Ice baths can super boost your dopamine while reducing stress and anxiety – but you may wonder, what exactly happens in the brain, during an ice bath?
When you immerse yourself in an ice bath, your mind might start racing and adrenaline is released which keeps you awake and alert. While sitting in the ice bath, practicing deep breaths and meditation, you’ll start to calm down your thoughts, heart rate and stress hormones. This will eventually regulate your nervous system to feel more relaxed. Ice baths have multiple benefits such as reducing stress and anxiety, reducing inflammation, and improving sleep, mood, dopamine and circulation. It’s a popular practice amongst athletes to improve performance and can be done several times a week.
In order to address what happens in the brain during an ice bath, we’ll talk about the impact on dopamine, its benefits, how to do an ice bath as a beginner and how often.
What Does Ice Bath Do To The Brain?
An ice bath, also referred to as cold water immersion (CWI), involves immersing your body typically up to the chest or waist, in ice-cold water that is below 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).
Your body can be immersed in the cold bath for between 0 to 15 minutes depending on how trained you are.
Generally, ice baths are quite popular amongst athletes and sportsmen, as it helps soothe aching muscles. Research also suggests that soaking in cold water for some time can help decrease soreness.
The main reason why ice baths are effective in dealing with pain is that it causes your blood vessels to constrict, as blood flow to the affected area reduces, so does the swelling and inflammation.
Additionally, ice baths seem to have a beneficial impact on your brain. For instance, ice baths can stimulate the release of adrenaline which is called epinephrine. Adrenaline, which is produced in the adrenal glands, plays a key role in the body’s stress response.
When adrenaline is released in your body, it causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. A general increase in blood flow allows your body to deliver oxygen and nutrients to all the vital organs and muscles.
When adrenaline is released in your bloodstream, it triggers the breaking down of glycogen into glucose. As a result, your body gets a quick source of energy.
Other than adrenaline, ice baths also stimulate the release of serotonin, which is the neurotransmitter responsible for emotions, sleep, appetite and mood regulation.
Have you ever come out of an ice bath feeling refreshed and relaxed? Well, that’s because high levels of serotonin can enhance your overall mood, contributing to an improvement in your overall health.
Study suggest that cold showers may decrease symptoms of depression. In addition, serotonin interacts with other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine to regulate your mood and emotions. This helps maintain a balance between the neurotransmitters in your body.
Exposure to cold temperatures can activate your sympathetic nervous system, which in turn leads to the release of norepinephrine or noradrenaline. This neurotransmitter plays a major role in your body’s stress response.
Due to this, you may experience an increase in your heart rate, your blood vessels constrict and you also feel more alert and awake.
Indirectly, an ice bath can impact your brain and the function of dopamine, but you may wonder, how does it work?
Ice Bath Dopamine
During an ice bath, your body and brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that plays a key part in a variety of bodily functions including movement, motivation, reward and pleasure.
As mentioned earlier, ice baths trigger the release of noradrenaline, which in turn influences the function of dopamine. For instance, dopamine helps regulate your mood and emotional state. An imbalance in dopamine levels may lead to imbalances in your mood.
In addition, dopamine is released in response to pleasurable experiences and reinforces a sense of satisfaction. It also helps cognitive processes like learning, attention span and memory.
So, if you’re feeling a little down or are having a hard time focusing on your work, a quick ice bath (preferably regularly) might help you increase focus and energy levels.
Additionally, dopamine influences the release of various hormones in your body, such as prolactin and growth hormone, this means that it plays an important part in regulating hormones.
If you want to learn more about hormone regulation, I would suggest reading my FREE eBook, Kickstart to Hormonal Balance, as it provides a detailed guide on how to ensure hormonal balance.
Taking an ice bath may be beneficial for regulating your hormones, but you may be surprised that ice baths are beneficial for several other things.
Ice Bath Benefits
We’ve already briefly discussed that ice baths have proven to be beneficial for sore and painful muscles. However, ice baths and cold water immersions have multiple benefits for your body and mind.
1. Improves Circulation
When you immerse in cold water it causes vasoconstriction, which refers to the narrowing of blood vessels. Once your body begins to warm, it leads to vasodilation, which is the widening of blood vessels. This leads to an overall improvement in health.
2. Improved Sleep
Ice baths have a cooling effect which is followed by a subsequent warming process. This prompts your body to feel more relaxed and can lull you into a comfortable sleep.
3. Mood Enhancement
When you immerse your body in water, it stimulates the release of endorphins, which are often referred to as feel-good hormones, which contribute to an improvement in mood and general well-being.
4. Reduces Inflammation
The cold temperature of the water causes constriction of vessels and as a result helps reduce inflammation, which helps maintain muscle health.
