Cold plunge and sauna combo is getting so much buzz in the wellness world, but why?
The contrasting extremes (hot and bone-chilling cold) aren’t just another trend that’s about to pass, yet it’s a therapy that’s backed by science and is full of benefits.
From muscle recovery and improved mental clarity to a stronger immune system, these are just some of the benefits people experience.
While you might’ve seen athletes doing it, know that these benefits can be experienced by anyone. In this article, we’ll show you the best cold plunge and sauna routine and tell you everything you need to know about this combination!
Best Cold Plunge and Sauna Routine
While there isn’t just one best routine, there are 3 that we recommend for a variety of levels. Therefore, whether you’re a complete beginner or a cold plunge expert who’s looking to combine the two - one of these routines will fit you.
Beginner
As a beginner, you would want to focus on short sessions while you ease into the practice.
We recommend spending 5 minutes in the sauna, 30 seconds in the cold plunge, and then repeating it one to two times.
The goal is to get your body used to the temperature shifts while avoiding overwhelm. Breathing techniques can help you stay relaxed and get used to the temperatures and the transition.
Intermediate
If you’re intermediate, you can feel free to introduce longer sessions and multiple cycles.
Our recommendation is to spend 10 minutes in the sauna, 2 minutes in the cold plunge, and repeat the cycle 3 times.
That’s a perfect time frame to experience benefits like increased circulation and improved stress tolerance without overwhelming your body and pushing it to the extremes.
Including light stretching or mindfulness exercises can help you overcome the intermediate routine of this combo and prepare yourself for the advanced routine.
Advanced
Advanced is the most challenging routine ideal for experienced users.
We recommend spending 15 minutes in the sauna, followed by a 3-minute cold plunge session, and repeating it 4 times with a focus on slow and controlled breathing.
Incorporating advanced techniques like meditation or alternating hot and cold cycles more rapidly can push your body more. As long as you can handle it, you can achieve even better benefits of this combo.
The Science Behind Cold Plunges and Sauna
A combination of hot and cold isn’t something new. It’s been used for years to trigger psychological responses that promote health, recovery, and mental clarity.
Cold Plunges
When you immerse yourself in cold water, the key psychological effects you experience include vasoconstriction. This means that your blood vessels constrict, which helps reduce inflammation.
Hormonal response is the second most common effect you get to experience. Cold exposure releases endorphins and norepinephrine, which boosts mood and alertness.
The core benefits you gain include:
- Quicker muscle recovery by reducing lactic acid buildup
- Better resilience through adaptation to stress
- Improved immune response with regular exposure
Saunas
Sauna gives you the opposite effects of cold plunges. The main effect you’ll experience is vasodilation, which means that your blood vessels expand and your circulation improves.
The second effect is the heat stress. The heat stimulates the production of heat shock proteins. These protect cells and enhance repair.
Therefore, the core benefits you can experience include:
- Cardiovascular health through increased heart rate
- Detoxification through sweating
- Relaxation and stress relief by prompting nervous system activity
Contrast Therapy
Alternating between a sauna and a cold plunge is also known as contrast therapy. Both provide benefits, and a combination of the two gives people even more benefits combined.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, cycling between the two activates the body’s natural response to temperature extremes, which leads to better health benefits.
Combining the two can lead to the following benefits:
- Improved circulation
- Reduced inflammation
- Reduced muscle soreness
- Better pain management
- Quicker muscle recovery
- Easier stress management
- Boosted immune function
- Decreased swelling
- Improved sleep
These are the most common benefits, while some people might experience many others, like improved post-training recovery, better skin color tone, smoother skin, and even better weight loss results as saunas tend to burn calories.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Cold plunges and saunas are powerful tools you can use to experience all of the mentioned benefits. However, it’s important to eliminate making mistakes that can reduce their effectiveness and only put you at risk.
The most common mistakes we see people make include:
- Overdoing it
- Skipping hydration
- Ignoring acclimation
- Not listening to your body
- Inconsistent practice
- Incorrect temperatures
- Skipping rest periods
While almost everyone knows that spending time in a sauna can lead to dehydration, not many know that spending as much time in a cold plunge can lead to dehydration too. Besides dehydration, overdoing it can also lead to overheating or hypothermia. That’s why it’s important to stick to the routine we recommended.
Sweating in saunas without hydrating can lead to fatigue. At the same time, ignoring acclimation and jumping straight into extreme routines (especially as a beginner) can overwhelm your body.
It’s important to always listen to your body without trying to push through discomfort or dizziness as it can lead to serious issues.
At the same time, going slow and staying consistent is what your goal should be. If you’re not consistent, your contrast therapy won’t provide noticeable benefits.
Don’t avoid rest periods and jump straight into a cold plunge after the sauna. Also, ensure that your cold and hot temperatures aren’t too hot and cold to be unsafe.
Conclusion
While finding the best cold plunge and sauna routine is very simple, it’s as important to follow the routine and guidelines to stay safe.
If you start slow, stick to the routine, are consistent, and listen to your body - you’ll experience long-term benefits. If not, you can only put yourself at risk.
Also, taking advantage of contrast therapy is always easier in the comfort of your home, so we highly recommend checking out this Fire & Ice bundle deal!