Are ice baths truly safe for health?
Image credits: Getty Images
Scroll through any social media platform and you are bound to see at least one video of a person dunking themselves into ice cold water. While one may think of it as another new trend taking the social media world by a storm, the reality is quite the opposite.
Ice baths
or
cold water therapy
are a wellness trend that is propagated by many as the ultimate solution for better health. Submerging your entire body in ice-cold water is known to have benefits such as decreasing inflammation after a workout, easing sore muscles and aiding in recovery after intense physical activities.
Popular celebrities such as Lady Gaga have promoted the therapy, and it has become viral so much so that hotels have now started offering it as an experience, and companies have started creating compact ice baths that are easy to use at home.
But are ice baths really safe, and do they really have any health benefits? Know more below!
What are ice baths?
Image credits: Getty Images
Ice baths, cold plunge, cold therapy or cold water immersion are all part of a therapy known as "cryotherapy". Derived from the Greek word 'kryos' meaning ice cold, the therapy makes use of ice in different ways to cool down the body.
It could mean you using an ice pack to calm down an aching muscle or taking a cold shower or plunging yourself into a tub or body of cold water that is 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) or colder, as per Mayo Clinic.
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Wim Hof
, a Dutch adventure athlete also known as the Ice Man, is the man who is credited for transforming ice baths from a once-a-year experience to a globally popular health and fitness trend. Recently, he also invited social media influencers from across the world on the Wim Hof Winter Expedition, where he introduced them to the benefits of ice baths and along with physical training.
While ice baths are a rising trend globally, should you truly give them a try?
Are ice baths truly safe for health?
Image credits: Getty Images
While dunking your body into ice-cold water may give you an experience and feeling that is completely new, there are no studies that can substantiate the positive health effects of this therapy.
On the contrary, multiple studies have researched and found out that ice baths don't have the magical heavy impact on health as promoted by many.
A
study
published in Nature Scientific Reports asked participants to try the
Wim Hof method
, which includes cold water exposure, breathing exercises and meditation for 15 days. The results showcased no positive changes in blood pressure, heart rate, function or mood.
Another
study
published in the National Library of Medicine analysed the effects of cold water therapy post-exercise.
The study cited a study published in The Journal of Physiology where researchers incorporated a number of local and systemic markers to investigate the effectiveness of CWI and the ensuing inflammatory and cellular stress response after a bout of resistance exercise, which was followed by an active-recovery period and cold water immersion for two different groups.
While the active exercise protocol gave expected results, CWI had no impact on inflammatory measures and cellular stress.
Ice baths have potential risks such as hypothermia, increased cardiovascular stress, skin and nerve damage and loss of motor control. It is advised to limit their durations, and people with health conditions are advised to avoid the therapy altogether.
While cold water immersion might make you feel like a new and stronger self, its health benefits are not proven. Most researches on their positive effects have multiple limitations, and more studies exist that suggest that they are not as efficient as propagated.
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