Q U A N T U M   I C E   B A T H   B E N E F I T S

1.) Help Your Muscles Recover After a Hard Workout

Here’s how an ice bath works, according to Gardner: When you are exposed to cold water, your blood vessels constrict and get smaller. And when you get out of the water, the change in temperature causes them to rapidly re-open, which can help to flush the muscles' metabolic waste products. “This rapid dilation of the blood vessels also delivers much-needed oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, which in theory should help them to recover after a hard workout,” she points out.

2.) Prevent Muscle Soreness

Gardner also points to evidence that immersion in an ice bath after intense exercise can reduce the onset of delayed muscle soreness compared to basic rest. “This is thought to occur by decreasing inflammation,” she explains.

3.) Reduce Risk of Injury

As Gardner pointed out, ice baths can assist with recovery and decrease soreness, which stimulates recovery. Bowen adds that this will help reduce your risk of injury.

4.) Prepare Your Body for the Next Workout

Additionally, Bowen points out that you are setting it up for future success by allowing your body to recover. “This allows you to be better prepared for the next workout, which can be of higher quality.”

5.) Boost Your Immunity

There is some scientific evidence that ice baths work as an immunity booster. One 2016 study published in the journal PLoS One found that people who take cold showers are almost 30 percent less likely to call in sick for work or school.

6.) Boost Your Mental Health

Ice baths also offer potential mental health benefits. “Most people do not find the ice bath experience to be pleasant at first. In fact, it can be frankly painful,” says Dr. Gardner. “However, this improves with relaxing, focusing on your breathing, and even some distraction. Over time, many people will build up a tolerance for the cold and will come to find it an important part of their recovery process. “This resilience and adaptation have obvious applications elsewhere in exercise, sport, and life,” she points out.

7.) Improve Your Sleep

Dan Bowen, NPTI, NASM personal trainer and owner of Philadelphia’s Hit Fitness, explains that ice baths may help improve your sleep. The cold water can have a positive effect on the central nervous system, “which helps you sleep and feel better after spending ten to fifteen minutes in it,” he says.