Cold water immersion has gained popularity, with celebrities like LeBron James and Madonna attributing their enhanced health and faster muscle recovery to ice baths. But does deliberately exposing yourself to intense cold truly have health benefits?
New research indicates that cold showers, ice baths and similar practices could offer advantages for both mind and body. However, it’s possible to overdo it -- and cold therapy isn’t suitable for everyone.
Cold therapy: What is it?
Using cold temperatures for healing isn’t a new concept. Dating back to Hippocrates, ancient healers recognized the restorative powers of cold. In ancient Greece, cold water was used to boost energy and relieve pain. In the 1960s, cold-water immersion was introduced scientifically for post-exercise recovery.
Cryotherapy can take many forms:
- Cold showers that last five to 10 minutes at temperatures between 50-59 degrees
- Cold sprays that numb targeted, small areas
- Ice baths, where the body is submerged from the neck down in cold water
- Ice packs applied locally to treat pain or injury
- Whole-body cryotherapy, performed in specialized facilities where the body is exposed to extremely cold vapor inside a chamber
Advantages of cryotherapy
Temporary exposure to physical stressors like ice baths may activate the body’s natural healing processes, according to Henry Ford Health.
Advocates say cold therapy offers several health and wellness benefits, including that:
- It alleviates soreness in muscles. Research indicates that spending five to 15 minutes in chilled water (50-59 degrees) can ease muscle soreness after exercise. However, using ice for muscle recovery remains controversial and may not always be ideal.
- It boosts immunity. Although research is limited, some studies suggest cold exposure activates innate immune defenses. Some findings hint that cold exposure might increase brown fat, which burns more calories than white fat.
- It is mood-enhancing. Cold exposure triggers the body’s fight-flight-or-freeze response. While this might sound negative, once you emerge from the cold, your relaxation response kicks in. The result: a boost in feel-good endorphins that can elevate mood and increase energy and alertness.
- It reduces inflammation. Cold treatments seem to decrease inflammation, potentially easing inflammation-related pain and swelling. Evidence also shows cold showers can reduce pain and inflammation in people who suffer from inflammatory arthritis.
- It stimulates the metabolism. Some limited studies suggest cold showers and ice baths improve circulation and activate metabolism -- the process that converts food into energy. The theory is that shivering to maintain warmth can stimulate the body’s fat-burning mechanisms.
How to enjoy the benefits -- without the shock
For most healthy people, the biggest challenge with cold-water immersion is simply enduring the shock of freezing water. But the key is that you don’t need to spend long periods in icy water to reap benefits.
A practical way to start is by finishing your showers with cold water. Begin with one minute and gradually increase to five minutes.
Feeling adventurous? Try a bathtub filled with cold water (around 60 degrees) and slowly add ice. According to Henry Ford Health, you should be sure the temperature doesn’t fall below 53 degrees, as it could lead to hypothermia or cold shock. You can soak for five to eight minutes, but you shouldn’t exceed 10 minutes.
If you have circulation problems, heart or lung conditions, diabetes or Raynaud’s syndrome, it’s wise to avoid cold therapy.