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Ice Baths

Meaning

Ice baths, formally known as cold water immersion, are a therapeutic practice involving brief, controlled exposure to water temperatures typically below 15 degrees Celsius for a short duration. This practice is employed in the wellness space to elicit specific physiological and hormonal responses, including acute stressor-induced sympathetic nervous system activation followed by parasympathetic rebound. They are clinically utilized for post-exercise recovery, pain modulation, and to potentially influence metabolic and endocrine pathways. The controlled exposure to cold is a hormetic stressor that can enhance systemic resilience.