Better sleep as a result of an ice bath or cold shower, how does it work? And does it work for you too?
Bad night's sleep
Sleep is very important for our health. After a long day, your body and mind need some sleep to relax and recover. How many hours are needed can vary from person to person. Some people need 8 hours sleep, while others perform on 6 hours of sleep. You already suffer from insomnia if you don't sleep well for 3 nights a week. Insomnia means sleeping badly, laying awake, wake up too often or too early. This means your body and mind get no rest. This will affect you during the day. You may have a lack of energy, become tense, sleepy and irritable more easily.
Stress, worries and tension
Stress, worries and tension are a frequent cause of sleeping badly. Fretting, always thinking about your work and thoughts constantly going back and forth will make you sleep badly. The problem is that you can't relax sufficiently and so cannot fall asleep or sleep badly. In order to get a good night's sleep, you have to make sure you go to bed relaxed, and you will notice that you sleep much better.
Reset your brain and thoughts
One of the main benefits of a cold shower or ice bath is that it pushes the reset button on your thoughts. When you immerse yourself in cold water, you can't think about deadlines, scheduled meetings or everyday problems. All disturbing thoughts disappear at once. Stressful activities or moments, which normally disrupt your mood, will be simply absorbed in your daily comings and goings. The reason for this is that your body begins to get used to the repeated oxydating stress. Besides the fact that a cold shower will reduce stress and thoughts, it also decreases the symptoms of depression, as this study shows.
A cold shower or ice bath stimulates the phenomenon known as the blue spot. That spot in your brain has the greatest amount of 'noradrenaline'. This is a neurotransmitter that plays a major role in repressing depressing thoughts and depressions. Sleeping better as a result of a cold shower or ice bath? So do you sleep better because of a cold shower or ice bath? Yes! A cold shower or bath makes you relax, 100%, and that's good preparation for sleep. Are you not quite sure how to get into an ice bath for the first time? Read our tips for the first time in our blog. You may also try a breathing exercise by Wim Hof.
