Regular ice baths

It is common for professional athletes such as marathon runners, triathletes, and football players to jump into a tub of ice water after an intense race or game. The reason for their behavior is that regular ice baths have a number of potential benefits. We discuss some of these benefits below.

Physical recovery. An ice bath can change the way in which fluids like blood and lymph flow through your body. Your vessels constrict because of the cold and open back up when your body warms up after the ice bath. This process helps to flush metabolic waste from your body, while also getting oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. There is even scientific evidence that ice baths lower inflammation after intense physical exercise.

Weight loss. Cold temperatures stimulate the activation of brown fat tissue throughout your body. Brown fat helps your body to generate heat as it burns off white fat. Therefore, taking regular ice baths helps prevent the accumulation of excess body weight.

Increased parasympathetic activity. Exposing your body to cold conditions on a regular basis can make you more resilient to stress. As your body adjusts to the cold, the vagus nerve is stimulated, which is connected to many important organs by means of the parasympathetic nervous system. The resulting increase in parasympathetic activity has positive effects on all kinds of conditions such as anxiety, depression, and gut problems.