"Cryotherapy: The Trendy Recovery Tool Explained"

Cryotherapy, including ice baths, is a recovery tool gaining popularity in the athletic world and beyond. Ice baths can help reduce inflammation and swelling after an injury, and can also trigger cardiac parasympathetic activity, lower sympathetic tone, and restore cardiac autonomic modulation. However, cryotherapy should not be used all the time, as it can inhibit muscle growth. Additionally, those with anxiety may not benefit from cold plunges, as anxiety may diminish the "cold shock response/divers reflex." Mild temperatures around 59 degrees Fahrenheit for longer periods of time are more effective than colder temperatures for shorter periods of time.