cold Water Immersion boosts the cardiovascular circulation, which is beneficial for a healthy heart, a strong immune system, well-balanced mental health, and a high level of energy,” Hof said.
Through Hof’s material and various stories of people’s journeys, he has in turn helped many athletes wade into this new technique of healing. Christiansen has been greatly impacted by Hof, and has in turn integrated ice baths in his day-to-day life,
“I first read his book and got really motivated by the kind of stuff it’s done for people and the kind of benefits he’s seen come from ice baths,” said Christiansen.
Many athletes have experienced the benefits of taking an ice bath after training. Mack takes ice baths every couple of weeks to soothe her pain,
“It really helps to relieve the soreness in my legs from practice,” said Mack.
Ice baths have been seen to reduce muscle pain greatly in an article from womensrunning.com they add that ice baths can decrease muscle soreness by up to 20%.
Not only can this immersion relieve pain, it can also improve your mood almost instantly. This is because it has been proven that cold water can soothe the vagus nerve. This nerve plays a big role in delivering sensory information to your central nervous system.
“Ice baths can be helpful after hard practices when everything is sore and can help with recovery the next day,” said MA athletic trainer Kristen Fosness.
Although Ice baths can be very helpful, there is a catch. Cold therapy is not a great choice after weightlifting because it slows blood flow and in turn stunts muscle growth.
“You’re not getting all those proteins that you need to build muscles,” said Fosness. “ So it actually slows down the muscle-building process.”
This is nothing to be afraid of but something you should keep in mind after working out or heavy lifting.
“I think a better option to get rid of the lactic acid or the soreness is to hop on a stationary bike,” said Fosness. “It acts as a mechanical pump for your blood flow and flushes the lactic acid more effectively.”
In addition, depending on the temperature and the length of time you spend in the water, this process can lead to certain risks related to the body’s health. Some of these risks include hypothermia, cold shock response, and more.
In all ice baths can be beneficial when performed correctly. If you are looking to try this at home here are some tips:
- Keep the temperature around 50°F
- Stay in no longer than 5 minutes (10 if you are more advanced)
- Listen to your body and know when it’s time to get out!
“I continue to do ice baths mainly because of how good they make me feel,” said Christiansen.