There are quite a few benefits of taking an ice bath, but if you’re a beginner, you might wonder how to set it up.
How To Do Ice Bath For Beginners
Many people might think that taking an ice bath is a simple process and that there isn’t a set way of going about the process.
Well, it is a simple process. However, there are still a few things that you need to take into consideration.
One of the best ice bath practices is the Wim Hof method. The technique is developed by Dutch adventurer, Wim Hof also known as The Iceman due to his ability to withstand extreme cold.
The Wim Hof method combines cold exposure with breathing exercises and mindset techniques. The general idea is to start by regulating your breathing, as you take deeper breaths oxygen intake is increased.
Then you submerge yourself into cold water, giving your body some time to adjust to the temperature. Lastly, you practice mindfulness and develop an overall positive mental state, while still in the tub.
If you’re a beginner and still feel a little lost when it comes to the specifics of the process, don’t worry! I’ve got you covered.
Start by filling up a small bathtub with cold water and then add ice to it. Try to ensure you have an equal measure of water and ice. And that the tube is filled properly. Just ensure the overall temperature remains between 13–16 °C.Â
While you’re waiting for the tub to fill, take some time to prepare your body. Take a few deep breaths and calm your mind.
Once you have the tub filled, don’t just go sit inside completely bare. It’s important to wear shorts or swimming trunks to protect more sensitive areas.
Instead of gradually immersing yourself in the bath, I recommend jumping right in. Sort of like ripping the bandaid off in one go. Just remember to take breaths to calm your body and mind.
Initially, you may experience a slight jolt of pain, however, that’s mostly due to the sudden change in temperature. The later aim of the ice bath is to help you control your breathing and practice mindfulness.
When your body becomes used to the temperature, you can sit inside the tub. As a beginner, you shouldn’t sit in the ice bath for long durations. Instead, sit for a couple of minutes and slowly work your way up as your body gets more used to the temperature.
Those who have taken ice baths before, or do so often, can sit in the bath for around 10-15 minutes – maybe longer. However, be mindful of not going over this limit as it might negatively impact your health.
Additionally, the first time you go about taking an ice bath make sure you have someone who is trained to prevent hypothermia.
Once you’re done with the ice bath, dry up yourself and start warming up your body again. You can do some light exercises like jumping jacks, squats and basically make sure to warm up your body from the core.
If you don’t warm up your body, it may lead to hyperthermia or your body may be unable to handle the cold temperature and you may start to hyperventilate.
Once you’re done with the whole process, it’s time to reflect back. Monitor how long you spent in the ice bath. How did you feel during the process? Did you notice any immediate changes?
It might help to keep a record of your experience and progress in a journal. Not only will it be easier for you to keep track, but journaling might serve to be therapeutic.
Just be mindful of the steps I’ve mentioned above. Otherwise, you may face the risk of suffering through hyperventilation.
How Do You Stop Hyperventilating In Cold Water?
If your body isn’t used to low temperatures, there is a slight chance that you may start hyperventilating when inside the ice bath.
Here are a few strategies that may help you regain control:
- Focus your attention on breathing. Take deep, slow breaths through your nose and then gradually exhale through your mouth.
- If it’s your first time in an ice bath, don’t immediately dive in. Gradually immerse yourself by acclimating your body to the temperature. You can start by immersing your limbs or by splashing the water onto your face.
- Seek guidance and support from someone who is well aware of the process and can assist you if needed.
Generally, mediation helps manage hyperventilation. It helps you become more aware of your body’s sensations and functions. This allows you to detect earlier on if your body starts hyperventilating.
If you’re getting into ice baths, especially as a beginner, you may wonder if there is a limit to how many ice baths you can take in a week.
How Many Ice Baths A Week?
Keep in mind that the frequency of your ice baths can vary from individual to individual. Not only does it depend on your particular need and preferences, but it also depends on your general tolerance towards cold water.
Generally speaking, if you take two to three 5-10 minute ice baths a week, you should be able to reap the benefits.
Remember, if you’re a beginner, you still need to work up to the 5-10 minute mark. The best way to go about the situation is to start slow. Start with shorter time durations and less frequent ice bath sessions. Gradually increase the duration and frequency.
The aim of the ice baths is to help you practice mindfulness. Monitoring your progress will help you understand your general state of mind and what sort of routine you should develop for your personal requirements.
Final Thoughts
Building up the strength to take longer ice baths may take a bit of time. Have in mind it’s also a meditation practice, to keep your ego in check.
Personally, I’ve been to ice bath events regularly for a period of time, which helped regulate my nervous system and reduce stress, anxiety, inflammation and improved my sleep.
