Ice Baths!

Why are they so healthy and what do they claim to do???

I’m sure you’ve all heard about ice baths… but you might be asking yourself what’s so good about them?? Well, were here to tell you all of the great health benefits you can get from doing an ice bath!

 

Wim hoff

Wim Hoff is a Dutch athlete who LOVES the cold!! He has run half marathons in the snow, set Guinness world records for swimming under ice and can withstand freezing temperatures! He says that the cold can burn fat, boost your immunity, increase your sleep quality, and reduce inflammation! We’re going to look at a few of these ideas and tell you how ice baths can decrease inflammation, and anxiety, and increase your recovery time and your immunity.

 

Inflammation and Recovery

Ice baths are great for reducing inflammation and increasing recovery times when you’re injured. The cold water makes your vessels constrict. When you get out of the bath, and you start warming back up, they dilate. This process can really help with your circulation and helps your body move and remove liquids through and sometimes out of your body!

 

Immunity

Ice baths are AMAZING for boosting you immunity! When practised often enough, taking ice baths or immersing yourself in freezing cold water can cause changes to your immune system. Cold water forces your lymph nodes to contract, forcing your lymphatic system to pump fluids through your vessels. This triggers white blood cells to attack the toxins in these fluids and kill the unwanted bacteria in them. This whole system really improves the functioning of your immune system as a whole!!

 

Anxiety

Anxiety is a really really common and a lot of people struggle with it on a daily basis. However, studies done have found that taking an ice bath or a cold shower can really help to reduce levels of anxiety. The cold water has been theorised to stimulate the locus ceruleous or “blue spot” in the brain which produces chemicals which can help to regulate anxiety and depression. So in taking a cold shower, though it isn’t always the best feeling, it can really really help with reducing anxiety!