The rationale with which it is credited is somehow correlated to the human body’s response to acute cold stress. When a body is exposed to extremely cold water of 10-15°C, blood circulation is cut to the rest of the body in order to maintain circulation to the brain and heart. This results in a decrease in inflammation in body tissues that has been strained during exercises like muscles and joints. Another reason why cold makes an object painful to touch is that nerves are anaesthetised by cold and hence pain reception is minimised. When a person gets out of the ice bath, the blood flows back with force to the muscles and carries waste products away from the same muscles when they are tired and weak.
Says the advocates of ice bath, they help to prevent the delayed onset muscle soreness after an exercise session. The extreme cold can also interrupt stress hormones such as cortisol constantly being elevated, possibly because the shock to the nervous system is too great. Ice bath lovers also report that the treatment help them recover after the training session and provides them with the boost of energy and increases the quality of sleep if done before going to sleep.
More fitness studios, spas and sports clubs install ice bath in Singapore and it is promoted like the high-performance recovery tool of professional athletes and regular gym goers. Facilities such as Transition, Forward and more recently, Centred Wellness, include cryotherapy in addition to its infrared saunas and other therapy rooms. Their ice bath rituals will make the body feel alive again and the skin will glow.
Otherwise, ice bath challenges which are currently trending on fitness related communities in Singapore are also common. Friends go hand in hand to prop themselves for the jump in charity events or just for the fun of competing with friends. This feeds into our cultures of seeking the ‘edge’ and proving that we can willingly choose to deal with a moment of discomfort.
But do the many advantages that people associate with ice baths have any scientific basis? At this time, the study is still inconclusive and believes or disbeliefs by halves. Typically all research done are basically very small sample and most of them cover less than 30 persons. And the protocols studies - the frequency and duration of cold water exposure – are different.
Strikingly, a quantitative synthesis of over 40 pieces of research revealed small effects of CWI on muscles soreness after exercise. However, these few observed that ice baths reduce blood tests of inflammation markers compared to passive recovery. Thus, it is impossible to witness some improvements or changes after one attempt at the ice bath treatment. It was also found that in order to observe such changes in the processes of recovery and inflammation one would have to immerse in ice baths or engage in contrast therapy for at least two weeks post exercising.
There is also danger when taking ice baths, especially to users who have not practiced the process appropriately. Such cold water shocks the body and leads to hyperventilation that leads to drowning dangers. Blood vessels constrict fairly when this happens which also applies pressure on circulatory system. Ice baths are particularly dangerous for people with medical issues like heart problems or hypertension, diabetes or Raynaud’s disease, and these patients should not use ice baths at all.
That is the question that needs to be answered for the ordinary individual desiring to gain improved fitness, recovery or coping with stress through ice baths . One cannot rule the possibility somewhere down the line the jury is still out regarding measurable physiological benefits. However, the proponents explain that mental toughness and perseverance that a person can achieve within a volitional process of surviving in low temperatures. Staying immersed in the ice bath beyond the point that your muscles are aching and you are chocking due to pain, can help foster mental toughness. In addition to this, the same can create Social connections/relations, interpersonal relations, and Emotional strengths together with having relations/intercourse with others.
Hence, as much as the immediate biological functions remain up for debate, approaching the odds of ice baths possibly achieves the task of strengthening the mind at facing stress. It can then translate to the ability to stay on course, in times of adversity in work, sport, and in life in general. The trend also shows that there is latent human desire to challenge ourselves and challenge the abilities of members through the share ordeal. For the people who like to challenge themselves and meet like-minded people, it may turn out that facing the cold is not such a bad thing.
