Ice Bath vs Cold Shower: Pros and Cons

The cold shower and ice bath are the popular methods of taking cold therapy. But it has some differences as well. There are several merits and demerits associated with both types of cold therapy. The ice bath and cold shower differ in the degree of temperature, depth of exposure, convenience, uses, and health benefits. Both are effective types of therapies. So you have a complete choice to choose ice bath or cold water according to your personal preference, skin sensitivity, and convenience. Following is a complete guide on the pros and cons of ice baths and cold showers. This will help guide the individuals through the complete process of taking an ice bath and a cold shower.

Ice Bath:

Along with having some advantages, Ice bath also has some disadvantages for sensitive skin people. So, it depends on the texture of people’s skin and preferences.

Pros:

• Deep cooling: Ice bath provides you with a rapid decrease in your body temperature. This is all because of the deep cooling effects that are produced by extremely cold water. 
• Reduced Inflammation: Ice baths help reduce muscle fat. It also decreases the soreness of muscles, which leads to inflammation. So, if you are having any swelling in your body after exercise or any hard physical activity, then you can easily take an ice bath 
• Blood Circulation: It provides you with enhanced blood flow to all body parts. This is because the blood vessels change from constriction to dilation. It results in the smooth flow of blood throughout different parts of the body. 
• Immune Power Boosting: Many people have also claimed that the cold temperature of ice bath leads to a beneficial effect on the healthy immune system as well. 

Cons:

• Discomfort: People who are sensitive to cold water can find ice water painful. So, it leads to uncomfortable experiences for sensitive people.
• Time-Consuming: Ice baths can be a time-consuming process. This is because it requires complete preparation using Ice, cold water, tub, and filling it for some time which is not convenient all the time. 
• Hypothermia: If you are exposed to the ice water for a long time, then it can cause a faster reduction in body heat as well.

Cold Shower:

Cold Shower has both merits and demerits of taking it. It all depends on your time and personal preference whether you can withstand its effects or not.

Pros:

• Convenience: As compared to Ice baths, cold showers are easy to use. This is because they don’t require a big setup and are easily accessible anytime in your daily routine. 
• Quick Process: A cold shower is a very quick process as compared to taking a long ice bath with full preparation. It makes your busy schedule more ideal by taking small and short-time cold showers.
• Mood Enhancement: Many people have reported that taking a cold shower has enhanced their mood and boosted their physical activity as well. This is all because of the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which helps in increasing your mood.
• Less Skin Irritation: The cold shower helps in reducing inflammation and skin irritation. So, people who are sensitive to extremely cold water can take cold showers as well as compared to the Ice bath. This is because this will not irritate their skin. 

Cons:

• Less Muscle Penetration: The cold showers don’t have a deep muscle penetration for treating inflammation or pain in your muscles. So you can effectively recover from any muscle injury after taking an ice bath as compared to a cold shower.
• Initial Discomfort: The cold shower provides discomfort initially or if taken in cold weather. 
• Water Wastage Problem: Many people also consider water wastage problems. So, for them, cold showers are not preferable because if you are taking a long shower, then it will be a big waste of water as compared to taking an ice bath in a tub.

Conclusion:

This guide tells you complete details regarding the advantages and disadvantages of taking ice baths and cold showers. Both are cold water treatments but have some limitations as well. So, this comparison will tell you which therapy to choose after intense physical activity, exercise, injury, or a tiring day. In this way, you can get to know about the therapy preference as well according to your skin conditions.