When it comes to ice baths, the duration matters. Most experts recommend spending no more than 10 to 15 minutes submerged in icy water. This time frame strikes a balance between reaping the benefits of cold therapy and avoiding potential risks.
Brief exposures of 5-10 minutes can help reduce muscle inflammation, enhance circulation, and trigger endorphin release without subjecting your body to excessive cold stress. Longer sessions may not necessarily yield more significant benefits. According to Susanna Soberg, a threshold of just 11 minutes per week (broken down into 2-3 minute blocks) is enough to see the benefit. The time exposure to the cold doesn’t need to be extreme to see results. The great thing about this is, at 2-3 minutes 4-5 times a week, this is something people can easily incorporate into their life.
As with any wellness practice, individual tolerance varies. Start with shorter durations and gradually increase as your body adapts. The main thing you are trying to achieve is that sense of shock to the body. As you enter an ice bath, it shouldn’t feel comfortable. Your breathing should increase and many often say they have the feeling it's taking their breath away or making them gasp. This sense of shock to the body, activates your sympathetic nervous system, triggering your brown fat which impacts your metabolism.
Changing the time and temperature of your ice bath on different days can help with making sure your ice bath remains beneficial and doesn’t get too comfortable.