The Benefits of Cold Water Therapy and How to Start Near You
Cold water immersion therapy has become an increasingly popular way to aid post-workout recovery, reduce inflammation, boost mood, and even support weight loss. The practice involves brief exposure to cold water temperatures through methods like ice baths, cold showers, or cryotherapy. Research shows that cold water therapy provides a variety of scientifically-backed health and wellness benefits. For those looking to give it a try, there are likely many convenient options for cold water treatments near you.
What is Cold Water Therapy?
Cold water therapy, sometimes known as cold hydrotherapy, refers to any practice that involves applying cold water to the body for health benefits. It typically consists of either partial immersion in cold water or exposure to cold temperatures by other means. Some examples of cold water therapy modalities include:
- Ice baths - Immersing part of the body, like legs or torso, in cold water ranging from 50-60F/10-15C.
- Cold showers - Taking showers with water temperature around 60F/15C.
- Cold pools - Swimming in cold water around 55-65F/12-18C.
- Cryotherapy - Use of an enclosed cryochamber exposing the body to dry, vapored air chilled to subzero temperatures.
- Cold compresses - Applying cold, damp towels to parts of the body.
These methods stimulate the bodys cold receptors, activating your sympathetic nervous system. This triggers a cascade of physical and mental effects that proponents claim offer many benefits.
Proposed Benefits of Cold Water Therapy
Here are some of the ways that cold water immersion is thought to improve health, wellbeing, and performance:
- Post-Workout Recovery - Reduces soreness, repairs muscle damage.
- Injury Healing - Decreases swelling and inflammation for injuries or conditions like arthritis.
- Circulation - Constricts blood vessels and causes them to flush fresh, oxygenated blood through the body once dilated again.
- Immunity - Activation of the sympathetic nervous system releases immune cells.
- Hormone Regulation - Increases release of hormones like norepinephrine and testosterone.
- Fat Burning - Boosts metabolism and could increase brown fat activity resulting in calorie burn.
- Anti-Aging - Tightens skin, reduces appearance of pores, increases collagen.
- Alertness - The cold shock heightens the senses and boosts focus and awareness.
The degree of cold exposure, length of treatment, and individual factors affect the type and extent of benefits. But the stimulation of the bodys stress response to cold appears central to many of the proposed perks.
Is There Research Supporting the Benefits?
Cold water therapy has been used for centuries around the world, but scientific research on its efficacy has expanded in recent decades. Though more gold-standard studies are still needed, early findings indicate cold water immersion and cryotherapy may offer advantages for things like exercise recovery, pain and inflammation, mental health, and weight control.
For example, reviews have concluded that cold water bathing after strength training or high-intensity exercise reduces Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) faster compared to passive rest. This enables quicker recovery for subsequent training.
There is also some evidence that whole body cryotherapy temporarily relieves pain from inflamed joints and muscles related to rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, or exercise. However, effects may only last a couple hours post-treatment.
Initial studies on mental health have found skin cooling to activate areas of the brain involved in processing emotion and executive function. This may contribute to mood enhancement following cold exposure.
While many proposed benefits require further controlled study for confirmation, current research indicates potential advantages, especially for recovery and inflammation.
Is Cold Water Therapy Safe?
Cold water therapy appears relatively safe for most healthy adults when done correctly, but there are some precautions to keep in mind.
- Always check with your doctor before starting, especially if you have any medical conditions or risk factors.
- Avoid treating areas with impaired circulation or that are inflamed or injured.
- Limit head/neck immersion to mitigate risk of pulmonary edema or migraines.
- Dont go straight into an ice bath - gradually cool down your body first.
- Monitor your body temperature and get out if you feel very chilled, confused, or faint.
Start conservatively with shorter durations like 3-5 minutes for an ice bath. Allow your body to gradually adapt as tolerated. Proper precautions, monitoring, and moderation will help keep cold water therapy safe.
Different Methods of Cold Water Therapy
There are a variety of techniques that induce therapeutic cold stress to the body. Each has its own advantages and ideal uses.
Ice Baths
Ice baths involve immersing part of the body into a tub filled with cold water - usually 50-60F/10-15C. They are often used for the legs and hips to target muscles of the lower body.
