The theories behind the potential health benefits of saunas, cold showers, and ice baths have been around for what feels like forever – but what’s the real science behind these therapies? This page will explore everything you need to know.
Please Keep in Mind
A repeated mantra that you’ll hear a lot throughout this page is that there is more research needed in order to provide us with the kind of statistical evidence that makes it easy to qualify and quantify the effectiveness of these types of therapies.
The discussions on this page will be based on the information currently available.
Sauna Health Benefits and Lifespan: What Research Shows
While there is more information needed to provide specific results, studies have shown that dry sauna bathing does have some potential health benefits.
There are several reasons why it’s believed sauna therapy could be beneficial, including:
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- Bioavailability of NO (nitric oxide) to vascular endothelium
- Heat shock protein-mediated metabolic activation
- Immune and hormonal pathway alterations
- Enhanced excretion of toxicants due to increased sweating
- Other hormetic stress responses
With this in mind, this shows that there are numerous ways that sauna therapy could offer health benefits, although the specifics of how much impact these effects have over time remain to be seen in further research.
Cold showers & longevity: Separating fact from fiction
Cold showers would be considered a part of cold water therapy, similar to the trend you’ve probably seen on TikTok where people plunge their faces into a big bowl of ice water first thing in the morning.
The truth is that cold water therapy has been in use for hundreds of years. Whether it’s being used as a therapy for athletics or just to improve the quality of your overall health, many people believe in the benefits of face ice baths and cold showers.
Of course, more research needs to be done to provide statistical evidence needed to qualify or quantify the health benefits associated with cold showers, but this doesn’t dismiss the positive evidence we currently have to demonstrate the value in these therapies.
Ice bath benefits for health & lifespan
Similar to cold showers, the health benefits of ice baths fall under what’s called ‘cryotherapy’ or ‘hydrotherapy’, which can involve a number of different kinds of specific treatments.
Whether you’re using whole submersion or only face ice baths, the benefits seem to be relatively similar. They’re particularly popular in circles that believe it’s effective for slowing the natural aging process, due to its beneficial effects on circulation and cardiometabolic health.
The unfortunate issue is that although these therapies have been around for ages, there still isn’t enough conclusive research that’s been done to provide substantial evidence of these ice bath benefits, even though they are widely used and promoted within certain homeopathic and longevity support systems.
Some people believe adamantly that these types of therapies will extend their lifespan, as well as provide a range of other major health improvements. Does the science support this? Not yet, at least.
Potential risks & who should avoid these therapies
Let’s be fair here: there is no risk to avoiding these therapies.
The question actually becomes, what could you be missing out on if you choose to avoid these therapies? And in fairness, these treatments aren’t going to make or break your overall health or quality of life – but they may help improve them.
The only risks to avoiding these therapies are the same kinds of “risks” that go along with avoiding other forms of therapy. Avoiding yoga may cause the ‘risk’ of less flexibility as you age. Avoiding meditation or mindfulness exercises causes the ‘risk’ of facing mental health challenges.
These therapies are there to help improve your overall well-being. If you choose to avoid them, the only risk you’re facing is not taking advantage of their potential health benefits. You should speak with your healthcare practitioner if you have any questions before trying any therapies, especially for certain groups (i.e., it’s recommended that pregnant women avoid saunas, etc.).
What are the health benefits of cold showers?
There have been some studies done to explore the potential health benefits of cold showers, alongside other forms of hydrotherapy, and with regular use, cold showers have been shown to:
- Improve cardiometabolic risk factors (potentially even reducing the risks of cardiometabolic diseases)
- Trigger the release of stress hormones (i.e., catecholamines and endorphins), which may enhance alertness and elevate mood
- Reduce inflammation
- Boost immune system function
- Promote healthy sleep
- Enhance recovery after exercise
Unfortunately, these benefits are minimally quantifiable, even with consistent use. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try these types of therapies, though, as even with minor impacts, they can become a healthy addition to other lifestyle habits. Together, these habits can potentially improve your overall health and quality of life; even if only a small amount.
Practical tips: Safely incorporating heat & cold therapy
It’s important to remember that if you’re going to try either one of these types of therapies, you must ensure that you’re doing so safely.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get the most health benefits from your sauna or cold shower, but overdoing it can be more harmful to your health than helpful.
For instance, a good sweat in a sauna is fantastic. Staying in a sauna for 45+ minutes, until you’re feeling faint and weak? Not a healthy choice.
Taking a 3-5 minute plunge in an ice bath is a great idea. Sitting in an ice bath for thirty minutes, until you’re on the brink of hypothermia? Not a healthy choice.
As with any type of therapy, moderation is the key to the best results. Treat these therapies like you would sunbathing. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get a tan, but too much, and you’ll end up burnt and unhappy.
Scientific Evidence: Do These Practices Increase Longevity?
The truth of the matter is that there are limited long-term studies that have been done that can provide concrete statistical evidence for us to discuss.
However, these types of therapies have been in use for centuries. Hydrotherapy and cold water therapy are extremely popular in certain demographics, like athletes or weight lifters. Some researchers believe that sauna therapy simulates low-level exercise due to its impact on your heart rate.
Science still has a lot to learn about how these therapies affect our bodies, especially since so many therapies like this have multiple potential ways that they impact our bodies, and we don’t really know which, if any, are making the biggest impact on our health.
What really matters is that if you’re going to use these types of therapies, they’re done in a way that’s safe and meant to support your other health-focused habits, like eating well, maintaining healthy sleeping patterns, and getting regular exercise.
When is a good time to talk to a healthcare practitioner about trying these types of therapies?
If you’re interested in improving your overall longevity, then it’s a good idea to talk to a healthcare practitioner about these types of therapies before you start them. This way, you’ll know everything necessary to remain safe and get the most out of them.
For those who are interested in exploring longevity in more detail, we’d invite you to take a few minutes and fill out a secure online longevity assessment, so that one of our healthcare practitioners can review your health information and have a virtual consultation with you.
With Felix in your corner, you can start improving your overall longevity and health, so that you can get back to living life on your terms – the way it should be.
Cold shower, sauna & ice bath health benefits FAQs:
Do cold showers, saunas, or ice baths actually extend your life?
To be totally clear: there is no direct evidence at this time that cold showers, ice baths, or sauna therapies have the direct benefit of extending your life.
With that in mind, however, the health benefits associated with these types of treatments may have a positive impact on your overall cardiometabolic health, which could theoretically help promote a longer, healthier life.
So, while there’s no firm evidence to support this claim directly, these therapies could still be beneficial for improving the quality of life you have during your natural lifespan.
Are there risks to using saunas, cold showers, or ice baths for longevity?
Yes, there are some risks for those who should not use these types of therapies.
These risks stem from the fact that these therapies can cause blood pressure fluctuations, cardiovascular strain, and cardiovascular shock.
Before you start any type of heat or cold therapies, be sure to talk to your healthcare practitioner about the potential risks for you, based on your individual health and medical history. They’ll be able to give you guidance on therapies that you should avoid due to the potential risks.
Who should avoid cold or heat therapies?
Certain people should avoid using cold or heat therapies, such as:
- Pregnant women
- Children
- Patients with cardiovascular problems
- Those with certain underlying conditions (i.e., infections, kidney disease, cold allergies, etc.).
Is there hard scientific evidence behind these therapies and lifespan?
No, at this time, there haven’t been any peer-reviewed studies published that connect evidence from these types of therapies to their impact on human lifespan.
There have been some potential benefits that have been discovered, but apart from potential benefits to cardiometabolic health, there is no evidence to connect the benefits of saunas, ice baths, and cold showers to quantifiably improve your lifespan.
