My Long COVID Recovery: What I Learned from an Ice Bath Experiment

It’s 2005, in Long Beach California. I’ve just finished a 4 hour tennis practice and headed into the training room. I walk over to the ice baths, already occupied with other athletes and climb in alongside a baseball buddy. I take short sharp breaths as I lower myself in, then as I acclimatize, my breath starts to slow down, and after a minute or so I no longer feel the cold.

ice baths aren’t new to me but the purpose most certainly has changed.

This was the start of my ice bath journey, with a massive gap between hanging up my rackets and developing Long COVID.

What the Science Says

There is a lot of attention on cold water therapy. And it has become mainstream through the likes of Wim Hoff. The science backed benefits are:

1. Reduced inflammation

2. Improved recovery after exercise

3. Improved immune function

4. Improved circulation

5. Reduced anxiety and depression

On top of these proven health benefits, cold water therapy is know to:

1. Increase mental alertness

2. Reduce stress

3. Increase motivation

I have Raynaud’s, basically extremely cold hands and feet. It wasn't so much of an issue in sunny California but since made worse by Covid. I have read anecdotal evidence that deliberate cold water exposure can help Raynaud’s. And the science does say that cold water immersion improves circulation but I am waiting for the water temperature to increase before ditching my booties. It’s 2 degrees as I am writing this.

The science also says that the benefits are experience as much at 10 degrees celsius as at 2.

I introduced ice baths 6 months into Long COVID. Was it beneficial? I could’t tell you, as I was at the stage in my journey where there was no respite from my symptoms. Nothing I did or didn’t do seem to have any impact. It wasn’t until the first shift in my recovery that I could tell if something was helping. That first shift and most subsequent ones was the result of brain retraining but that’s one for another day. I persisted for a couple of weeks, then stopped.

Fast forward another 12 months, to January 2023, I had improved enough that I instinctively knew I would be able to observe any impact. So I caved to instagram and invested in a portable ice bath.

here's WHAT I FOUND AFTER 30 DAYS OF ICE BATHS

#1 - WE ARE ALREADY COURAGEOUS

When I told people what I was doing, here were their standard responses: 'you're mad’, ‘why would you do that,’ ‘you're braver than me.’

Yet I found it easy. No hesitation, even when covered in ice. And I don’t mean that in a bragging way. What I realised was that when you go through such extreme health adversity, you come out with courage. Dropping into an ice bath, has nothing on Long Covid. The pain is not in the slightest comparable.

#2 - I Became More Positive About My Recovery

I handled my dips better by catching my fearful thoughts and reframing them with ease. This could be due to the large doses of dopamine that is released through cold water exposure.

To give you an example, during the first two weeks of ice baths I felt unwell. I found myself questioning: is it the ice baths? But of course if you stay on that thought too long, it does become about the ice baths. So I said no, it's just a coincidence, give it time for the effects to take hold. I am so glad I did, as 2 weeks is where the changes became noticeable.

"if we always choose comfort, we never learn the deepest capabilities of our mind or body ." – Wim Hoff

#3 - MY SLEEP IMPROVED

I carry thoughts to my pillow. Not necessarily stressful ones. It could be something I am excited about or hasn’t happened yet. Either way, it has always impacted my sleep.

Then something happened. Even as thoughts crept in, I dropped off. I even had the ‘here we go again feeling’, but still I dropped off.

I’ve tried everything you can imagine to improve my sleep. This is life changing.

#4 - I COULD HANDLE STRESS BETTER

I found myself responding with balance to situations and therefore able to get through the day with less worry, less remuneration and more ease.

Could this be an accumulative effect of increased dopamine and better sleep. I can only speculate but regardless we know life is easier to navigate when you are happy and rested.

What about you?

Have you tried cold water exposure for your Long Covid recovery? Leave a comment. I would love to hear how you found it!

Rachael

P.S here are 2 ways I can help you:

The Baseline Club. Affordable monthly coaching, to help you perform deliberate movement consistently and safely build back your exercise tolerance, keeping your muscles and joints healthy as you heal. Learn more.

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