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Are Ice Baths Really Beneficial? The Cold Therapy Debate

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01 Oct, 2023

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

Is “cold therapy” really as effective as its enthusiasts claim? While some athletes and ice bath fans swear by cold plunges as a cure-all for anxiety, sore muscles, and weight loss, health experts have differing opinions on whether ice baths are beneficial on all fronts. 

What Is Cold Therapy? 

It goes by many names — cold water immersions, (CWI), cold therapy, or cryotherapy — but it all comes down to lowering yourself into a vat of frigid water. Ice baths are often used by athletes recovering from intense training to relieve sore muscles, and generally involve submerging the body in 55-60 degree water for 10-15 minutes. That may not sound so cold, but it’s certainly enough to take your breath away. 

Soccer players Mario Götze and Felix Passlack of Borussia Dortmund take an ice bath after a training session in Tokyo, Japan on July 16, 2017. Alexandre Simoes / Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images

What Are the Benefits?

Some of the purported benefits of ice baths have more evidence to back them up than others — especially their ability to reduce swelling after intense bouts of exercise. 

Lowering Core Body Temperature

Quite simply, cold water cools the body down. After working out in high temperatures, a dip into an ice bath can feel pretty good, and lowers one’s core body temperature that rises during intense activity. 

Reduced Swelling

During an ice bath, blood vessels in immersed areas constrict (a phenomenon called “vasoconstriction”), meaning that blood doesn’t flow as quickly. This helps to temporarily reduce inflammation and relieve pain. After removing the body from ice water, the blood vessels expand again as the body heats back up, allowing the blood to flow back into tissues and remove waste products like lactic acid that build up during physical activity. Furthermore, our perception of pain is also impacted by this process, as our nerve conduction velocity slows during cold water exposure.

While studies have produced various results about the efficacy of ice baths, a 2022 study showed that cold water immersion benefited athletes recovering from intense bouts of exercise. During strenuous workouts, small tears form in muscle fibers, and ice water can prevent further damage to these areas. Swelling can also hinder performance and cause soreness, but ice baths can reduce that inflammation and allow athletes to train the following day without experiencing as much soreness and pain. 

Pole Vaulter Kate Dennison (r) and long jumper Chris Tomlinson take an ice bath after their training sessions during the Team GB Track and Field preparation camp at Monte Gordo Stadium in Portugal on July 25, 2012. Stu Forster / Getty Images

Mental Benefits

Proponents of ice baths often cite improved mental health as a result of their immersions. The popular Wim Hof Method of meditation combines cold immersion with breathing techniques, and a recent observational study found reduced stress responses in participants. While Wim Hof’s method also entails breathing exercises that likely contribute to these improved mental outcomes, ice baths alone can invoke positive personal responses. Many people experience feelings of clarity while immersed, and the soothing effect of cold water can help with relaxation, especially after a workout. Some find that immersions make them feel more resilient to discomfort and stressors, which in turn help them handle other difficult situations in their lives.

An ice bath demonstration by Wim Hof in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on March 24, 2007. aad / Flickr

Some proponents of cold therapy claim that it can combat depression, but relatively limited research points to decreased states of anxiety during immersions. An older study found that submerging the body in cold water increased concentrations of dopamine by 250%. This relief could be due in part to the stimulation of the vagus nerve: a nerve associated with the parasympathetic nervous system that runs from your brain to your abdomen. When blood vessels restrict, the nerve is activated and helps to slow heart rate and lower blood pressure — all things that can help the body relax. However, this can be accomplished in ways other than plunging your body into ice water, such as a cold compress to the neck. Additionally, cold water triggers the release of the stress hormones noradrenaline and cortisol.

Ultimately, there hasn’t been conclusive research on whether cold water immersion alone improves mental health, but the positive personal experiences of users point to its real benefits for some. 

What’s the Debate?

The science behind all of the lauded benefits of ice baths, unfortunately, is unbalanced. More research is needed to conclusively determine the legitimacy of outcomes. 

