5 things I’ve learnt about Ice Baths
Insights from an amateur
1. You don’t need ice
The ice is just clickbait, cold water is enough.
Forget about those people wasting shop bought ice that come in plastic wrapping & putting them in the water, it’s all for effect. As we know with our G&Ts it doesn’t bring the temperature of the entire drink down immediately, it takes time. So really it’s just the top that’s icy. For all we know, the rest of the bath is a balmy 39℃!
Current research tells us that you will get the same benefits from dipping in 14℃ as you would 3℃. Anything below 15℃ is where the magic happens.
2. Don’t fill your pod all the way to the top
Water will be displaced by your body.
Initially I filled the pod all the way to the brim, it overflowed of course. I then lowered it to 3/4 full, which gave me plenty of water without wasting any. However, after getting bored on my latest refill, I stopped at around 2/3 and that is plenty enough for me. I can sit on the bottom of the pod and still be immersed up to the back of my neck.
According to Popular Mechanics full submission can be harmful. Getting cold water on your face can trigger the ‘diving response’ slowing your heart rate down, which is a sign of hypothermia.
3. Three minutes is probably enough
Again, it’s all fuss and bollocks.
It is not a competition, put Wim Hof to one side. If you want to build yourself up to 10 minutes, go for it, but if you’re purely doing it to get the benefits of the cold water, 3 minutes is enough.
Of course this will depend on the water temperature, if you are dipping at 14/15℃ you may want to stay in a bit longer than if you’re around the 5℃ mark. It seems that if you’re dipping below 10℃, there’s no need to be in for more than 3 minutes.
And always do what feels right for you.
Start small, 10 seconds and build up incrementally. Repeat after me, it is not a competition.
I plan to increase my time as we venture into April and May but only because I want to start getting into the water proper. Orkney has some beautiful swimming spots and as you can imagine a vibrant sea swimming community, many of who swim all year round. That might be me next winter.
4. Routine
Do it on the same days and it’ll soon feel routine.
For the first 3 weeks I dipped on a Monday, Wednesday & Saturday morning. Dipping after the dog walk and before starting any real work, is perfect for me. It gives me a chance to warm up, get my pot of tea and to be frank, get it over and done with!
It was all going so well, that is until I was stranded on Mainland for an extra night one Friday and couldn’t get home till the Saturday afternoon. Yes I could have dipped in the afternoon, but by that time the storms had picked up again hitting 50mph+ and we just don’t have a sheltered enough spot for the pod to sit comfortably in - phew!
Then Easter hit, full of various activities and I’m still all out of sync. That means I’ll probably double dip (2 days in a row) so I can get back to my usual routine next week.
5. Breathe
Breath work helps.
The first time you go in it feels like a million needles pricking your skin, wait, that’s every time…but breathing helps. It does. I promise. No really, it does.
My go to is always box breathing and it works a treat for dipping, you only have to count to 4 and you have regular breath going in and out. Plus done right 4 rounds will take you just past a minute and by then you’ll be in ‘the zone’. You won’t but it’s good to pretend.
Box Breathing
Breathe in for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Out for 4 counts
Again hold for 4 counts
The initial shock of getting into the pod and settling takes around 20 seconds which means after 4 rounds of box breathing you’re around halfway done. By then I feel committed to the full 3 minutes…usually.
Now onto the supposed benefits
This is purely from MY experience.
✅ Mood boosting
I always feel joyful afterwards. Whether that’s the effects of cold water, the blessed relief of getting out or the smugness, I don’t know, but it works!
❌ Improved circulation
It still takes a million years for my fingers & toes to warm up so not seeing any benefits of this yet.
✅ Aids recovery after exercise
I dipped after my rotavating (sp?) adventures over Easter & given how wobbly I felt after hanging onto a machine with a will all of it’s own, I felt remarkably ok.
❌ Weight loss
I wish. Still displacing the same amount of water here. Truth be told after last week’s cake marathon I’m displacing more than usual.
✅ Reduces localised pain
My neck and shoulder on the left hand side are always tight and it sometimes leaves me with a headache. The headache goes quite soon after getting my shoulders & neck in the water. I’m not exactly sure how quickly because so far, I’ve never noticed until about 10 minutes after the dip because everything else in my body is on icy fire!
My stats
Number of weeks: 4 + 5days
Number of dips: 14
Shortest dip: 1m00
Longest dip: 3m18
Highest temp: 10℃
Lowest temp: 4℃
Number of times my towel blew away: 2
Number of times I dropped my phone: 3
Number of sharp intakes of breath: eleventy billion
Summary?
Or do I just need another subheader?
What I found in my extensive research (disclaimer: it was not extensive) is that most of the chat around cold water therapy/swimming/benefits is anecdotal. As such the information shared here beyond my own experience is from searches and articles I’ve found online, but it is consistent anecdotal evidence.
Question: is it sill called evidence if it’s anecdotal?
Let’s be honest, this is a fad.
People have been swimming in cold water since the dawn of people and they will continue. It will continue to be used for training, both as a therapy and to build endurance & mental toughness, but it will no doubt fade out of our social media feeds soon enough. I however, hope I’ll keep up the consistency, whether that’s sticking to my pod, or spreading my fins and hitting the water for real.
Just one last thing before you go. I particularly enjoyed this article from Kate Rew, it’s her not so scientific take on cold water temperatures: Cold Water: A temperature guide
This is very funny… it deserves lots of views!