The Cool Way to Wellness: Dipping Into the Benefits of Ice Baths and Cold Therapy

When the body gets an injury, like getting a burn from a hot cooking pan or a paper cut when turning a particularly sharp page, the first point of call is usually to run the area under a cold tap. This is rightly believed to reduce the amount of blood flow to the site and lessen the extent of the injury.

But that’s not the only reason why going cold is cool. Cold therapy, also known as cryotherapy, has long been a proven and reliable method of recovery, but accessing its benefits takes more than just standing under a cold shower for a couple of chilly seconds. 

Today, we will be dipping into the topic of cold therapy, its benefits, and how they can be accessed quickly, at any time and every day.

Taking time to chill

Despite its critical acclaim in treating physical pains, the application of cold therapy as a whole-body experience only entered the public mainstream within the last half-century, after Japanese medical expert Dr. Toshima Yamaguchi discovered how the brief application of extreme cold could remedy rheumatoid arthritis.

The practice we see today essentially immerses the body in sub-zero temperatures, typically through short-term exposure to cold waters but also sometimes to ice or cold air. Doing this awakens the body like never before, stimulating all its sensors and receptors at once and instigating the natural healing system. 

We see variations of this practice throughout medical treatments around the world. The topical deep freeze treatments of the sports world tap this very science, the famed Siberian Banya heavily relies on the body’s unique response to the cold and the Greek physician Hippocrates even documented the benefit of this practice as a treatment in studies dating back over two thousand years.

Being such an adaptable form of therapy, it’s unsurprising that small forms of cold therapy have been heavily integrated into the best self-care techniques of today. And behind every enduring legacy is a set of benefits that have repeatedly delivered.

Thawing the benefits

Sometimes the best way to get the results that you want is to take a plunge into the deep end, and this is exactly how cold exposure therapies work their magic, by pushing the body into a healthy, all-natural cycle of recovery. 

The process never actually harms the body if done properly, but rather, it instigates recovery by stimulating the body’s natural healing processes. The reaction is instant and so are the benefits. Here are some you’ll be dipping into during your next icy escapade with cold exposure therapy:

• Muscle recovery and pain management: Cold therapy has stayed true to its roots as being a proven remedy to chronic pain syndromes like rheumatoid arthritis, and it does this by reducing nerve activity, metabolic waste production and the amount of inflammatory chemicals being produced by the body. 

• Skin rejuvenation: The cold is a win-win for the skin, as even the briefest amounts of exposure can greatly reduce the appearance of wrinkles and the complexion of the skin. This is largely because collagen, the building blocks of a youthful glow, is produced as a response to the exposure, helping to improve the skin’s elasticity and hydration.  

• Better, deeper sleep: Although sudden exposure to freezing temperatures would be enough to shake anyone awake, a more tailored approach to a cold touch can help release feel-good endorphins, regulate body temperature and calm the nervous system; everything you’d need for a refreshing, blissful night’s sleep. 

• Building immunity: Because the sensation of cold is so shocking, it causes a special reaction among the body’s white blood cells, including neutrophils and lymphocytes, which when mixed with the increased lymphatic circulation, increases the body’s ability to fight infections and prepare for any future stressors. 

• Tipped for toning: Unlike topical solutions, cold therapy is perhaps one of the only forms of self-care that can reach right through to the body’s inner workings. When temperatures take a plunge, the body fights hard to maintain its usual, comfortable temperature and increases its calorie intake in order to do this. 

We could talk all day about the benefits awaiting the body when it meets momentary icy conditions, but they really are benefits that we feel need to be seen to be believed. 

How to enjoy cold therapy anywhere

Cold therapy used to be seen as quite an elitist form of self-care, and not just because the benefits are elite, but because, up until very recently, harnessing these benefits required a lot of effort and a typically high price for low temperatures.

However, now through the combination of technology, advanced science and critical design, we have been able to refine and optimise this unique form of therapy as a go-to treatment, making it accessible to everyone through one of our most exciting product developments: the LEVEL Portable Ice Bath.

Immersive, insulated and easier to maintain than you might think, the LEVEL Portable Ice Bath is the perfect solution for those seeking to tap the incredible benefits of cold therapy at any hour they choose.