Recovery

Gabe Mirkin — who coined the term RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) — released a statement in 2015 about how ice might actually delay recovery and healing. A 2019 study found that legs chilling in ice baths after strenuous exercise were less capable of muscle-protein synthesis afterward, and other research has indicated that some cells and proteins that regulate muscle growth post-exercise have reduced activity after cold water baths. Reduced blood flow also reduces the amino acids going to muscles, which are important for recovery and growth. So, while cold plunges might benefit athletes and others suffering from inflammation in the short-term, they might not be helpful for long-term performance, and might even hamper progress. 

Soccer player Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmund submerges in an ice bath after a training session in Tokyo, Japan on July 16, 2017. Alexandre Simoes / Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images

Mental Health 

The meditative benefits from breathing and focus during cold plunges certainly work for some users, but there is little clinical evidence to support its long-term effects on mental health. Ice baths are sometimes touted as a replacement for mental health treatment, which many mental health professionals warn against. Ultimately, without further research, cold water immersions shouldn’t be viewed as “cures” for anxiety and depression. 

Heart Health

Ice water immersions can be very harmful to those with heart issues, like high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. Plunging in cold water triggers a “cold shock response” — rapid increases in breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate — which puts more stress on the heart, according to the American Heart Association. This can cause hyperventilation, or even lead to arrhythmias and heart attacks.

Hypothermia Risk

Even after raising your core temperature significantly during exercise, staying in the water too long can cool you down too much — remember, water takes heat away from the body 25x faster than the air. In the cold, blood leaves the extremities to protect the organs, leaving arms and legs without good circulation, which can impact coordination when trying to stay afloat in a body of water. People with diabetes should be especially cautious, since the condition often reduces the body’s ability to maintain a core temperature.

Weight Loss

Weight loss is often listed as a benefit of cold therapy, but the research is lukewarm. Because the body uses calories to stay warm, cold water immersions might burn a very small amount of calories. Cold plunges also increase a hormone called adiponectin that prevents resistance to insulin. This increase could improve the way insulin works in the body, which in turn might help reduce the risk of developing diabetes. However, experts note that we still don’t know enough to draw decisive conclusions about CWI’s weight loss benefits. 

Immune System

Wim Hof cites immune system improvements as a result of his cold water immersions paired with meditative breathing techniques. There is some evidence that cold immersion stimulates white blood cells that fight infections in the body, and one oft-cited 2016 study in the Netherlands found a reduction in absence from work due to sickness after participants incorporated cold showers into their routine. But again, there is not enough evidence to definitively claim that immune system improvements are a clear benefit of cold therapy on its own. 

How Can You Take an Ice Bath Safely?

  1. Check with your doctor before taking the plunge. Mention any preexisting conditions to determine whether cold water immersions are safe for you. 
  2. Consider joining a group. The cold might shock you, especially on your first go around. If you’re going in an outdoor area rather than at home, it’s much safer to try plunging with others around.
  3. Plan your timing. Cold water immersions are most beneficial right after exercising, so get into the bath after a workout as soon as you can.
  4. Pay attention to temperature. Fill the tub with a 1:3 ratio of water to ice. Use a thermometer to gauge temperature until it reaches 55-60 degrees. Add ice and/or warm water as needed. 
  5. Go slow. Lower yourself in slowly and carefully, Start small (30 seconds to a minute) then gradually add time. Never stay in the water longer than 15 minutes. 
  6. Try other methods. If you aren’t privy to a full ice bath, try cold showers, building up your time in the same way.

The Takeaway

Personal experiences with ice baths vary, and some participants may experience benefits. If cold therapy works for you, keep practicing it safely. However, further research is needed to conclusively state whether cold plunges have a decisively positive impact on mental and physical health.

The post Are Ice Baths Really Beneficial? The Cold Therapy Debate appeared first on EcoWatch.

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Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

In June, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 E-Waste World, Battery Recycling, Metal Recycling, and ITAD & Circular Electronics Conference & Expo events in Frankfurt, Germany.

Speaking in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track on a panel with global Circular Economy leaders from Foxway Group, ERI and HP, we explored the evolving role of IT asset disposition (ITAD) and opportunities in the circular electronics economy.

The event’s focus on advancing circular economy goals and reducing environmental impact delivered a series of insights and learnings. From this assembly of international expertise across 75+ countries, here are some points from the presentations that stood out for me:

1. Environmental impact of the digital economy

Digitalisation has a heavy material footprint in the production phase, and lifecycle thinking needs to guide every product decision. Consider that 81% of the energy a laptop uses in its lifetime is consumed during manufacture (1 tonne in manufacture is equal to 10,000 tonnes of CO2) and laptops are typically refreshed or replaced by companies every 3–4 years.

