Social media trends often come and go, and it is mostly difficult to keep up with them. However, if there is one trend that not only claims to be good for your physical and mental health but also keeps going viral, with celebrities and now influencers on board too, it is ice baths.
However, this ice bath trend has returned once again in India and around the world, but it comes bearing some twists.
What Are Ice Bath?
Ice baths, also known as cold-water immersion or cryotherapy, involve submerging oneself in water chilled to approximately 10 and 15 degrees Celsius (50-59 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 11-15 minutes.
Why Now?
Taking ice baths, or ice bucket challenges, is not new. And now once again, it has got the attention of Indian influencers and celebs. However, this time around, they are also talking about the health benefits of it.
What Experts Have To Say?
Ice-water immersion is becoming an increasingly popular form of cold-water therapy and has a few benefits for your physical health:
- Activates the immune system by increasing antibodies.
- May help in weight loss by increasing metabolism, causing fat in the body to burn more calories to keep warm.
However, the best time to take an ice bath is post-exercise, as the cold water reduces post-exercise muscle soreness.
How Is It Connected To Your Mental Health?
“Immersions in cold water” stimulate that part of the nervous system that is responsible for regulating relaxation or rest. Thus, this might reduce anxiety and improve emotions of well-being. Another set of researchers in the Czech Republic have found that cold water plunges can increase dopamine – the happy hormone – concentrations in the body.
How to take an ice bath the right way?
Both of them warned that one should not exceed it beyond 10-15 minutes (in the beginning), as it may otherwise cause complications.
Here’s how to do it:
- Start with your legs first, and gradually submerge your knees, stomach, hands, shoulders, neck, and then your head.
Side Effects
Even though experts say that there are no side effects, if not careful, one can develop diseases like hypothermia or experience a physical increase in distress levels