With an increasing number of people seeking to enjoy the benefits of various therapies at home, it can be a challenge to choose which one is best for you. You may be looking to relax your mind and body, revive your senses, support your body through the recovery of an injury or simply create a restful sanctuary at home. Two of the most popular choices include the use of infrared saunas and ice baths.
If you’ve been debating between hot and cold therapy and struggling to choose which is best for you, we can help clarify which we’d recommend for who and why.
Ice vs. Heat
There are a few benefits that hot and cold therapy both offer, including boosting circulation, aiding in pain relief and supporting your mood.
After you get out of your ice bath, the body will work hard to increase blood flow to your extremities after constricting it to retain heat. By contrast, your circulation will increase throughout your time in the sauna as your heart rate increases in the heat. Both are wonderful ways to promote circulation that brings oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body.
Both options can aid in pain relief, though through slightly different means. Ice baths are the best choice for post-workout when you’re trying to reduce swelling and inflammation, while heat is better for stiff joints and tight muscles that occur two to three days after exercise.
Finally, both heat and cold therapy will give you a healthy dose of beneficial, mood-boosting endorphins. This is achieved through exposing your body to short-term but beneficial stress.
How the benefits impact your body will vary depending on your choice of heat vs. cold. Your average infrared sauna session will typically range between 20 and 40 minutes, with temperatures set anywhere from 35℃ to 50℃, depending on your body’s unique constitution and preferences. When you use an ice bath, you’ll generally start with a milder temperature between 5℃ and 10℃, gradually lowering it to somewhere between 0℃ and 2℃.
Cold Therapy Benefits
When it comes to taking a cold dip in an ice bath, your session time will be shorter than in a sauna but no less impactful on your body. Some of the unique benefits you can expect from an ice bath include a reduction in inflammation and swelling, along with boosting your mental resilience and fortitude.
In the same way that an ice pack helps to alleviate swelling, ice baths achieve the same thing on a much greater scale. By constricting blood flow with cold exposure, you can delay and reduce the stiff and sore sensations after a workout.
Mentally, exposing yourself to the cold takes discipline. However, when you push through, you’re benefiting your mind and body simultaneously by training yourself to calm your breathing and tolerate the initial discomfort.
Heat Therapy Benefits
One of the key benefits of the intense heat that infrared saunas offer is intense relaxation. If you experience tense muscles, tend to sit at a desk for extended periods or are simply feeling mentally drained, saunas are an inherently relaxing way to unwind. In the same way that holidays to hot locations help your mind and muscles relax, the deep penetration of infrared heat can help loosen the knots and melt away stress.
Similarly, when you’re enjoying the heat, your body will be prompted to sweat, which helps detoxify your system. If you’ve been feeling stagnant or sluggish, sweating it out can help get your system moving again. As you begin to sweat in the high temperatures, your body will also release small amounts of toxins.
Lifestyle Factors
While the benefits of both infrared saunas and ice baths are wonderful, there are some lifestyle and health factors to consider before making a final decision. If any of the following impact you or are a part of your daily life, the choice you make and how you engage with it will need to be adjusted slightly.
- If exercise is a regular part of your daily life, consider what kind of exercise you do and how you feel afterwards.
- When it comes to the kind of sensations or concerns in your body you’re seeking to treat, consider whether you have more tension or are more inclined towards muscle stiffness after exercise.
- Consider how much spare time you have and how much you’d like to set aside for either hot or cold therapy.
- People have different constitutions and preferences. An obvious factor to consider is whether heat or cold is more appealing to you and whether you can better tolerate extremes from one or the other.
- While both offer a boost in happy hormones, you’ll also want to decide whether you want something more soothing or a more invigorating experience.
Which is Best For You
After you’ve narrowed your top priorities and preferences, you can more easily decide which option is best for you.
We recommend cold therapy with an ice bathtub if you’re aiming for these benefits:
- You want to help with muscle recovery after strenuous exercise.
- You’re aiming to reduce the pain and inflammation of a more acute injury with sharper pain.
- You want an invigorating and slightly challenging form of at-home therapy that promotes mental clarity and resilience.
- If being in the cold is more appealing, this option is especially beneficial for people living in hotter climates.
- You’re limited in time and want to incorporate something into your daily routine that only takes 10 minutes or less.
By contrast, we recommend utilising an at-home infrared sauna if you’re looking to achieve any of these goals:
- You’re looking for a soothing form of pain relief that can loosen muscle tension and more chronic, ongoing concerns.
- Instead of mental resilience, you’re looking to relax your mind and body in a more gentle and soothing way.
- You’re hoping to boost your cardiovascular system in a way that promotes longer sessions of heightened blood flow, along with inducing a sweat.
- You have more time to engage with at-home therapies, with sessions that can last anywhere up to 45 minutes.
If you’re still debating between the two and your lifestyle and body would work well with either at different times, you could also consider contrast therapy. This incorporates both heat and cold in quick succession, delivering the benefits of both in a complementary way.
The Versatility of Saunas and Ice Baths
Both saunas and ice baths offer an abundance of supportive benefits for your body, making hot and cold therapy for recovery beneficial choices for your self-care routine. At Kiva Wellness, our ice baths and infrared saunas offer a customised approach with precise temperature control settings that enable you to create the perfect environment for your body.
If you have further questions or need more help deciding which option is best for you, contact us for more information.