From 2018 to 2023, the average number of devices and connections per capita in the world increased by 50% (2.4 to 3.6). In North America (8.2 to 13.4) and Western Europe (5.6 to 9.4), this almost doubled. In 1960, only 10 periodic table elements were used to make phones. In 1990, 27 elements were used and now over 60 elements are used to build the smartphones that we have become so reliant on.

A key challenge is that low-carbon and digital technologies largely compete for the same minerals. Material resource extraction could increase 60% between 2020 and 2060, while demand for lithium, cobalt and graphite is expected to rise by 500% until 2050.

High growth in ICT demand and Internet requires more attention to the environmental footprint of the digital economy. Energy consumption of data centres is expected to more than double by 2026. The electronics industry accounts for over 4% of global GHG — and digitalisation-related waste is growing, with skewed impacts on developing countries.

E-waste is rising five times faster than recycling — 1 tonne of e-waste has a carbon footprint of 2 tonnes. Today’s solution? ‘Bury it or burn it.’ In terms of spent emissions, waste and the costs associated with end-of-life liabilities, PCBAs (printed circuit board assembly) cost us enormously — they generally achieve 3–5% recyclability (75% of CO2 in PCBAs is from components).

2. Regulating circularity in electronics

There is good momentum across jurisdictions in right-to-repair, design and labelling regulations; recycling targets; and voluntary frameworks on circularity and eco-design.

The EU is at the forefront. EU legislation is lifting the ICT aftermarket, providing new opportunities for IT asset disposition (ITAD) businesses. To get a sense, the global market for electronics recycling is estimated to grow from $37 billion to $108 billion (2022–2030). The value of refurbished electronics is estimated to increase from $85.9 billion to $262.2 billion (2022–2032). Strikingly, 40% of companies do not have a formal ITAD strategy in place.

Significantly, the EU is rethinking its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management targets, aligned with upcoming circularity and WEEE legislation, as part of efforts to foster the circular economy. A more robust and realistic circularity-driven approach to setting collection targets would better reflect various factors including long lifespans of electronic products and market fluctuations.

Australia and New Zealand lag the EU’s comprehensive e-waste mandated frameworks. The lack of a systematic approach results in environmental degradation and missed positioning opportunities for businesses in the circular economy. While Australia’s Senate inquiry into waste reduction and recycling recommended legislating a full circular economy framework — including for imported and local product design, financial incentives and regulatory enforcement, New Zealand remains the only OECD country without a national scheme to manage e-waste.

3. Extending product lifecycles

Along with data security and digital tools, reuse was a key theme in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track of the conference. The sustainable tech company that I lead, Greenbox, recognises that reuse is the simplest circular strategy. Devices that are still functional undergo refurbishment and are reintroduced into the market, reducing new production need and conserving valuable resources.

Conference presenters highlighted how repair over replacement is being legislated as a right in jurisdictions around the world. Resources are saved, costs are lowered, product life is extended, and people and organisations are empowered to support a greener future. It was pointed out that just 43% of countries have recycling policies, 17% of global waste is formally recycled, and less than 1% of global e-waste is formally repaired and reused.

Right to repair is a rising wave in the circular economy, and legislation is one way that civil society is pushing back on programmed obsolescence. Its global momentum continues at different speeds for different product categories — from the recent EU mandates to multiple US state bills (and some laws) through to repair and reuse steps in India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Commission has done a scoping study to identify product groups under the Ecodesign framework that would be most relevant for implementing an EU-wide product reparability scoring system.

Attending this event with the entire electronic waste recycling supply chain — from peers and partners to suppliers and customers — underscored the importance of sharing best practices to address the environmental challenges that increased hardware proliferation and complex related issues are having on the world.

Ross Thompson is Group CEO of sustainability, data management and technology asset lifecycle management market leader Greenbox. With facilities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Greenbox Group provides customers all over the world a carbon-neutral supply chain for IT equipment to reduce their carbon footprint by actively managing their environmental, social and governance obligations.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mustafa Ovec

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