Benefits of ice baths include:
- Convenient, accessible, and low cost
- Can be tailored to target specific muscle groups
- Allows control of water temperature
- Hydrostatic pressure aids circulation
Downsides are that they only expose a limited body surface area and require appropriate tubs for use.
Cold Showers
Cold showers deliver a full body cold water stimulus by spraying water at chilly temperatures around 50-60F/10-15C. Showers are a quick, easy option accessible to most people.
Cold showers offer benefits like:
- Expose the entire body
- Convenient and easy to implement daily
- Require minimal equipment
Thedownside is having less control over water temperature compared to baths.
Cold Water Swimming
Swimming in cold water such as in a pool, lake, or ocean is an intensive method to reap full body exposure. Optimal water temperature is around 55-65F/12-18C.
Benefits of open cold-water swimming include:
- Submerging the entire body including head and neck
- Natural source of very cold water
- Cardiovascular exercise in addition to hydrotherapy
Downsides are needing access to a suitable body of cold water and risk of accidentally swallowing contaminated water.
Whole Body Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy units expose the entire body to freezing, vaporized air typically around -150C/-238F. Sessions last just 2-3 minutes.
Benefits of cryotherapy include:
- Extremely cold air chilling the entire body
- Consistent, controlled temperatures
- Short duration required
The major downside is the high cost and limited accessibility of cryotherapy chambers.
Implementing Cold Water Therapy
If youre sold on the potential benefits of cold water therapy, here are some tips for getting started:
Gradually Acclimate
Avoid shocking your body by immediately plunging into an ice bath. Start with more moderate temperatures and shorter durations, then work your way down over weeks.
Target Post-Exercise
For exercise recovery, optimal timing appears to be within 15 minutes after your workout. This helps flush waste products and reduce inflammation.
Combine With Sauna
Some evidence suggests alternating cold exposure with heat therapy like saunas boosts circulation and anti-inflammatory effects.
Keep Sessions Brief
Most cold water therapy protocols suggest limiting baths to 10-15 minutes and showers to under 5 minutes. Cryotherapy units are usually 2-3 minutes.
Focus on Exhaling
Consciously breathing out fully during cold exposure activates parasympathetic relaxation after the initial sympathetic spike.
Be Cautious with Head
Limit any full head and neck immersion time to avoid risk of pulmonary edema, migraine, and other issues.
Dry and Warm Up
Quickly dry off and put on warm clothes when exiting to bring core body temperature back up.
Monitor Your Body
Stay alert to any warning signs like shivering, confusion, or dizziness indicating its time to get out.
Record Effects
Track factors like water temp, session length, and impacts on soreness, sleep, etc. to optimize your protocol.
Where to Access Cold Water Therapy
Looking to test out some cold water recovery firsthand? Here are a few places you can likely find cold hydrotherapy options conveniently near you.
Fitness Clubs and Gyms
More gyms and athletic clubs now offer amenities like cold plunge pools, ice baths, or cryotherapy to members as a recovery modality.
Physical Therapy Clinics
Ask your physical therapist - some clinics have cryotherapy or provide cold hydrotherapy as part of injury rehab.
Sports Training Facilities
Pro and college athletic training centers invest in cold water immersion tanks and cryo chambers for their athletes you may be able to access.
Medi-Spas
Spas focused on health, beauty, and wellness sometimes offer services like whole body cryotherapy.
Natural Bodies of Water
Take a dip in a nearby cold lake, stream, or ocean for a natural option if conditions allow.
At Home
Invest in a home ice bath, make some cold packs, or just take cold showers - simple affordable at-home options.
Reaping the Rewards of Cold Exposure
Cold water therapy stands as an intriguing health and wellness intervention backed by an increasing amount of solid science. Evidence to date indicates it can enhance exercise recovery, improve pain and inflammation, burn calories, provide cognitive benefits, and more.
While not a miracle cure-all, cold water immersion offers a relatively accessible, inexpensive therapy with a low barrier to entry and high potential upsides.
With the modern revival of cold therapy, centers offering ice baths, cryochambers, and thermal conditioning now exist in most major metropolitan areas worldwide.
By starting gradually and monitoring your body's response, the stimulating shock of cold water can yield therapeutic effects supporting an active lifestyle. Be bold, take the plunge into cold therapy, and observe how your body and mind respond.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
Add Comment