Finding the Perfect Cold Plunge
Cold plunges are all the rage right now. You have likely seen the most popular athletes using them for recovery and conditioning purposes, but is it right to install one in your home?
You might think a cold bath doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but the health benefits of a cold plunge are pretty unbelievable, we will discuss that in detail.
Known as cold hydrotherapy, this practice requires you to submerge your body in 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit water for 15 to 20 minutes.
If you are looking for additional information about purchasing your own sauna, cold plunge, and much more, take our two-minute quiz to learn more about which product is the best for your needs.
Let’s learn all about cold plunges, their health benefits, and the best models to purchase for your home.
What is a Cold Plunge and the Nordic Cycle?
Many people use a sauna or hot tub and a cold plunge together in what is typically called the Nordic Cycle. This involves using heat therapy to warm yourself up for 15 to 20 minutes, taking a cool shower to acclimate to a colder temperature, then dipping into an ice bath or cold plunge for an additional one to four minutes. When you complete this regimen, relax at room temperature for a few minutes, then repeat the cycle.
A cold plunge is a pool of water that is typically kept between 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so it isn’t unbearably cold, but still pretty chilly. To ensure the water isn’t too cold, you can dip your foot into the pool for a minute or two. If the water is painfully cold, you should add a little warm water to the tub to make it less brisk. On the flip side, you can add ice to your cold plunge to cool it down, too — this is typically known as an ice bath.
Sometimes, a hot tub can also be used as a cold plunge. Heat it up when you want the benefits of a hot tub, and chill it out when you want to utilize a cold plunge. Some people only like using a cold plunge for a few minutes at a time, but you can use a cold plunge for up to 20 minutes, with 10 to 15 minutes being the optimal range.
If you stay in a cold plunge longer than 20 minutes, your body starts to lose heat faster than it can produce it, which can lead to hypothermia, which, as we all know, can be life-threatening.
However, when used safely, a cold plunge has a lot of health benefits, especially when combined with sauna use; let’s talk about a few of them.
Benefits of a Cold Plunge When Used With a Sauna
There are many benefits of adding a cold plunge into your sauna session.
Here are a few ways you can benefit from a cold plunge:
More Relaxation and Stress Relief
When using a sauna, your body is exposed to high heat, which leads to vasodilation or the widening of your blood vessels. Vasodilation increases blood flow to the skin, and as your blood vessels expand, your blood pressure drops, resulting in increased relaxation and stress reduction.
When you use a cold plunge after a sauna, the cold temperatures have the opposite effect on blood vessels, which is called vasoconstriction or the narrowing of blood vessels. Basically, your blood flow is redirected from your periphery to your internal organs, and when emerging from the cold plunge, your body has a rush of adrenaline. Continuously exposing yourself to this stress improves your ability to handle said stress, which actually helps you reduce stress levels.
Increases Resilience
Did you know that experiencing low to moderate stressors in your body can trigger positive responses? This is known as hormesis. Combining the heat from a sauna session and the cold from a cold plunge is the perfect way for your body to achieve hormesis. Essentially, your body gets used to the stress you are subjecting it to, and it becomes easier to handle it over time. This increases your body’s resilience and can promote physical well-being.
Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation is common, but a cold plunge can reduce oxidative stress markers, leading to lower inflammation. Those who experience chronic inflammation could benefit from using saunas combined with cold plunges as they enhance lymphatic drainage, which helps flush out toxins and waste products leading to less inflammation.
Ice baths or cold plunges particularly help with inflammation as they numb pain, especially with sprains and strains. The cold is known to ease inflammation, swelling, redness, and tenderness.
Promotes Weight Loss
When your body is exposed to high temperatures, you burn more calories than if you were sitting at room temperature, but the combination of heat and cold promotes fat burning, causing you to lose some of those extra pounds.
The exposure to cold activates brown adipose tissue to burn fat for energy while trying to keep you warm in the cold temperatures. Ultimately, the combination of heat and cold helps you burn calories and burn fat.
Detoxifies the Body
The heat of a sauna causes you to sweat, which helps you to flush out all the toxins and waste products from your body. On the other hand, the cold stimulates leukocytes, which are white blood cells that help fight illnesses and causes the lymphatic system to contract. This process causes you to flush toxins out through your lymph nodes.
Improves Skin Health
A sauna’s heat increases blood flow to your skin. This allows more oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to your skin cells, which promotes cell regeneration and a healthy, glowing complexion.
Adding a cold plunge after a sauna session has the opposite effect, as constricted blood vessels reduce inflammation and flush out toxins through your skin. This helps to tighten your pores, which gives you smoother and more even skin.
Aids with Arthritis
The heat from a sauna helps to relax your muscles, reduce joint pain, and alleviate arthritis pain.
A sauna also improves joint flexibility, which makes movement less painful for those who have arthritis as well.
Conversely, a cold plunge reduces inflammation around the joints affected by arthritis and numbs pain receptors, giving much-needed relief to those affected by arthritis. Additionally, the cold reduces muscle spasms and tension around the affected joints.
Which Cold Plunges Should You Buy?
Now that you know why a cold plunge is so great to add to your sauna session, let’s talk about which cold plunges are the best for you to purchase.
Dundalk Leisurecarft Glacier Plunge Tub
If you are looking for a cold plunge that has a rustic yet chic look, then the Dundalk Leisurecraft Glacier Plunge Tub is a great addition to your home. This tub is crafted with a durable aluminum shell and a red cedar skirt. It also includes an optional roll-up cover that will keep your cold plunge tub and water clean for multiple uses.
You can also easily drain the tub when you are finished using it if you don’t like to use the water for multiple dips. Fill it up with a hose and dump in some ice if you really want to get a deep chill.
However, this tub also has the option to add your choice of a Penguin Chiller Cold Therapy Chiller, a Dundalk Leisure Nordic Chiller, or a Dundalk Leisure Coldture Water Chiller to cool your water down, too.
Place it next to your outdoor sauna to incorporate the Nordic Cycle fully. Its design is perfect to fit in with any decor style in your backyard.
Dundalk Leisurecraft The Arctic Plunge Tub - Knotty Red Cedar
What’s cool (pun intended) about this cold plunge is all the accessories you can choose to purchase along with it. You can choose to add 3-tier steps, a water skimmer, thermometer, and cold plunge lid so you don’t have to drain the water out of your cold plunge after every use.
Like the above cold plunge, you can also choose not to add a chiller and add ice to your water to cool things off, or you can add a chiller like the Penguin Chiller Cold Therapy Chiller, a Dundalk Leisure Nordic Chiller, or a Dundalk Leisure Coldture Water Chiller to keep things nice and cold right when you want to use it.
This cold plunge is also pretty compact in size, so it won’t take up a huge footprint in your backyard, especially if you also have a sauna as well.
Is a Cold Plunge Right for You?
Many may think bathing in cold water or ice baths might not sound so fun, but it is the perfect way to kick-start your health and add the highly beneficial Nordic Cycle into your life.
Now that you know how a cold plunge can help you, you can find the perfect cold plunge to add to your home. My Sauna World has a wonderful selection of cold plunges and surely has the perfect cold plunge to add to your yard. Shop now to either add a cold plunge to your sauna routine or use it for its own benefits today.