Ice bathing causes an extremely strong cold stimulus. That’s why you shouldn’t get into the water quickly, but slowly and carefully. This takes a little more effort but is definitely better for your body as it can acclimatize.
The cold causes our blood vessels to contract quickly. Your body goes into survival mode and begins to protect the center of the body, where your most important organs are located. Your blood therefore flows increasingly from the extremities, hands, arms, feet, toes and legs to the center of the body.
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Hormones are increasingly released
Your body begins to divert blood from the arms and legs to the center of the body to protect important organs from the cold. In addition, your body converts more energy into heat and releases hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, endorphins and anti-inflammatory coritcoids. This gives you a real feeling of happiness but also gives you a real boost.
Skin vessels constrict
The fact that the body is supplied with a lot of blood means that oxygen and nutrients are pumped into the blood vessels. The skin also changes positively and you get a beautiful complexion. The vessels in the skin constrict because your body is so clever and wants to prevent heat from flowing out of your largest organ, the skin, too quickly. Interestingly, at the same time, the vessels inside your body expand to release more heat inside and better protect your organs. This is a very ingenious system to increase heat release internally while restricting heat release externally through the skin.
Shortly after winter bathing, the skin looks rosy to red and may be blotchy in places, as different areas are supplied with more blood than others. However, this completely subsides after approx. 30-60 minutes and the redness and spots disappear.
Get your heart and circulation going
The brain and mucous membranes are among the parts of the body that are also better supplied with blood. This increased blood flow is also known as hyperemia. The cardiovascular system is stabilized and accelerated. Your blood pressure rises, so it is not advisable to go into a cold bath if you have high blood pressure. If you have something like this, please consult a doctor beforehand to see if he or she can advise you to do this and if so, which points you should pay particular attention to.
Blood sugar and fat deposits are converted into energy
Another interesting fact for diabetics: insulin levels are also positively influenced. This is because your body naturally needs a lot more energy to fight the cold and glucose and fatty acids are used to warm the body. This ultimately lowers your blood sugar level.
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