Cold Showers vs Ice Baths | Morozko Science

Which is better, taking a cold shower or an ice bath?

While you still get the same metabolic benefits of the ice bath when you opt for a cold shower, you miss out on some of the psychological ones.

When you take a cold shower or partake in partial cold water immersion, you activate your sympathetic nervous system. This is the fight or flight response, and why many find cold showers so unbearable.

Ice baths or full body immersion, on the other hand, also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which can have a relaxing effect on the body, lowering your heart rate and putting you in a meditative state. This is known as the Mammalian Dive Reflex.

If you want the metabolic benefits, a cold shower is just fine. However, if you are looking for the benefits that begin at lower temperatures, an ice bath is the way to go.

Ice Baths vs Cold Showers: https://www.morozkoforge.com/post/col...