Epsom salt baths have been used for thousands of years as part of alternative medicine practices, but they have recently become popular among athletes as well.
Although there are many benefits to using an Epsom salt bath, some people may prefer the benefits of an ice bath instead.
What’s better for recovery Epsom Salt Bath vs Ice Bath?
This article will discuss some basic information about each therapy and help you decide which one is right for you!
Epsom Salt Bath
Epsom salt baths are the perfect way to relax and unwind after a long day.
Epsom salt works by pulling toxins out of your body through your skin, which can reduce your likelihood of getting sick. It also helps reduce pain, which is why so many athletes use it as part of their post-workout recovery routine!
The benefits don’t stop there: Epsom salt also has a calming effect on your mind and body, allowing you to truly relax after a hard day’s work or play (or both).
Epsom salts are a type of mineral compound that’s made up of magnesium and sulfate.
The magnesium in the salt can help your muscles relax by reducing muscle spasms, while the sulfate helps with aches and pains.
Some people also believe that Epsom salt baths can reduce stress levels, increase energy levels, improve circulation, and make you feel more relaxed overall.
The magnesium sulfate in Epsom salt helps you sleep.
Epsom salt is used as a sleeping aid. The magnesium sulfate in Epsom salt helps you relax and sleep, which is why it’s often recommended by sleep experts.
It’s not exactly clear how magnesium sulfate works to help you sleep, but its relaxing properties could be one reason why Epsom salts have become such popular mattress-less methods of getting a good night’s rest after a stressful day.
In addition to helping you relax and get better quality sleep than other methods (like sleeping pills), Epsom salt baths also relieve pain associated with arthritis.
A proper Epsom salt bath can help with pain and recovery.
Epsom salt baths are safe and have no known side effects. They can help with a variety of ailments, including pain and recovery.
When taking Epsom salt baths regularly, you may notice that your body feels less sore after doing physical activity or even when getting out of bed in the morning.
The heat from the water can also help relax tense muscles while letting it soak into your skin and helps relieve pressure on injuries or sores that might be bothering you.
This is especially true for people who prefer not to take medication for their aches and pains—they might find that regular Epsom salt baths are all they need for relief!
The science behind Epsom salt baths is still relatively new.
The science behind Epsom salt baths is still relatively new.
The exact mechanism by which this treatment works has yet to be determined, but it could have to do with the fact that magnesium sulfate helps draw toxins out of your body. This can help speed up the healing process for injuries and illnesses.
Epsom salt baths are still a fairly new concept, but they’ve been on the rise in popularity over the last decade or so as people have started learning about their many benefits. While there’s no consensus yet on exactly how effective this kind of treatment is, more and more research is being done each year towards finding out more information about how Epsom salt baths work and what they can do for your body in general.
Magnesium works by helping to metabolize amino acids, like serotonin and adrenaline.
Magnesium helps to metabolize amino acids, like serotonin and adrenaline. Magnesium also plays a key role in the creation of energy from fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
As such, it’s an important mineral for good health.
Magnesium is also integral to muscle relaxation, which may help with sleep and relaxation.
It can also benefit your heart health by reducing blood pressure or improving the function of your heart’s electrical activity during exercise.
Magnesium has been shown to lower cholesterol levels as well as reduce inflammation in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease or chronic kidney disease (CKD).
It is possible that high levels of magnesium may have some benefits for weight loss including helping to regulate metabolism and reducing cravings for unhealthy foods such as sugar or carbohydrates
For people who are in pain, letting the hot water soak into their skin can help relieve pressure and increase blood flow.
The magnesium in the bath helps to metabolize amino acids and reduce inflammation. This can be especially helpful for those who have arthritis or muscle soreness after a workout or strenuous activity.
The Epsom salt bath can also help with constipation by relaxing muscles and loosening up waste in your system.
The Epsom salt bath is a safe and uncomplicated way to help recover from physical activity, such as working out or being on your feet for long periods of time.
Ice Baths
Whether you’re a professional athlete or just want to get the most out of your workouts, you might consider taking an ice bath.
The cold temperatures in an ice bath can reduce inflammation, lower body temperature and relieve sore muscles.
If you have arthritis pain or depression, an ice bath may also be helpful for those conditions as well. Read on to learn more about how an ice bath works and why it’s so beneficial!
Decreases inflammation
A cold bath can reduce inflammation, which is one of the main reasons you feel sore after exercise.
When you take a cold shower, your body’s temperature drops significantly for about 15 minutes.
This causes blood vessels to constrict (narrow), reducing blood flow to the muscles, which reduces inflammation and prevents muscle damage.
This is especially helpful if you’re someone who exercises regularly or works out hard every day—your body needs time to recover from all that work!
