Want to improve your health and continue to perform at your best in every aspect of your life? Soaking in cold water is the remedy. Cold water therapy is one of the most effective methods of achieving optimal health since the beginning of time. It can completely change your life, it’s free, available to most people, and it offers health benefits of jumping into cold water.
These days, it’s common to see athletes, bodybuilders, and celebrities videotaping themselves in cold water and ice baths. What are health benefits of jumping into cold water? All your questions will be addressed by this essay about the benefits of jumping into cold water from a scientific point of view.
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What Are The Great Health Benefits Of Jumping Into Cold Water?
Looking to better understand health benefits of jumping into cold water:
Improves Blood Circulation
This is one of the best health benefits of jumping into cold water.
One of the most important signs of health is blood circulation. A healthy heart, a strong immune system, good mental health, and plenty of energy all correlate with proper blood flow. On the contrary, the vital systems of the body become dysfunctional due to insufficient blood circulation in the cardiovascular system. This can lead to problems like headaches, exhaustion, muscle cramps, and increased blood pressure. In rare cases, heart problems can cause heart attacks or strokes. Similar to physical activity, soaking in cold water can boost heart health.
Cold exposure improves heart health, supports a strong immune system and a healthy heart. Exposure to cold water leads to “peripheral vasoconstriction causing central blood to pool, followed by peripheral vasodilation after leaving the cold water. In other words, blood is initially pumped to the organs. Blood is returned to the extremities as soon as the body stops being exposed to the cold and begins to self-regulate.As a result, the body’s blood flow improves, providing oxygen to the cells. , organs and muscles.
Reduce Stress
This is one of the best health benefits of jumping into cold water for anyone dealing with chronic stress.
Today, high levels of stress are all too common for people of all ages. Thankfully, there are many methods we can use to manage stress, and one of them is cold shock therapy.
The vagus nerve is stimulated by immersion in cold water, which helps slow the heart rate and reduce the production of stress chemicals in the body. In addition, more mood-enhancing hormones and neurotransmitters, such as beta-endorphins and dopamine, are produced during hydrotherapy or cold exposure therapies such as ice baths. This increases the capacity and function of the Central Nervous System (CNS). A person can sleep better and avoid sleep problems like insomnia if the central nervous system is functioning properly.
Reduces Inflammation
This is one of the best health benefits of jumping into cold water. Soaking in cold water has the same effect as applying an ice pack to an injured muscle to reduce swelling and inflammation. Therefore, it is not surprising that cold water therapy is favored by athletes looking to recover from strenuous activities.
A study was conducted in Hong Kong to determine how cold water exposure affects muscle oxygenation. It turns out that after regular exercise, cold water immersion causes blood vessels to constrict, delivering less blood to the injured area and reducing swelling and pain for a day after a workout. Another study looking at the effects of cold water immersion during a four-day football match found it helped athletes’ aches and pains.
While cold water therapy is beneficial for athletes, it also helps people with various underlying medical conditions who are experiencing discomfort. According to the same study, cold soaks have been shown to reduce fibromyalgia and rheumatic pain. Thus, cold soak therapy treats inflammation and pain without the negative side effects that come with NSAIDs and medications.
Weight Loss
According to experts, this is one of the unexpected health benefits of jumping into cold water.
Immersing the body in cold water can activate brown fat. The hormones Irisin and FGF are then released, which burns the fat cells and leads to weight loss. Shivering, which generates heat and burns calories in the body, is another way that being cold causes weight loss. According to this study, energy-consuming cold shivers may help the body fight obesity and related disorders.
A short soak in cold water (up to 5 minutes) helps boost metabolism. This is an additional weight loss method. A higher metabolic rate equates to more sustained energy because metabolism is the process by which your body turns the food and liquids you consume into energy. Additionally, a cold soak of 57°F (14°C) increases metabolism by 350%.
Here is another practical illustration of how cold water therapy promotes weight loss. Further research was conducted on Korean female divers, who would plunge into the frigid waters around Jeju Island in search of seafood. The researchers found that compared with other women in the region, these women had a much higher basal metabolic rate. Interestingly, when diving in winter, their metabolic rate is higher than when diving in summer. These discoveries bring up an interesting problem. The heart must beat faster in cold water to keep the body temperature stable. This indicates that swimming in cold water burns more calories than swimming in warm water, which helps in weight loss.
Reduce Muscle Pain
Just like how cold water soaks reduce inflammation, it also helps relieve muscle pain. This happens because the blood vessels constrict in the cold water, which reduces swelling.
Researchers found that immersing in cold water for a period of 16 days improved muscle recovery in a study conducted in 2020. After a workout, Athletes who immersed themselves in cold water experienced less muscle pain than those who didn’t.
This effect of cold exposure is important for athletes because it promotes faster muscle repair, which improves athletic performance. This is one of the great health benefits of jumping into cold water.
Nourishing Hair And Skin
Wondering how ice therapy improves the health of your skin and hair? The exposure to cold water will shrink the skin pores and tighten the skin. It also prevents skin pores from “opening up” and secreting oil. Oils are essential for maintaining moisture in the skin and hair, and this aids their accumulation. Soaking in cold water strengthens hair follicles, making hair longer and thicker.
On the other hand, hot water makes hair greasy and skin dry. In addition, it can aggravate skin problems such as eczema.
In addition to the medical benefits of jumping into cold water, cold water therapy also promotes youthful skin. Cold water ensures that the skin is soft instead of scratchy or dry and gives the hair a natural shine.
Try a cold shower if you have dry skin or hair. It worked wonders for me, and I’m sure it will do the same for you!
Improves Lymphatic Movement
The body’s lymphatic system is also significantly affected by cold water immersion therapy. The body has a vascular system that helps to clean itself. To assist your body in fighting and fighting disease, it accomplishes this by removing cellular debris and germs. Lymph nodes, lymphatic veins, lymphatic fluid, bone marrow, and spleen are important components of the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system that flows through the body is similar to the blood vessels but distinct from them. Lymphatic fluid is pumped by the system through the vessels by muscle contraction. Colds, joint pain, and even illness can result from fluid and toxic buildup if the lymphatic system becomes sluggish or stagnant.
Cold exposure has a beneficial effect on lymphatic circulation. The participants’ ankles were covered in cold water bags as part of this investigation. Significantly increased lymph flow in water was measured at 34°F (1°C). The researchers also found that increasing cold pressure had a stronger effect. Cold water simply causes your lymphatic veins to constrict, helping to circulate lymph fluid throughout your body. In turn, this helps to eliminate waste and strengthen the immune system.
Thus, cold water strengthens the lymphatic system and aids in maintaining a healthy physique. Is this one of the main health benefits of jumping into cold water? Sure!
Enhance Sleep
Cold showers and other types of cold pool therapy are often combined in studies to improve sleep. A cold shower activates the body’s sympathetic nervous system, triggering a “fight or flight” response. However, the vagus nerve was rapidly stimulated after removing the “stressor” with cold water. In turn, the body experiences a feeling of peace and harmony.
Increase Lung Capacity
The health benefits of jumping into cold water are not surprising now because deep, unconscious breathing occurs when a person is exposed to cold. According to this PubMed study, exposure to cold water significantly improved lung function.
According to research, hydrostatic pressure and temperature are the two main factors affecting oxygen transport in the lungs. Cold water temperature improves both because the increase in cardiac output brings about both hydrostatic counter pressure and heating. While it can be worrisome, feeling out of breath during the first few seconds of a cold soak indicates that the lungs are working harder to control the nervous system. When we soak in cold water, this increases lung capacity.