Thanks for visiting my Blog. Today we are discussing cold water therapy and the benefits. There are a lot of celebrities, athletes, trainers, and health influencers that contest that cold water therapy is the new thing. What does the science say? I always look to science and research to guide me in my decision on new health and fitness craves.
What is cold water therapy?
Cold water therapy is the use of water that’s around 59°F (15°C) to treat health conditions or stimulate health benefits. Another name that some people or company’s use is cold hydrotherapy. The practice has been around for a couple of millennia. But recent adaptations include ice baths, brisk daily showers, outdoor swims, and cold water immersion therapy sessions.
What does the Science Say?
Studies indicate that athletes who soak in cold water for short periods after exercise or sports have less muscle soreness later on.
A small study conducted in 2011 found that cyclists who completed intense training sessions had decreased soreness after they were immersed in cold water for 10 minutes.
A 2016 study involving 20 participants showed similar results. Athletes who soaked in a pool of cold water (12°C to 15°C) reported less muscle soreness than those who had no hydrotherapy after exercising.
According to medical experts, one reason that cold water helps with pain is that it causes your blood vessels to constrict. This reduces blood flow to the area — for example, an injury you’re applying ice to help reduce swelling and inflammation in that area.
Tip: If you’re using cold water therapy to help with muscle recovery, you want to combine it with strategies like stretching or active recovery.
Cold water immersion can help lower your body temperature much faster than just resting in a cool environment.
A 2015 research conducted 19 different studies concluded that contact with cold water (around 50°F or 10°C) cooled off overheated people twice as fast as recovery without hydrotherapy.
Tip: Immerse as much of your skin as possible. This means dunking your whole body in cold water, not just running your wrists under a cold tap.
Certain case studies suggest that cold open water swimming has helped alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety in some people. One such study involves a woman who had experienced anxiety and depression since age 17. At 24 years old, she began a trial program of weekly open water swimming. Over time, her symptoms decreased so significantly that she was able to stop taking medication to treat them. A year later, her doctors found that regular swimming still kept her depression symptoms at bay. In another study, researchers found that a program of short, twice-daily cold showers decreased depressive symptoms.
In one Dutch study, researchers tested whether people could voluntarily influence their own immune response by practicing meditation, deep breathing, and cold water immersion. The results were positive. In addition to that study, participants were exposed to a bacterial infection, the group that used these techniques had fewer symptoms. Their bodies produced more anti-inflammatory chemicals and fewer pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to the infection. Other studies have suggested that daily exposure to cold water could, over a period of weeks or months, boost antitumor immunity.
Although more research is needed whether cold water therapy can help with weight loss, some studies have shown that immersion in cold water can speed up your metabolic rate. (This is the rate at which your body uses energy and burns calories).
Researchers have studied the historical example of Korean women who, for generations, have earned their living by diving for seafood in the chill waters off Jeju Island. Until the recent transition to modern wetsuits, these women dove into water between 50°F to 70°F (10°C to 25°C) wearing only thin cotton bathing suits. When they studied these women, they found that their basal metabolic rate was significantly higher during their winter diving months than during summer dives.
How to Use Cold Water Therapy
There are several different ways to start with this type of therapy to maybe help with your own health, but always talk with your doctor first to see if it can benefit you and if your health will be able to handle the change.
Take warm-to-cold showers. Start with warm water and, after a few minutes, gradually drop the temperature until it’s the temperature that you can handle for a few minutes.
Skipping the warmup and going straight to a cold shower is another way to start. This may be especially helpful if you’ve just finished working out or if you play sports.
Immerse yourself in an ice bath: Add ice to water until the temperature is between 50°F and 59°F (10°C and 15°C), and stay submerged for only 10 to 15 minutes.
Hopefully these helpful tips can help you on your next quest to better health. I thought about trying the cold water therapy just to see for myself if it could benefit me. I will let you know what I find out and what my results are.
Thank you for reading my Blog and I wish you all the best on your health and fitness journey. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you in the future. I am always available by e-mail. I would love to train you or just answer any questions you have.
You only get one body…………..Make the Change!
Take Care,
Darren
Harmony Shift 