Ice Baths Are All The Rage Right Now – But Here’s What They Really Do To Your Body

As we just mentioned, this activity is all the rage at the moment, with a large number of famous faces braving the cold. Yes, figures such as LeBron James, Zac Efron, Drake, Lady Gaga, Julianne Hough and Orlando Bloom have all been snapped sitting in ice baths. That’s quite a list, right?

But why do they do it? The answer to that’s pretty simple. You see, according to the website Banner Health, ice baths are great for recuperating after strenuous exercise. Given that certain celebs often hit the gym, it shouldn’t be too surprising that they’re trying the method out.

Ice baths aren’t just a hit with the rich and famous, though. Cyclists, joggers, boxers and more have also jumped on the bandwagon in a bid to recover faster and more effectively ahead of their next workout. Mind you, if you’re tempted to give it a go, there are a few rules you need to follow first.

For starters, according to a fitness expert named Brandon Nicholas, you shouldn’t just pack the entire bathtub with ice. That’s a big no-no right off the bat. Instead, he informed the website of lifestyle magazine Women’s Health that a balance needed to be struck between the freezing cubes and water. Makes sense, wouldn’t you agree?

Anyway, Nicholas came up with the following breakdown. According to him, you can dump a container of water into the bath after adding three lots of ice cubes. Do that until it’s full up, but don’t jump in just yet. There’s something else you should probably check beforehand – the temperature!

Yep, to get the best results, ice baths have to hit a certain temperature. As per the website Active.com, recovery experts claim that the ideal figures are from 54°F up to 60°F. All the same, if you’re a newbie you might well find that too cold at first, so perhaps opt for slightly warmer water initially.

When that’s sorted, you can finally lower yourself into the icy water. Do it slowly, though. Why? Well, Nicholas went into a bit more detail on that front. He told Women’s Health, “Start by gradually dipping your lower body into the bath so you can adjust properly to the cold.”

And that’s the challenge. We all have different thresholds when it comes to discomfort and pain, so some people might be able to stand the freezing conditions longer than others. But don’t be downhearted if you can only last a few seconds on your initial go. That could change in time.

You see, your body will begin to adjust to the ice baths if you keep taking them. You’ll essentially be building up a resistance to the cold. Then again, it’s strongly advised that you don’t take it too far. There is a limit to which you should adhere, regardless of your improving tolerance.

Women’s Health claims that 15 minutes is the cut-off. Once you hit that mark, get out of the bath. From there, heat yourself up with a blanket or a nice toasty beverage. Avoid hot showers, though. According to Active.com, that’s another big no-no! You should slowly get your body temperature back up.

So that’s got us thinking – do you have to sit in ice baths like you would in a normal warm tub? You know...naked? Well, it’s not advised. A doctor named Evan Werk said as much in an article on the website of healthcare firm Banner Health. Specifically, he said that people must sport some items of clothing before diving into the freezing water.

As you might expect, those additional layers will help shield the more delicate parts of your body. Better than nothing, right? Alongside that, Dr. Werk also stated that it might be a good idea to ask a friend or family member to stand by during your initial attempts. It’s just a precautionary move to consider.

So there you go. By adhering to those rules and guidelines, you can follow in the footsteps of your favorite athletes and entertainers who regularly enjoy ice baths. But that still leaves us with one unanswered question. As we asked earlier, what happens to your body once it’s immersed in the cold?

Dr. Werk provided a somewhat cryptic response when the subject came up on the Banner Health website. He noted, “Cold baths are definitely picking up popularity, but the method isn’t without some controversy. They can certainly soothe sore muscles, but more research is needed before we can make a firm conclusion.”

Intriguing stuff, wouldn’t you say? Yet before we get to the “controversial” aspects of taking ice baths, let’s focus on the positives first. There are numerous merits to braving the cold, with Dr. Werk bringing one up a moment ago. Yes, muscle pain can be eased after coming into contact with freezing water.

A team of researchers looked into that for a paper shared on the National Library of Medicine’s website. Information was gathered from over 360 test subjects, leading the group to come to this verdict. They wrote, “There was some evidence that cold-water immersion reduces delayed onset muscle soreness after exercise compared with passive interventions involving rest or no intervention.”

How’s that possible? Well, a physical therapist offered up an interesting explanation to Women’s Health in December 2020. Leada Malek said, “Researchers suspect that your perception of pain is lowered as nerve conduction velocity is slowed [by the ice].” Quite simply, the cold conditions hit the brakes on feelings of discomfort.

Following on from that, Dr. Malek flagged up another potential benefit. She continued, “Because of the immediate pain relief, some people report feeling happier or more alert after an ice bath.” Yep, you’re reading that right – a quick soak could actually improve your mood! Say goodbye to those stresses and mental strains.

At this stage, it’s hard to believe that there are drawbacks to ice baths, but trust us – they exist. Anyway, let’s move on to the next benefit now. In addition to easing the pain in your muscles following tough exercises, the cool conditions could help if you’re suffering from swelling as well.

