Contrast Therapy: Is it better than ice bathing alone?
Ooh this is an excellent question. This question is researched a lot, and is asked by clients a ton too.
I shall answer first with a question: Are you cold trained?
SOME UNDERSTANDING
To help answer this question, one requires understanding of the Thermoregulation System.
We have a thermal barrier, and we have thermoreceptors. We have receptors for heat, and we have receptors for cold…. We have MORE cold thermal receptors.
Getting the picture?
In other blogs I have written on my website, there is a great deal of understanding spackled within them about our thermal system. It is our internal thermostat. But like all my written pieces I shall repeat the valuable bits of information because it bears repetition.
Humans are mammals. Mammals require three basic aspects to function a quality life:
HYDRATION
BREATHING
COLD
Contrast Therapy has become overly trendy, so the understanding of the vital requirement for the practice is even more crucial. We want to ensure we have adequate knowledge and know how so as not to harm our MITOCHONDRIA and to balance our system. (HOMEOSTASIS).
Too much heat - especially wet heat, causes heat exhaustion and heat stroke or over heating. There is a timeline of sauna use, and frequency we humans should adhere to. But today, many who practice this beautiful protocol, do so without shutting down the heat. Many forgo the cold.
The word SAUNA - a Finnish word. It actually includes both heat and cold. If you want to get technical.
But here in North America, people like their comforts and conveniences which also carries into the world of contrast therapy. Just speaking the truth. Many people - I’d say over 90% of the population are always feeling “cold” or have cold extremities and thus fear the “cold”.
WHEN TO USE HEAT, WHEN TO USE COLD
SAUNA/ HEAT
People are creatures of habit. And we also know that we do not become resilient without overcoming or facing challenges. Pushing our limits, or removing them are requirements for living well. There’s mountains of evidence to the fact.
We are ancient beings living in a technological world. Technology might be here and now, but our bodies and DNA - cellular health- is in yesteryears. People today have forgotten the past, or at least, the crucial part of our being, and what it means to live well and whole.
Sauna use is for detoxification. Flushing out stored toxins, (80-90% of the process is done through kidney and liver btw), sweating is our body's attempt to cool - but we do not need to excessively sweat in order to empty the storage facilities inside us. Excessive sweating means we can easily dehydrate. So the 10-20% of the smaller molecules seep through our pores, which is good to unclog them while we work the heat receptors and thermostat.
There are people who have a hard time to sweat, and there are those who sweat too much. Both are not quite “acceptable” or normal. We want that fine balance. Vasodilation is what is happening in the sauna. I think of saunas as heart and brain health…. When you have the timing and frequency understood, the connection you feel after 2-3 @ 20-25 minute dry saunas per week - 100% The sweet spot.
The idea is to drive down our basal core temperature so we can easily handle the heat without excessive amounts of sweat. By doing so, we improve all the systems inside our being. AS you see by now in this blog - I am not speaking to the internal biology in this blog. No one ever speaks about our Thermoregulatory System. This is my expertise, so it is great to hear if from someone who has studied deeply.
COLD
Again, most people avoid it. And those who do it, do it poorly. There is an art to it, and basic steps can help you navigate the most intense waters., like the cold here at Element Outdoor Sauna. The shock is important. The intensity does matter - HORMETIC STRESSORS are intense, and to be used for the shortest period of time, executed calmly, for the greatest benefit, while breathing a deep consistent breath technique.
We need to have the shock factor. It is what will then trigger the mammalian dive reflex. This is Nervous system training 101. Vagus nerve training, how we move from sympathetic state to parasympathetic. The quicker the shift, the more trained you will be. The more trained, the calmer means better sleep.
Humans need more cold than what you think. This is the fundamental problem. Humans over think too much, and this is why many people run into trouble. As I have discussed in other blogs, metabolic dysfunction is the number one killer of humans - and we have two metabolic systems.
Which is BETTER?
Both - contrast therapy is vital, but so too is just cold.
Another example: Sauna will trigger HSP (heat shock proteins released by minute 17-20) in the sauna. So stop leaving the sauna by minute 10 or 12 - you are losing out on the extreme benefits, plus one solid sit for 20-25 minutes with your head covered, is supremo.
: ICE baths will trigger CSP (cold shock proteins) …. And HSP when you practice and adapt to a level that allows you the calm, and warming while inside the ice bath!
No one talks about that. Except for me.
So, the question: Contrast therapy: Is it better than ice bathing alone?
Personally, ice bathing is powerful, crucial and more inline with our ancient DNA. It also allows for THERMOGENESIS different to the combined HEAT + COLD. Yes, you will have thermogenesis with contrast therapy… here at Element Outdoor Sauna at least… which is how your body will be trained to trigger BAT (brown adipose tissue), and so much more….
Thermogenesis is a REQUIREMENT for Metabolic health. Vasoconstriction is vital for MITOCHONDRIAL health as well as vascular, cellular and immune health., and brain health. Thyroid health 101 too.
WHAT IS THE ISSUE?
People are less apt to do just the cold. Largely due to lack of habituation and falling back into old habits of over comfort and conveniences, for one.
Second, when people do just the cold, they do not know how to handle the “AFTER DROP”, so they damage their nervous system.
Third, too many people aim for way too much time, especially when they have not been conditioned to handle it.
Four, we are each different. How much we plunge or bathe is our own sacred journey. People forget WHY we are doing it. Because MITOCHONDRIA Loves two things:
COLD
ENERGY- Grounding work
Without understanding what this is, and how to breathe and how to regulate your body… it could turn catastrophic.
Contrast Therapy is a beautiful balance of use of temperatures our body requires.. BUT THERE IS SOME UNDERSTANDING:
There needs to be a consistent practice which is the key
Most people are guided by their “minds” and not body - meaning they way over do heat
Not understanding types of heat, therefore going into heat exhaustion = unhappy mitochondria - TOO MUCH HEAT MAKES YOU SICK - NOT COLD.
The ritual of cold + heat + cold + rest is all one needs. And the ritual of grounding, fasting, breathing (foundational supportive functions) are not being used.
Poor breathing technique can ruin results you seek
Dehydration is something that can hinder great results
MUST cover your head while in the sauna. This is utmost important.
Changing how you practice by keeping these facts in mind, can help your body and mind become more powerful, and your nervous system calm, thereby having incredible sleep.
SUMMARY
Which is better? Contrast Therapy or ice bathing alone.
Variety is the spice of life. Contrast therapy 2-3 times per week. The other 3 days just ice bathe and leave a day or two to rest from the hormetic stress, and have cold showers to allow for MITOBIOGENESIS.
I personally ice bathe 5 days a week - cold shower every day - and maybe add a sauna 2-3 times per week in the summer.
In winter I do mainly ice baths. It is how I condition my thermoregulatory system to stay warm and my immune health is top notch.
Thank you for reading.
If you like this blog, please check out the entire series. FREE blog series.
Denise Tompkins
Purveyor of thermal alignment
Certified Thermalist and owner of Element Outdoor Sauna
info@elementoutdoorsauna.com
