Cold plunging involves leveraging cold temperatures for the achievement of numerous health benefits. For many, the easiest way to build a solid cold therapy routine is by owning a home cold plunge. This therapy has been a staple of recovery regimes for pro athletes for decades, if not centuries.
Faster recovery to improve peak performance has long been the goal of cold plunging, but there's so much more to it when it comes to health benefits. Let’s take a closer look at the science behind the Wim Hof method to learn if cold plunging in water is good for you.
Health Benefits of Cold Plunges
Over the course of the past few decades, researchers have been taking a closer look at the effects of cold plunging, made popular by the renowned Wim Hof method. Everything from Nordic cultures to annual polar plungers has been analyzed, and what researchers have found is astonishing.
Let's list the health benefits you could enjoy from owning a home cold plunge tub.
Helps Improve Immune System Wellbeing
Cold plunges promote immunity by invigorating the lymphatic system. The result is that bacteria and bodily toxins are eliminated from every area of the body. By flushing harmful microbes and cell waste away, the body's systems become free of impurities and can function more optimally.
Reduces Muscle Soreness
Cold plunging forces blood vessels to contract, which then decreases inflammation and improves cardiovascular health. After strenuous exercise, muscles and joints often swell, which hampers muscle recovery and ups the likelihood of injuries.
If you take a cold plunge post-workout, you can decrease the swelling and inflammation rapidly, and lower the risk of injury and soreness.
Cool Down Faster After A Workout
Cold plunging can also provide you with a rapid body temperature reduction after strenuous workouts in hot weather. This helps improve recovery times for better performance the next time you work out or compete, along with improving the body's natural cooling response times.
Boosts Heart Rate Variability
Sometimes called cold water immersion, cold plunging also helps promote improved heart rate variability HRV, a leading indicator of heart health and stress. By increasing your HRV, you can achieve better sleep quality, improved muscle recovery after lifting weights, and even be more productive at work due to the mental effects of HRV.
Calmer Mind and Deeper Focus
Cold showers have also been scientifically proven to help improve mental health. Studies going back nearly two decades have found that cold hydrotherapy is an effective way to reduce the symptoms of depression, along with increasing the efficacy of mood-lifting prescription treatments.
Improves Brain Health
A study of people who regularly go swimming in the winter found that cold water swimming can help with mood enhancement as well. Researchers found that after four months of swimming in icy-cold water, participants in the study felt measurably more energetic and upbeat than participants that didn't take any polar plunges during the same timeframe.
Enhances Weight Loss
Cold plunge therapy can help to raise energy levels and boost metabolism, and recent research is uncovering more and more links between cold plunging and weight loss. Wellness clinics have been leveraging the power of cold water immersion therapy for a while now for this very reason, and now you can enjoy these benefits at home or even in your office.
Alleviates Pain, Swelling, and Inflammation
One of the most well-known methods for treating pain and inflammation in the sports medicine field is using rest, ice, compression, and elevation (also called the RICE method). When you take a cold plunge, you can achieve many of the same effects that this method provides for injuries.
Cold plunges help reduce pain and swelling, providing relief for those dealing with inflammatory ailments like arthritis.
Starting A Wellness Routine with Cold Plunging
Thankfully, you don't need to find a frozen lake to gain the health benefits of cold plunging. You can do it right in your home without bags of ice or building a special room. RENU Therapy makes cold plunge tanks designed to fit perfectly in almost any home or small business, along with being suitable for inside or outside use.
For those taking the cold plunge in a RENU cold hydrotherapy tub, it's key to limit sessions to ten minutes or less. Although increased cold exposure could improve your cold water endurance times, it's still best to stay within the safe parameters of ten-minute sessions. It’s recommended to check with your doctor before trying cold plunging.
Benefit From RENU Therapy Ice Baths
RENU Therapy makes cold plunge tubs by hand in the USA. Each of our cold plunge therapy tubs features a world-class design that enhances the aesthetic appeal of any home or interior space.
You'll also get world-class warranty and customer service! Contact RENU today and start benefiting from a home cold plunge.
