Many people are aware of the benefits when you do a sauna and ice bath session separately, but did you know that the benefits are almost two-fold when done together?
Using the sauna followed immediately by an ice bath is known as contrast therapy and has been used for thousands of years within numerous indigenous cultures worldwide, the Scandinavian culture is especially known for its sauna and ice bath combination.
Contrast therapy involves exposing your body to extreme temperatures, extreme heat followed by extreme cold, which cause different responses that have a range of various undeniable health benefits. Though it is typically used by athletes to speed their muscle recovery, non-athletes can benefit from this super-charged treatment too.
Saunas: How are they good for you?
There have been numerous studies into whether saunas are really good for you. Overwhelmingly, the results have proven time and again that regularly exposing your body to high heat levels between 80°C to 100°C for 15-30 minutes per day produces a range of short and long-term health benefits, including:
- Stress relief
- Pain relief
- Improves sleep
- Improves circulation
- Improves cardiovascular health
- Increases blood flow
- Reduces tension in both muscles and joints
- Faster recovery after exercise
- Helps aid weight loss
- Detoxification through induced sweating
- Strengthens the immune system
- Improves brain health
Ice Baths: How are they good for you?
An ice bath, known also as cold water immersion and cold plunge, is the process of submerging your body into extremely cold or ice-cold water. Generally, the aim is to get the water temperature anywhere from 10°C to 2°C with an immersion time of 5-15 minutes depending on the level of experience and your body’s response. Athletes often use ice baths for muscle recovery after strenuous exercise, However, they have been gaining popularity with non-athletes for the long list of ice bath benefits. These include:
- Relieves sore and aching muscles
- Increases energy levels
- Speeds up physical recovery
- Improves discipline
- Lowers core body temperature (most effective for treating heatstroke)
- Reduces inflammation and swelling of injuries
- Boosts immune system
- Helps aid weight loss
- Improves sleep quality
- Improves mental clarity, focus, and memory
Contrast therapy: Why not both?
Individually, saunas and ice baths offer a huge variety of benefits for both body and mind. When you use them together, they are complementary and sometimes even enhance their benefits. Below, we explore some of those benefits, emphasising why saunas and ice baths are the perfect combination for athletic recovery and general wellness.
Enhanced circulation and quicker post-workout recovery
The sauna heat causes muscles to relax and dilates blood vessels in a process called vasodilation, increasing blood flow and infusing oxygen and nutrients into the muscles. In contrast, ice baths constrict your blood vessels in a process called vasoconstriction. These are especially helpful after a workout by reducing muscle swelling and inflammation, and flushing out waste like lactic acid from your muscles.
When moving from a sauna with vasodilation to an ice bath with vasoconstriction, the sauna will draw the blood close to the skin, away from vital organs, slowing them down; the ice bath will then rapidly force all the blood back to the vital organs, spiking their speed and making sure they get working again. This process increases circulation and delivers oxygen all around the body.
Reduces stress and elevates mood
Many of the studies that sought to find the benefits of saunas and ice baths were centred around brain chemical production and mental health outcomes.
Saunas are known to reduce stress for a number of reasons. Heat is a relaxant, it relaxes your muscles and aids circulation, which all work to reduce stress levels. On top of this, saunas are linked to an increase in endorphins, the brain’s happy hormones.
Ice baths have been proven to increase dopamine and non-adrenaline. One study in particular showed that a cold plunge at 14°C caused a 250% boost in dopamine levels and a 530% increase in non-adrenaline. These levels stayed high and lasted for several hours after the plunge.
Improved immune system support
Contrast therapy has also been known to increase white blood cell production. Heat exposure can create a mild hyperthermia, creating a mild fever-like effect that triggers the body into producing illness-fighting white blood cells. Similarly, ice baths force the body to try and warm itself during immersion. This causes the body to speed up its metabolism and activate the immune system, leading to the production of more white blood cells.
Stimulates weight loss
Both saunas and ice baths have various weight loss benefits, some are short-term and others are long-term.
Excess sweating from the intense heat of a sauna will quickly drop water weight, however rehydration will make most of this weight come back. Saunas are known to elevate your heart rate in a similar way to cardio, so the extra boost could help passively shed calories.
Ice baths have proven weight loss through brown fat activation. Brown fat helps the body burn calories by creating heat right before it starts to shiver, with studies showing regular exposure to ice baths can help turn white fat cells into brown ones.
What comes first, sauna or ice bath?
The order in which you do your contrast therapy is important, since doing it the right way will kick-start the correct processes in your body.
- Sauna
Taking a warm shower before entering the sauna is good to remove any dirt, loosen your muscles, and open up your pores before entering. Choosing to do the sauna first is the best way to get the most out of your contrast therapy session. Doing the sauna first means your body generates detoxifying sweat quicker and does not have to work as hard to relax or increase blood flow. As a beginner, it is recommended no longer than 10 minutes in the sauna. For more experienced and regular sauna users, 20-30 minutes is best to get the most out of your session.
- Cool down & Showering
Cooling down in the fresh air after a sauna is important. The cool air helps your body regulate its temperature and return back to normal. It is considered good etiquette to wash all the sweat and toxins off your body before you jump into an ice bath and is a requirement in our clinic. A quick shower is effective for cleansing the skin and closing your pores.
- Ice bath
Specialists agree that while there is no right or wrong way to do it, you will reap the benefits of an ice plunge a lot more after a sauna than before. This is mostly because transitioning from hot to cold is a lot more manageable for your body than cold to hot. How long you spend in the ice bath is entirely up to you, your comfort levels, and how often you use it. For first timers, anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes per dip is plenty of time for you to feel the effects over time. For someone more comfortable, 5 to 10 minutes is usually the maximum time to spend in an ice bath.
Sauna and ice bath sessions with My Recovery Lounge
Whether you have just finished an intense workout or had a hard day in the office, we have sauna and ice bath facilities beneficial for both athletes and non-athletes at My Recovery Lounge. Based in Port Melbourne, our main goal is to assist you in your recovery from intense physical activity, rejuvenate your body and mind, and enhance your overall well being.
We offer single 30 min to 60 min sessions for both our sauna and ice bath facilities, with an option to book in bulk sessions to get the absolute most out of your contrast therapy sessions with us.
Are you wanting to get the most out of your muscle recovery? Book with us today and we guarantee you will not only see the difference, but feel it too.
