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Nothing wakes you up faster than an ice bath. When you have an ice bath, you expose your body to ice-cold water, which has multiple benefits. Our bodies get an initial shock from extremely cold exposure, leading them to attempt to rewarm themselves. As this process happens, it’ll improve your blood flow, reduce muscle soreness and inflammation and improve your mental resilience.
Cold water therapy can stimulate your body’s immune system, some evidence suggests. This means it could potentially improve your body’s capability to fight pathogens.
Research has been done that tested whether people could improve the antibodies in their bodies by regularly practising cryotherapy, breath work, and meditation.
Subjects were infected with a bacterial infection, and the focus group that implemented these methods showed fewer symptoms. They produced more antibodies and fewer cytokines reacting to the bacteria.
In this study, it was felt that the breath work techniques were much more impactful than the ice bath at reducing cold and flu symptoms. They did, however, attribute cold water to developing resistance to stress over an extended period.
The lymphatic system is a network of tiny vessels that run throughout the whole body. It takes away unwanted toxins from cells; simply put, it is always processing toxins and cleansing your system.
The way it all works requires muscles to contract, which pumps fluid through the vessels since it doesn’t have a dedicated pump like the cardiovascular system. If your lymphatic system is congested with toxins, it can become slow and ineffective, and toxins can build up.
When it comes to an ice bath, the cold temperatures cause your lymph vessels to contract, engaging the lymphatic system to flush the lymph fluids back into your system through the lymph nodes. This wakes up the white blood cell brigade, also known as your immune system, which then attacks any unwanted foreign bodies in the fluid.
Cold water therapy is a form of recovery that has been shown to minimize inflammation, as well as ease what’s known as DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) all by improving blood circulation and tightening your blood vessels.
Blood sugar levels can be lowered after half an hour of cold exposure. However, people with diabetes should seek advice before trying ice bath therapy.
Cold water body immersion can have profound effects on stress levels. This is thanks to the stimulation of noradrenaline which, as mentioned earlier, plays a big role in mood regulation.
Many doctors and physicians will agree that cold temperature helps to relieve swelling and inflammation.
Think of an ice pack on a sprained ankle; it does this by constricting blood vessels, reducing swelling and buffering the nervous system by minimizing pain. This makes cold water body immersion an obvious treatment when treating an injured athlete or aiding in recovery.
Detox
Taking a cold plunge shocks your nervous system, which then sends your body into survival mode. To reserve core body temperature, your blood vessels will constrict and send more blood to your organs, which reduces blood flow in areas with inflammation and swelling. When you get out of the bath, your body will restore its temperature by sending blood to the rest, improving oxygen and nutrient transportation, providing energy to muscles and relieving stress.
Ready to refresh and revitalise your body? Book an ice bath in Brisbane today!
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