You see, that kind of swelling occurs when additional blood is pumped into the muscles, puffing them up. And nothing gets your life juices moving faster than physical exertions. Yet Dr. Malek informed Women’s Health, “Vasoconstriction, or your blood vessels narrowing in response to the cold, might lead to lower localized blood flow.”

Essentially, the icy water slows everything down, meaning your swollen muscles should return to normal in next to no time. Pretty neat, huh? Then again, it could be argued that the biggest merit that comes from taking these cold baths hasn’t been revealed yet. Ready to hear it? Okay then.

Dr. Malek explained, “Especially within 24 hours after exercise, ice baths may help reduce both DOMS [delayed-onset muscle soreness] and RPE [rate of perceived exertion]. This helps the athlete get back to previous training intensities more quickly.” A faster turnaround? No wonder people like LeBron James dive into them following workouts!

So yes, you can’t argue with those benefits. If you were on the fence about taking ice baths before, it’s possible that they’ve got you off it. But don’t get ahead of yourselves. Remember the drawbacks that we spoke of earlier? Well, it’s time we took a look at them. And a few could surprise you.

As we’ve already heard, ice baths can ease the aches in your muscles. Yet the cold conditions aren’t conducive if you’re trying to bump up your strength or fix a damaged muscle. In fact, there’s a very good chance that it could undo all the hard work you’ve been putting in.

This troubling finding was reported by a team of research scientists in 2019 in the Journal of Physiology. They had found that people sitting in cold baths after exercise developed greater amounts of “a muscle breakdown-related protein” than “a muscle growth-related protein” when compared to other subjects. Talk about counterproductive! Why even bother going to the gym?

What’s more, ice baths apparently have the potential to cause even more damage than that. Nicholas provided a rather worrying example during his chat with Women’s Health. The physical therapist said, “A person can experience hypothermia and frostbite with improper execution.” Yikes! Sure it makes sense, but that’s still pretty shocking to hear.

And that’s not the worst of it. On top of frostbite and hypothermia, an ice bath could wreak havoc on your heart, too. Why? Well, the cold conditions in the tub are known to bring your heartbeat down. That’s scary stuff for anyone suffering with cardiac issues, so for them it would be best to steer clear from the freezing water.

On a related note, Dr. Malek claimed that those suffering from diabetes needed to swerve ice baths as well. The expert told Women’s Health that the condition could cause their “core body temperature” to fluctuate when moving between hot and cold spaces. A dip in an icy tub certainly isn’t a good idea, then.

So there are very real dangers at play here. Plus, there’s one more consideration to add to the list. And it relates to a fascinating phenomenon called the Placebo Effect. If you’ve never heard of it, placebos are used to describe treatments that have no medically proven materials in them.

Despite that, though, placebos can still improve or worsen a person’s health. How? Well, that’s down to the Placebo Effect. Weirdly, there’s evidence that a person’s simple belief that taking a substance will work can lead to measurable physical results. In fact, as the WebMD website noted, your body could actually mimic the results you’d get from a dose of medicine.

So, bringing that back to ice baths, a report in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal raised an intriguing point. After doing a bit of research, the analysts claimed that some of the benefits you feel sitting in cold water might simply be a result of the Placebo Effect. Still with us? Awesome!

Anyway, all this talk of ice baths has got us thinking about something else. Namely, traditional soaks in hot water. How do the benefits of that compare with the currently trendy method? Let’s find out! To kick things off, we’ll start with a positive that they both share – improving your frame of mind.

Why do hot baths have that effect? To answer the question, a psychologist spoke to Town & Country magazine in November 2019. In an article on its website Neil Morris said, “Baths give you a wonderful combination of isolation, quiet and comfort.” Plus, a doctor named John Harcup added, “[It] gives us connotations of being in the womb, and it is very comforting.”

Fair enough! And that’s not the only positive that hot and cold baths share. As per Town & Country, the former also eases muscle discomfort. So you can end a workout by sitting in a nice warm tub in your bathroom. But how can ice and heat have the same effect?

Well, while ice baths lower your perception of pain, hot water can help in a slightly different way. You see, warmth loosens your muscles up, and that plays a big role in easing the discomfort after a tough round of exercise. Essentially, it’s two divergent routes that lead to the same destination.

Plus, with a bit of magnesium sulfate added to the mix, otherwise referred to as Epsom salt, a hot bath can aid the body’s joints, too. Oh, and Town & Country reported that it gives diabetics a very welcome boost as well. That’s something you can’t say about the ice baths.

Speaking of which, that brings us on to the next benefit of hot baths. Apparently, if you make a habit of having one at home, it could bring your blood pressure levels down. That’s a surefire way to help avoid future ailments such as strokes and heart attacks. No dangers here – they’re certainly safer than the icy water!

Meanwhile, hot baths might also help you lose a bit of weight. That’s because the heat can cause perspiration once you sit down in the tub. Incredibly, a session like that is the equivalent of going for a stroll outside, shedding the same number of calories. You definitely don’t get that with an ice bath.

So there you have it folks. It’s a lot to take in, but now you’ve got more than enough information to decide what’s better for you – ice or heat? One might be trendier than the other at the moment, yet we wonder if the benefits of a warm bath could sway a few people? Hey, you never know!