8 Ice Bath Benefits Longevity Experts Dream About
Longevity experts are weighing in more and more these days, as a longer and healthier life is at the forefront of how people can affect their health and longevity with daily rituals.
We even see cool documentaries like Limitless, with actor Chris Hemsworth, exploring longevity and health span in an incredibly engaging way. It’s no surprise that one of the ways Hemsworth explores longevity on the documentary is through cold exposure and ice baths.
The concept of using cold exposure for health benefits is not new, and it’s gaining unprecedented traction, especially among athletes, celebrities, and longevity experts.
The practice, which ranges from taking cold showers to full-body immersion in ice baths, is believed to offer a range of physical and mental health benefits that could contribute to a longer, healthier life. Let’s dive into the top eight benefits that longevity experts are screaming and dreaming about that make cold plunging so appealing.
First, What Is Longevity?
A long life is one thing, but a long life free of disease and illness is another. One is just living, the latter is truly being alive and thriving.
Longevity in the health sense, is the theory (and fact for some practices) that the daily habits surrounding sleep, nutrition, exercise and movement, learning, purpose, hydration, supplementation, connection, and other practices can dramatically contribute to the longevity of every individual.
We have genetic predispositions, but the idea is that we can actively contribute to the turning on or off of these predispositions.
Biohacking and longevity go hand in hand, and more people are tuning in to what works for them to promote and long and healthy life through known and not-so-known rituals. People like Brian Johnson and Dave Asprey are at the forefront of this, and other longevity experts are diving deep to expand the fields of longevity.
One of the commonly occurring themes we see experts harping on about for longevity is ice baths and cold exposure in general, which promote an incredibly adaptive response in us humans, super charging health and recovery. What are they saying about the cold?
Ice Baths For Longevity – How It Works
Experts on health and longevity have been weighing in a lot lately on the benefits of hot and cold therapy for boosting longevity. There are a plethora of podcasts and articles from the likes of Dr Mark Hyman, Susanna Soberg, Andrew Huberman, Rhonda Patrick, Peter Attia and many others describe in depth the ways in which cold exposure can impact your health markers through the adaptive effects of cold swimming, cold plunge and ice baths. Here we break down a few points that are repeated by many of these experts about the benefits of ice baths.
1. Reduces Muscle Soreness and Speeds Recovery
It is well known that exercise and other healthy habits increase lifespan. After a tough workout or competition, athletes often turn to ice baths to relieve muscle soreness and speed up recovery.
Cold water immersion can help reduce inflammation and decrease the buildup of lactic acid, which causes that familiar post-exercise burn. To recovery more effectively, means an increased ability to exercise more.
Studies suggest that cold therapy can significantly lower perceived muscle soreness, making it easier to bounce back after intense physical activity.
For regular exercisers, incorporating ice baths into their routine could lead to long-term benefits in performance and recovery.
2. Elevates Mood and Fights Depression
Chris Hemsworth might have been joking when he said that cold plunges made him feel like he was dying only to feel reborn afterward, but there’s some truth to it.
The shock of cold water can have a profound impact on your mood. Positive emotions contribute to longevity and health in a positive way. Dr Hyman explains that “your brain is inflamed when your’e depressed…and the only thing that helped me find relief from chronic fatigue was regular sauna and ice baths. It resets the nervous system and changes your biology”.
Cold exposure is thought to trigger the release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters that boost mood, energy, and focus.
This natural high is one reason why many people find cold plunging to be a mood stabiliser, helping to combat feelings of depression and anxiety, and subsequently contributing to longevity.
3. Improves Sleep Quality
While warm showers are often recommended for better sleep, cold exposure has its own sleep-enhancing benefits. It is no surprise that good sleep patterns have some of the most significant longevity benefits.
Immersing the body in cold water after exercise has been shown to increase slow-wave sleep, the deepest and most restorative stage of sleep.
This type of sleep is crucial for physical recovery, immune function, and cognitive health.
Regular cold plunging may help you fall asleep faster and wake up feeling more refreshed. Better sleep = greater longevity.
4. Boosts Metabolism and Promotes Fat Loss
Cold exposure has been linked to the activation of brown fat, a type of fat tissue that burns calories to generate heat.
This process can help increase your metabolism and promote fat loss, making cold plunging a potential tool for weight management.
Additionally, cold water swimming has been associated with reductions in body fat and improvements in insulin sensitivity, which are important factors in preventing diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
Less lifestyle diseases like this translate to increased longevity to a large degree, according to experts like Dr Susanna Soberg, who says “boosting brown fat production can help prevent lifestyle diseases”.
5. Enhances Immune Function
Cold plunges might not replace your daily vitamin C, but they could give your immune system a significant boost.
Research suggests that cold exposure can increase the production of white blood cells and natural killer cells, which play key roles in defending the body against infections. Ice baths and saunas protect the body from inflammation, which is a preventative effect from disease and illness which may negatively impact longevity.
One study even found that people who ended their showers with a blast of cold water were less likely to call in sick to work, highlighting the potential immune-boosting effects of regular cold exposure.
6. Relieves Chronic Pain
Beyond easing post-exercise soreness, cold water immersion may also help manage chronic pain conditions.
For example, individuals with conditions like arthritis have reported reduced joint pain and improved quality of life after regular cold plunging.
The cold temperatures may work by reducing inflammation and altering pain perception, providing a natural way to manage persistent pain.
7. Lowers Stress and Promotes Relaxation
One of the lesser-known benefits of cold plunging is its ability to reduce stress by stimulating the vagus nerve. This nerve plays a critical role in regulating the body’s stress response and promoting a state of calm.
Cold exposure can increase heart rate variability, a marker of stress resilience, and decrease levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
By integrating cold plunges into your routine, you may find yourself feeling more relaxed and better equipped to handle life’s challenges. Susanna Soberg explains that “ice baths widen your window for stress…when you can relax in a situation that is super stressful…it is a cold water training system for your nervous system which helps you tolerate stress better”.
Similarly, the hormetic stressor provided by the cold offers an adaptive mechanism, exposure to short-term stress can strengthen cellular responses to stress (“hormetic stress”), as discussed in this article on longevity and hermetic stressors like ice baths and saunas.
8. Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin sensitivity is crucial for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and preventing conditions like Type 2 diabetes.
Cold exposure has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, particularly in individuals with diabetes.
This effect is partly due to the increase in adiponectin, a protein that plays a key role in regulating glucose levels and fatty acid breakdown.
By enhancing insulin sensitivity, cold plunging may help protect against metabolic disorders, thereby improving longevity.
Cold Plunge Protocols: How to Get Started
If you’re intrigued by the potential benefits of cold plunging, it’s important to approach it safely.
Start with short exposures. 30 seconds is good. Gradually increase as you adapt. Don’t overcomplicate and don’t overstretch yourself, only you know your limits.
Working up to a few minutes in sub 10C water is a good goal, with an accumulation of 12-15 minutes per week over a few sessions.
For those new to cold exposure, consider starting with cold showers before progressing to full-body ice baths. Then you can try an ice bath for home with an automated chiller unit.
Final Thoughts on Ice Baths For Longevity
Cold plunging is more than just a trend—it’s a science-backed practice that could offer a range of health benefits, from improved recovery and mood to better sleep and stress management, ultimately increasing longevity through optimal health.
While the experience of the cold can be tough, the potential rewards make it worth considering as part of your wellness rituals.
As always, if you have any underlying health conditions, consult with a trusted professional or ice bath coach before diving into cold water therapy to get the tips and tools to practice safely.
