Cold therapy: What is it, and how can it benefit the body and the mind?

Cold therapy or cold plunge has been all the rage lately among celebrities. 

Some of its avid patrons include Bretman Rock, who started doing it in 2023 to complement his gym workouts.

The Filipino-American content creator has shared several videos of him plunging in an ice bath and in each video, you can see how his time inside the ice cold bath improves with focus and breathing.

Other celebrs including Wil Dasovich, Kris Lawrence, Nico Bolzico, and Phimar Alipayo have also posted about it on their social media channels.

But first things first: What is cold therapy and is it actually beneficial to the mind and the body?

Cold therapy is a process of plunging into a barrel of 8°C-cold water and staying there for at least three minutes for beginners and up to 10 minutes for experts.

It has plenty of proven benefits, including accelerated metabolism, improved immune system, improved sleep and general mood, reduced stress, and regulated hormones, Prevention reports.

In a "Pinoy MD" episode, Dr. Via Roderos said the benefits of cold therapy primarily include relaxation and regained focus, especially after a workout. 

"It (cold therapy) actually helps us regain our focus back because of the relaxing relief na nabibigay ng ice bath after natin mag exercise," the general physician said. 

The benefits double when done in combination with hot yoga, the practice of yoga in a room heated above normal temperature, often between 26-37C.

"Doing hot and cold together is the perfect health combination," Amanda Griffin Jacob tells GMA News Online about contrast therapy.

Jacob is the owner of Vida Yoga, a health studio in BGC offering cold therapy and hot yoga together with its Fire & Ice session. 

"For me, both practices entail a certain amount of discipline and mental strength. I love that the more you do both, the stronger you become, not just physically but mentally too," said added.

While hot yoga and cold plunge are at the extreme ends of the temperature scale, techniques required of each can complement the other.

Hot yoga for instance, requires a certain kind of breathing that can help in cold therapy. Meanwhile, the mental strength gained in cold therapy can work in hot yoga. 

Already familiar with hot yoga, I tried contrast therapy with Vida Yoga and found cold therapy rather challenging.

I didn't finished the 3-minute goal, staying in the ice tub for just nearly a minute. But what I realized in engaging in such extreme activities is to remain calm and never panic. 

When you jump in an extra cold tub, your body will be put in a sympathetic mode or a fight or flight mode.

The sympathetic mode is your body's response to dangerous or stressful situations.

Engaging in cold therapy stimulates your sympathetic nervous system, causing your heart rate to speed up. This is why some beginners jump out of the water the moment they feel the extreme temperature.

Roderos explains what happens to the body with an ice bath: “nag-co-constrict ‘yung blood vessels, nababawasan ‘yung daloy ng dugo."

She warns people with comorbidities like hypertension and diabetes consult with their physicians first before trying this activity because "pwede siyang magkaroon ng risk factor for stroke, lalo na ‘pag may problema with blood circulation.”

Meanwhile, healthier individuals will understand that this is where breathing techniques of hot yoga enter. Regulating long breaths will not only train the mind to stay focused and calm, it also generates enough body heat to help withstand the cold. 

It's going to be challenging, for sure, especially if you're just starting with cold therapy. But consistent practice will help develop a solid mental state of mind and allow you to keep your cool in the most uncomfortable situations.

 

 

 

 

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Vida Yoga is located at Arya Residences in BGC, Taguig City.