Cold Plunge Pool – Cold Plunge Pool Benefits – Why You Need A Chiller

A cold plunge pool, ice bath or therapy pool is a small pool, usually the size of a hot tub, maintained between 45F degrees and 55F degrees and is typically used for sports and physical therapy by immersing the body under water. The cold water stimulates blood flow, reduces swelling and releases endorphins.

Why do you need a chiller for a cold plunge?
You don’t need a chiller. You only need cold water. If you live in an area where the water is colder than 55F degrees, you may be able to reap some of the benefits by showering. You could also add ice in your bathtub to bring the water temperature down to below 55F degrees. If you want to maximize the benefits of a cold plunge, you will want to keep the water temperature as cold as possible.

What is a cold plunge chiller?
A chiller that cools the water in a tub to the desired dipping temperature of 45F degrees to 55F degrees. A true cold plunge chiller uses refrigeration to cool water that is typically recirculated.

What is an on-demand cold plunge chiller?
An on-demand style chiller may chill the water in a tank and allow chilled water to flow out of a faucet into a bathtub, similar, to how a water heater works – only for cold water. There is a small circulation pump in the system to agitate the water through the chiller’s evaporator (heat exchanger) then back into the tank. This constant circulation allows the water to be maintained at a certain temperature and ready to flow out of the faucet again when needed.

What is a cooling tower pool chiller?
There are companies that sell cooling towers and call them chillers. We sell both chillers and cooling towers. A cooling tower does not use evaporation and will not get the water below 55F degrees consistently. When the temperature warms up in the summer months, you will be lucky to get the water below 80F degrees in most areas. This type of pool chiller is designed to cool down swimming pools in hot climates. They work best in dry climates where evaporation can be maximized allowing more efficient cooling. Cooling Towers in Florida or on the east coast of the United States may actually heat the water on a hot, humid day instead of cooling it as little if any evaporation takes place on humid days.

How long do you need to bathe in a therapy pool?
Treatment methods vary, but 5 minutes up to 10 minutes are the average time one needs to sit in the cold plunge pool. Often, a cold plunge is followed by a hot tub or sauna and a treatment may consist of alternating between the hot and cold extremes for a given amount of time. No different than starting a new sport or training schedule, a doctor should be consulted before any ice bath / cold plunge regiment is started.

How does a cold plunge or ice bath heal the body
Muscles and swollen joints will feel better after dipping in cold water. The cold not only reduces inflammation, but also increases blood flow. The increased blood flow and reduced swelling is believed to speed recovery times from an injury.

History of cold plunge and ice baths
Dipping in cold water goes back many years – even centuries. It is more recent times that professional athletes and innovative physical therapists have used cold plunge treatments to speed recovery.

Professional athletes and cold plunge pools
Many professional athletes have incorporated a cold dip into their daily and sometimes several times each day routines. Any advantage to speeding recovery from injury after a workout or after a game can result in an edge on the competition.

Amateur athletes and coaches have also found the benefits of dipping in a cold plunge
We are now seeing cold plunge pools widely used on college and university campuses as well as in many high schools. That includes male and female sports. A school will often install a cold plunge pool and chiller for each locker room.

Does a cold plunge or ice bath make you feel better?
Although this differs from individual to individual, many people take an ice bath or cold plunge, daily, just to invigorate them and make them feel good. When your body gets shocked by very cold water, blood flow is increase and the body creates endorphins which just makes many feel better after dipping.

Wim Hof – The Ice Man 
Wim Hof is an extraordinary man and world record holder that has created not only a way of life, but a way to live by incorporating cold baths and cold showers (The Wim Hof Method) into his everyday routine. Wim Hof has climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in frigid conditions wearing shorts and no shirt, holds the world record for running a half marathon barefoot and for swimming under ice in a frozen lake. He has also participated in several studies showing the benefits of cold water therapy and has even taken random individuals through cold water training then showed how they were able to do extraordinary accomplishments like him. Wim has and continues proving the ice bath benefits.

Tony Robbins Teaches Cold Therapy
Tony Robbins, the best selling author, motivational speaker and famous life coach swears by his daily cold plunge routine so much that he has included it in his lectures.

A cold plunge may aid in weight loss plus four additional benefits
According to Tony Robbins blog (https://www.tonyrobbins.com/health-vitality/the-power-of-cold-water/), a cold plunge improves lymphatic circulation, improves cardiovascular circulation, reduces muscle inflammation, boosts levels of happiness and even aids in weight loss.

More about weight loss and paleo theories
Some believe that cold water immersion helps to increase brown fat. Yes, there is brown fat and white fat in our bodies. It is believed that brown fat is more like a good fat and white fat is a bad fat. Cold water may stimulate the brown fat in our bodies and reduce the white fat, helping with weight loss and being healthy.

Paleo Cold Plunge Diet for more than weight loss
Bathing in cold water is one of the things recommended by many Paleo pushers. Paleo is basically going back to the basics – things our ancestors did long before processed foods and sedentary lifestyles. It is believed that doing many of these basics make us healthier. Paleo’s believe that cold water bath or shower have benefits of boosting your immune system, increased energy and alertness and boosting self discipline and will power in addition to the benefits stated by Tony Robbins.

Not without controversy
Yes, every health claim always has its counterclaims. Those that believe there is no real benefit. Studies on the uses of cold water have been mixed and inconclusive. One theory on this is that there is no real big money behind cold therapy and therefore no one has spent the money on costly clinical trials to prove or disprove the benefits of cold water immersion therapy. 

Although the benefits of bathing in cold water continue to be challenged, we keep learning more and more about the positives including the reduction of swelling, the release of endorphins and the ability of the body to become stronger and those that use cold water training (including the 172,800 members of the Wim Hof private facebook group) swear that cold water Immersion makes a difference in their lives.

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Kenneth Schaafsma

Kenneth Schaafsma

Ken Schaafsma is the National Sales Manager at American Chillers & Cooling Tower Systems. He lives with his wife, two children and labradoodle in South Carolina. He likes sailing, mountain biking, water sports and spending time with his awesome family. Ken first started working in the chiller and process cooling industry in the 1990's.

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