Chilling Truth: Jumping into an Ice Bath Without Proper Preparation Can Do More Harm Than Good
As social media continues to grow into many people’s source for information, it's not uncommon to see influencers and celebrities jumping into ice baths to promote the benefits of cold exposure. While we clearly believe in the health benefits to be gained from cold exposure, it's important to approach it with mindfulness and knowledge. Jumping into an ice bath without proper preparation and awareness of the body's survival responses can be dangerous and counterproductive to the intended results.
When you first immerse yourself in an ice bath, your body immediately engages its survival responses. The sudden change in temperature triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol, two hormones that help prepare the body for a fight or flight response. This can cause your heart rate to increase, your blood pressure to rise, and your breathing to become more rapid. The body's survival response to cold exposure is meant to help you adapt to extreme conditions and survive in the wild, but it can also be overwhelming and even harmful to the body if not managed properly.
The effects of cold exposure on the nervous system are complex and can vary depending on the individual's response. In addition to triggering the survival response, cold exposure can also activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and relaxation. This can lead to feelings of calm and relaxation after the initial shock of the cold subsides. This is why many people talk about the positive effects of stress release! However, if we go too fast, and it’s all too much for our system, then it isn’t going to activate the rest and relaxation and can kick us into total shut down mode, or engage your Dorsal Vagal system. It is important to approach cold exposure with your nervous system in mind, to avoid overwhelming the nervous system and to reap the full benefits of the practice.
Our Ice Bath Facilitator, Kelly Morgan, speaks to everyone’s ‘bio-uniqueness’ frequently, in relation to direct cold exposure, because not everyone’s systems are organized to get amazing and wonderful results from the shock of simply plunging into an ice bath. Of course, we are looking for all the great benefits of the cold, including the dopamine increase, reduction in inflammation, stress relief after the fact, etc., and this can drive us to just want to jump in and get it over with!
When exposed to extreme cold, our nervous system goes into survival mode, triggering the "fight or flight" response. This can cause a surge of adrenaline and cortisol, leading to an increased heart rate, blood pressure, and rapid breathing. This response is meant to help us survive in extreme situations, but if not managed properly, it can be overwhelming and even harmful to the body. This also makes many first-time ice bathers never want to try again and direct cold exposure needs to be a regular practice to reap long term results.
Now, we’re not saying to NEVER jump in an ice bath! Of course there is a time and a place for everything, but are you moving at the pace your body and nervous system is asking to go? We’ve been ice bathing for years and some days our systems ask for a slower pace because of a number of factors and other days we can tell that just plunging right in is the move. So we invite you to start slow, and get to know yourself in the cold.
If we approach cold exposure with mindfulness and a slower pace, we can experience greater benefits without overwhelming our nervous system. Starting with shorter exposure times and gradually increasing the length and intensity can help the body adapt and build resilience. This approach can also help us tune into our body's signals and avoid pushing beyond our limits. Kelly Morgan, with Big Wave Industries, has developed an approach called The Waves Protocol, that does exactly this. We cannot guarantee that getting into an ice bath wont be difficult, but we can absolutely make it a lot easier on you and your systems.
By going a bit slower, we can focus on the present moment and be aware of our thoughts and emotions while in the ice, which means we also have the opportunity to cultivate greater resilience, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. The cold has been called a teacher by many experts out there and we couldn’t agree more. By going a little slower than we want to, we can actually get to know our nervous system, its responses and where it will be helpful to push ourselves, and where it would be the most supportive to go a little more gently. Let’s be honest, an ice bath is clearly tough enough, we don’t need to make it harder than necessary!
So next time you're tempted to jump into an ice bath like the social media influencers, remember that slow and mindful exposure is key to reaping the full benefits of cold exposure. With a little patience and intention, you can build resilience and experience the transformative power of cold exposure without overwhelming your nervous system.