Improves muscle recovery after intense exercise
Muscle recovery is one of the most important aspects of training, and it can mean the difference between a future of injuries and fast-paced fitness.
The process takes place after you exercise, when your body works to repair muscles that were damaged during exercise.
Muscle recovery helps you avoid injuries, improves performance in future workouts, and allows you to push harder during each workout than would be possible without proper muscle repair.
The ice bath is an effective way to speed up this process because it reduces inflammation, increases blood flow to sore muscles (which helps remove waste products), and reduces pain caused by lactic acid buildup in your body — all things that are needed for proper muscle recovery.
Relieves sore muscles
- Reduces muscle soreness. The cold water causes the blood vessels in your muscles to constrict, which reduces inflammation and pain.
- Improves blood flow to muscles. Cold temperatures also cause veins and arteries to constrict, which increases blood flow to the skin’s surface and away from your organs—including your heart, brain and kidneys—and toward your muscle tissue where it can be used for repair and recovery.
- Helps with muscle recovery after exercise or activity when ice baths are applied for 15-20 minutes every 2 hours for a total of four times per day over two days (48 hours).
- Helps with the repair of damaged muscle tissue by reducing swelling and inflammation following exercise or activity (ice bath can be taken one hour after exercise)
Lowers body temperature
It’s common to feel a bit of shivering and shudders when your body temperature drops.
When you get out of the bath, you may feel cold because the ice bath has lowered your core temperature and blood vessels are constricted.
The benefits of an ice bath include:
- Reduced inflammation. The ice stimulates nerve endings in your skin that transmit pain signals to the brain, but it also activates other nerves that block these signals, thus reducing inflammation and swelling. This can help with recovery after strenuous workouts or intense practice sessions.
- Improved muscle function by reducing lactic acid build up which allows for better nutrient absorption into cells, as well as faster muscle repair time due to increased blood flow through capillaries in damaged areas on muscles (as well as reduced swelling).
Can help with arthritis pain and depression
If you’re suffering from arthritis pain and depression, an ice bath may be a good option for you.
This is because both conditions are often linked to inflammation, which can be reduced by the cold temperature of an ice bath.
The cold temperature can also help improve sleep quality, which in turn reduces stress levels and improves mood.
That’s not all! Think about it this way: when was the last time that you got a massage?
Massaging your muscles helps reduce pain caused by overuse or injury since it increases blood flow to those areas and stimulates nerve endings that have been underused due to stress or lack of movement.
Ice baths provide similar benefits by stimulating nerve endings while reducing swelling around joints, improving blood flow, and helping relieve arthritic pain in much the same way as massage therapy would do so
Speeds up the healing process of sprains and strains by reducing swelling
Ice baths are known to reduce swelling immediately after an injury, which is why they’re often used on sprains and strains.
According to the Journal of Athletic Training, “ice reduces pain and joint stiffness by reducing local inflammatory mediators.”
This can be helpful if you’ve injured yourself in the gym or on the court and need a quick recovery.
While heat therapy can help with swelling as well, it’s important to note that ice bath therapy is more effective than heat therapy for this purpose—and better for you overall—because it helps reduce swelling more quickly than its counterpart does.
Furthermore, ice baths are safer because there’s no risk of burns from direct contact with high temperatures like there is with hot water immersion; additionally, ice baths don’t require any equipment other than some towels or old clothes (to protect your skin) and a tub or bucket full of cold water!
The optimal amount of time for an ice bath depends on how long ago you sustained an injury: according to one study published in Sports Medicine Australia & New Zealand Journals (SMANZ), 20 minutes was found to be most effective at reducing swelling after 24 hours since being injured; however, another study published in The International Journal Of Sports Physiology And Performance suggests 10 minutes would suffice if done within 48 hours since being hurt
Helps improve sleep quality (by taking a bath between 62-65 Fahrenheit)
The recommendations for optimal temperature, duration and frequency of ice baths are as follows:
- Temperature: The recommended water temperature is between 62 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Duration: We recommend that you soak in the bath no longer than 5 minutes. This can be repeated up to three times per week with at least 48 hours between sessions.
- Frequency: Since the body adapts quickly to cold temperatures, we recommend that you use this method only once a week at most (to avoid over-stimulation).
In Summary,
Both Epsom Salt Baths and Ice Baths have their respective benefits and will help you recover.
Generally, ice baths are better for reducing inflammation and improving muscle recovery which is most important to athletes.
If you have to assess to an ice bath I would definitely recommend using it after every workout but for most people, without access to ice baths, it is definitely still worth it to get in an Epsom salt bath after or before a big workout as you will still see noticeable improvements with either.
Do you prefer an Epsom salt bath or an ice bath? Let us know in the comments.
