In American, we tend to choose hot showers and hot tubs to relax our bodies or stimulate us when we are sleepy. But cold water therapy is actual better for sore muscles and aids in quick recovery times. Cold water therapy has been a part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years. In the Kundalini Yoga tradition, cold showers are recommended every morning to stimulate the nervous system.
A cold water plunge pool is very therapeutic and is commonly used by athletes after intense training sessions where their muscles are tired and sore. Here are just a sample of what a cold water plunge pool can help aid in:
- Constrict blood vessels and flush waste products, like lactic acid, out of the affected tissues
- Decrease metabolic activity and slow down physiological processes
- Reduce swelling and tissue breakdown
- Reduce muscle pain
- Stimulates the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems
- Increase circulation and strength immune systems
In all of professional sports facilities you will find some sort of cold tub or cold water immersion for the athletes after a rigourous work out or when an athlete is coming back from an injury. Years ago these tubs were simplistic stainless steel tubs where ice would be brought in an thrown into the tub. Cold plunge pool technology has come a long way today where the temperature of the tub can be controlled just like a spa or hot tub and the therapy can be regulated.
For more information about cold water plunge tubs, check out Diamond Spas to find what type of tub is best for you, we can even customize tubs to fit you.
