Even if we don’t want it, stress finds a way to become a part of our lives. Be it through the need to achieve your goals or the constant desire to be at the top of your game. Stress is often caused when we feel out of control or are in challenging situations that make us worried about what’s going to happen next.

Long-term exposure to flight or fight response causes physical and mental health conditions that can hamper one’s quality of life. While there are many ways to tackle stress, ice baths from brands like Recover are gaining popularity. These baths stimulate the vagus nerve and naturally help you unwind. With portable ice baths becoming more common and easily accessible today, it’s becoming more affordable for everyone to have an ice bath set up at home.

But what is the vagus nerve, and how do ice baths help manage stress by calming it? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the vagus nerve

The vagus nerve (a combination of vagal nerves) is responsible for the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls different functions within the body. The right vagus nerve travels down the right side of the body; similarly, the left vagus nerve travels down the body’s left. By carefully stimulating the vagus nerve, the stress in the body can be reduced while inducing a feeling of relaxation and calm.

When we are stressed, our blood pressure and heart rate increase significantly, pushing us to be constantly alert and looking for ways to survive. By constantly being in this state, your organs start experiencing damage, leading to health concerns related to the digestive system and cardiovascular systems. Over time, if not managed, the natural state of the body becomes survival mode (instead of being relaxed and calm).

How ice baths help calm the nerves

Ice baths help as they regulate the parasympathetic nervous system and vagus nerve, bringing down the stress levels in the body and allowing you to get out of survival mode.

Cold water from an ice bath stimulates the vagus nerve and improves the parasympathetic nervous system’s activity. Once this system has calmed down, it signals your body to relax. It leads to a significant decrease in heart rate, breathing pattern, and muscle tension.

This, in return, cools down your body completely, allowing it to attain a state of sustained relaxation. Ice baths apply a cold compress to the whole body. As these bath systems are designed to allow full-body submersion while being easy to set, they can be used regularly on a weekly basis.

Ice baths also help with pain management, combat inflammation, improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, and keep the heart healthy. This, in return, improves the circadian rhythm, develops resilience to stress, and boosts mental well-being.

To get the most out of your ice bath experience, consider starting slow and steadily increasing the time spent in the bath. For instance, for the first week, dip for only about 5 minutes and then slowly increase the rate by 2 minutes initially and then 5 minutes. Make sure not to overexpose yourself; otherwise, the effects of the ice baths will be reduced. Avoid spending more than 10 to 15 minutes in the bath.

Other add-on lifestyle changes for best results

While ice baths are an incredible way to combat stress, depending entirely on this method can slowly reduce its effectiveness. To make sure this doesn’t happen, consider the following lifestyle changes:

• Exercise at least 2-3 times a week. Yoga, pilates, swimming, and walking are some simple ways to keep moving.
• Opt for guided meditation as it helps one stay in the present situation while letting go of stressors.
• Maintain a stress journal solely devoted to exploring your thoughts surrounding the incidents that happened during the day.

The bottom line

Ice baths, however unconventional they may seem, are an incredible way to decompress and release stress by stimulating the vagus nerve. At the same time, it’s essential to focus on improving one’s quality of life by exercising often, disconnecting from stressors, and focusing more on being mindful of where you are engaging. Stress can hamper one’s quality of life, and by incorporating relaxing activities, you can be at your best at all times.

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