There’s nothing worse than someone flushing the toilet while you’re in the middle of a shower, and few pranks can compare with a bucket of cold water being thrown on you while you’re relaxing in the warmth of a steaming hot shower. But did you know that taking a cold shower can actually do you good? Cold water hydrotherapy is actually used in many spas and clinics, and you’ll find that there are many benefits of cold showers:
Boosts Your Immunity
Taking a cold shower is a great way to boost your immune system. As strange as it may sound, taking a cold shower will actually help your body to produce more white blood cells — the cells responsible for protecting your body from invading pathogens. The cold shower is believed to stimulate your metabolic rate, as your body is trying to warm itself up under the deluge of cold water. This causes your immune system to be activated, released lots of lymphocytes — the white blood cell responsible for eliminating toxins, viruses, and bacteria — and monocytes — the cells responsible for engulfing and consuming pathogens invading your body.
Regulates Your Body Temperature
When you take a cold shower, your body has no choice but to turn up the internal thermostat just to keep you warm. This results in thermogenesis, which is the internal generation of body heat. Your body heat will stay turned up for a time, and you can prevent yourself from being cold by taking a cold shower now and again.
Improves Your Circulation
The cold water running over your body causes the blood vessels in your body to constrict, which is called “vasoconstriction”. This tightening can help to reduce the pressure in your blood vessels, as there’s less room for the blood to flow and thus improving the circulation. Your blood will circulate a lot more quickly while taking a cold shower, and it will flow throughout your entire body much more effectively thanks to the constriction of your blood vessels. Improved circulation is one of the keys to improved overall health, so taking a cold shower can help to keep your muscles working, your heart free of cholesterol, your blood pressure low, and your skin varicose vein-free.
Helps You Lose Weight
Cold showers have often been recommended to help promote weight loss, as they help the body to burn the brown fats. Brown fats are used by the body to produce internal heat, and taking a cold shower will promote the production of more of this fat instead of the white fat that is inactive and harder for your body to burn. The more brown fat there is in your body, the more fat you will burn every second. In addition to the brown fat being burned, your metabolism has to kick into high gear to keep you warm. The increase in your metabolism will lead to natural fat burning and weight loss, so it’s a good idea to take a cold shower after workout to ensure that you burn as much fat as possible.
Fights Depression
This is a very interesting benefit of a cold shower, and it’s one that many people would find useful. You know how you feel all warm and cozy after getting out of a cold shower and bundling up warmly in your clothing? This is because the cold water stimulates your brain to produce noradrenaline. This is one of the chemicals in your body that help to fight depression, so taking a cold shower can make you feel a lot better.
Improves Hair and Skin Health
Hot water is known to be bad for your skin and hair, as it causes them to be dried out with the heat. Cold water will make your hair look a lot silkier and more glossy, and it will improve the appearance of your skin as well. This is because the cold water causes the pores and cuticles in your scalp and skin to constrict, which stops them from being clogged and causing acne. It also helps to detoxify your skin, makes your hair stronger, stops dirt from accumulating on your scalp, and slows down hair loss.
Increases Energy Levels
Taking a cold shower after workout can actually help to restore a lot of the energy that you burned during your workout. A cold shower will get your heart pumping and your blood flowing, which will increase your energy levels after the shower. The cold shower can help to get your body moving again, which can be great if you’re trying to shake off the lethargic feeling that grips you after an exhausting workout or a long, stressful work day. Cold showers have even been known to reduce stress.
If You’re Going to Take a Cold Shower Keep These Things in Mind:
- Slowly transition from warm to cool to cold, and don’t just jump into the cold shower.
- Make sure your deep tissue and bones are warm before you turn the water onto cold.
- Shower with cold water for no more than 1 minute
Freezing cold showers took over my life 20 years ago, with four daughters hogging all the hot water in our small cabin, it became a daily habit that continued long after those daughter flew the coop …