Knowing the best time of day to take an ice bath is important to get the most out of the practice and understand the physiological effects of cold plunge. It is also important to determine the reason you are doing a cold plunge in the first place.
According to experts, the ideal time to do an ice bath is in the morning, taking advantage of the large spikes in norepinephrine from ice baths that cause an increase in focus, attention, mood and energy.
Taking an ice bath within 30 minutes of waking is a practice that can be used as an alternative to caffeine, giving a strong dopamine boost without the crash associated with caffeine.
When taking ice baths for recovery from exercise, it is more beneficial to minimise the time between your activity, effort or race and getting into the ice bath. For optimal recovery after a cardiovascular based or endurance style activity like running or cycling, taking an ice bath within 24 hours is best, to take advantage of the benefits of minimising swelling, inflammation, and pain.
Taking an ice bath before bed
In terms of taking ice baths close to bedtime, generally avoid this. It is true that sleep experts discuss the benefits of lowering the core body temperature at bedtime to promote more efficient transition to sleep, but this does not apply to taking an ice bath. Even though ice baths initially lower core body temperature, because the body is constantly attempting to return to a natural resting temperature, we experience somewhat of a rebound effect in our temperature after cold plunge that results in the body heating itself back up. This temperature rebound is not ideal to promote sleep, so it is best to avoid ice baths before bed or close to sleep.
Ice Bath Vs Cold Shower
Considering that 11 minutes per week is the ideal time to spend in an ice bath, does the same apply to taking a cold shower?
While cold showers are great for people starting on a cold exposure journey, if you really want to access the most benefits from cold plunge, it is best to fully expose and submerge the body up to the neck with cold water. While a cold shower will still give some degree of cold shock, especially if you live in a very cold climate, a cold shower does not give the same body coverage and consistency as a proper ice bath.
