Sauna et Icebath

Happy Holidays! Tis the season of giving and I have been due for sometime to write a new article to post for the website!

I have had serious writers block as of recently. The more time that passes, the more pressure I place on myself to publish something memorable, deep, and profound. In addition to this self-inflicted pressure, I have been reading a lot of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy in my free time and all my potential ideas for articles seem so trivial and insignificant in comparison to their intellect. Regardless of these excuses, I have come to the conclusion that my writing will never come to be if I become too overly conscious of the product I put out there. Therefore, it is time to get back in the saddle and just write. We are creatures of habit, so if I publish one article each Saturday or Sunday, inevitably I will improve my writing capabilities and eventually develop some ideas of some meaning or significance. Enough rambling and time to get to the point of today’s post: saunas and icebaths.

For the purpose of becoming stronger both mentally and physically, I have become great believer in the health benefits of both extreme heat and cold exposure. The physical and physiological benefits of both saunas and icebaths/cold showers are quite evident and have become widely popular in health and fitness communities. These primarily include hormesis (body’s ability to adapt to a stressor and become stronger because of it), increased blood flow and cardiovascular health, improved immune function, greater fat loss and metabolism, reduced inflammation, and improved physical performance and endurance. These benefits are quite incredible, but for this article I want to primarily focus on the psychological benefits and motivators for participating in such activities on a consistent basis.

“It's the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet tender joy”

This quote from The Brothers Karamazov I believe can be analogous to the experience of taking an icebath. Upon entering the icy waters, one is immediately hit with shock and pain, but this eventually subsides and becomes feelings of peace, clarity, and euphoria. This can be an important lesson for building discipline and overcoming challenges on the path to achieving a greater goal. On the other hand, saunas are immediately relaxing and pleasing but eventually becomes uncomfortable and can even lead one to becoming incoherent and dazed. Yet, they are both immensely beneficial for stress reduction. Saunas are relaxing because they cause a significant release of endorphins, including beta-endorphin, a substance that improves mood, sense of calm, and pain tolerance. Entering icewater can be anything but relaxing, but it teaches one to slow down one’s breath and I have noticed that it has helped me in how I handle other stressful situations on a daily basis.

The combination of active relaxation in the sauna with the breath-control in the stressful icebath can actively influence how one responds to stress and challenges in general.

In the same way the saunas cause the release of beta-endorphin, cold plunges trigger the release of norepinephrine, a hormone that is directly responsible for attention, focus and energy. Every time I get out of an icebath or a cold shower, I feel invigorated and ready to take on anything that comes my way.

Both saunas and icebaths can also improve your mood throughout the day. There is a close relationship between energy levels and mood because they are both influenced by a lot of the same hormones that are released to the brain during both heat and cold exposure.

Lastly, studies show that both saunas and icebaths improve sleep. Sleep is a massive contributor to mental health and is a primary contributor to improving testosterone levels in men and women.

Ultimately, saunas and icebaths/cold showers can be leveraged throughout one’s day to improve certain physical and cognitive abilities. Personally, I prefer to do a 20-minute sauna session after my morning workout followed directly by a cold shower to get the blood flowing and the mind sharp to start the workday. I have been blessed with the luxury of having a local gym with a sauna and New England winters which are capable of drastically reducing shower temps. I have only taken one icebath this winter, but it is my primary go to during the summer; Icebaths tend to be quite uncomfortable in the winter and refreshing in the summer while a hot sauna is a blessing in the winter and hell in the summer. Yet, in order to grow we must pursue the challenges that discomfort brings us and for that reason, I am going to try to take more icebaths this winter.

Cheers