Ice Bath Benefits

Read on to discover a range of ice bath benefits and learn how cold an ice bath should be, how often to take it, and for how long.

An ice bath, also known as cold water therapy or cryotherapy, is the practice of immersing your body in a tub filled with ice or ice water for a short period. It’s commonly used for recovery after sports and physical exercise as it helps increase circulation, bringing more oxygenated blood to tired muscles.

After intense exercise, you may experience delayed-onset muscular soreness (DOMS) in the following 24 to 48 hours. This is because your workout causes micro-tears in your muscles, resulting in inflammation.

Ice baths can effectively reduce inflammation and promote faster recovery while minimising the risk of muscle soreness and injury. When you step out of an ice bath, your blood vessels constrict before dilating, helping flush away any metabolic waste.

Dipping your body into an ice bath triggers the release of norepinephrine. This is a neurotransmitter of the brain which plays a crucial role in regulating stress reactions and can help reduce anxiety when released.

Additionally, ice baths improve mental strength. Taking the plunge the first few times is difficult, pushing your body to the limit, but you build resilience the more you do it.

Scientific studies have also explored the benefits of cold showers for mental health, with some intriguing results. Participants who committed to taking daily cold showers for several months reported a decrease in depression symptoms.

When you take an ice bath, your body switches into survival mode, doing everything it can to keep its core temperature. As a result, your blood circulation increases, ensuring that freshly oxygenated blood is distributed around the body, including those tired muscles after exercise. The increased circulation contributes to faster recovery.

Ice baths are also thought to aid sleep quality and patterns by calming the central nervous system. This has a knock-on effect, as better-quality sleep can also help muscles recover.

Ice baths help muscle recovery, which could increase sporting performance. The faster your muscles recover from an intense workout, the quicker you’ll be able to perform at your optimal levels the next time you participate in your chosen sporting activity.

The water in an ice bath should be between 10ºC and 15ºC (or 50°F and 60°F).

If you’re a beginner, you may want to start a little above 15ºC so that you can acclimatise to the cold conditions. As you get more used to them, you can begin dipping in at colder temperatures.

Once you’ve been in an ice bath for 10 to 15 minutes, exit slowly, pick up your towel, and dry yourself off. Put on your clothes and begin warming yourself up naturally—this could be by walking around, doing some light stretches, or doing yoga.

Taking an ice bath can lead to tiredness in the short term. If you’re feeling a bit sleepy, grab something light to eat to boost your energy.

Check out Mira’s bathing range if you’re looking to invest in a new bath or shopping for replacement bath panels.