A cold shower — even just for a few minutes — can work as cold therapy to help you heal, recover and generally feel good, especially after exercise.
The proposed benefits of cold showers include improving circulation, building immunity, aiding in mental health, and more. Some people might benefit from daily cold showers, however, people with certain conditions should avoid them.
Taking cold showers every day for 30 days may lead to increased energy levels and alertness as well as improved overall health. Your skin and hair may feel and look better due to the reduced drying and irritating effects of a hot shower. However, remember, individual responses to cold therapy vary.
Don't stay in for more than 10 minutes (3-8 minutes is optimal) The best time to take a cold shower is in the morning, as it kick-starts your system ready for the rest of the day. If you struggle to take the plunge, start with your feet and hands and submerge one limb at a time.
Running out of hot water during your shower might actually be a good thing. A cold shower — even just for a few minutes — can work as cold therapy to help you heal, recover and generally feel good, especially after exercise.
Boosts Metabolism and Weight Loss
Regular cold showers stimulate the production of brown fat, a type of fat that generates heat by burning calories. Over time, this can aid in weight management and potentially support weight loss efforts when combined with a balanced diet and exercise.
There's no evidence that cold showers help with weight loss. But they still may provide other benefits for your metabolism. Cold water immersion can activate brown fat cells, which then burn fat to create more energy. Some studies suggest this can help regulate insulin levels and help prevent diabetes.
The body's natural cooling process after a cold shower can promote sleepiness and facilitate a smoother transition into sleep. Cold showers can also lower body temperature, which is associated with sleep onset and maintenance, potentially improving sleep quality.
We are conditioned to see the shower and expect a warm experience. So, when we start cold showering, it's a real shock to our system on every level: Not only is the water cold (we'll talk more about how to deal with this in a moment), but every cell in the body expects the water to be warm. This is a new type of shock.
Do not overdo it: Cold water therapy can be beneficial, but it is important not to overdo it. Like anything new, you need to build your tolerance and ensure your safety. Start with cold showers and work up your duration until you're ready for something colder.
Cold water for hair ensures your scalp remains cleaner for longer as it closes the pores, making it less vulnerable to grease, oil and dirt. Cold water controls breakage, frizz and pesky flyaways, which is important for those with curly or thin hair.
Specifically for skin health, cold water therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation, stimulate collagen production, and regulate sebum production, leading to improved skin elasticity, reduced pore size, and a healthier complexion.
Believe it or not, having a cold shower in the morning (or cold showers in general, really) can actually strengthen your immune system. In regularly exposing your body to cold water, you can increase the number of white blood cells inside it. And these are our own personal army when it's time to fight off illnesses.
Sleeping naked can increase the production of testosterone. The male hormone testosterone is secreted during the night. If a male wears tight underwear, this can increase the body temperature, and there will be a disruption in the production of testosterone. This can also affect the quality of sleep.
How long should your cold showers be? The optimal amount of cold exposure is about 10 minutes per week. After that, returns diminish. So if you divide that by 7 days a week, you only need to shower cold for 1-2 minutes per day to get the optimal benefits.
Unfortunately, the truth is more complex - hair growth relies on internal scalp health, genetics and dietary factors beyond just external temperature stimulus alone. While cold may assist growth for some, nutritional balancing, stress relief, and treatments more directly fuel robust hair regrowth.
“An ice bath can cause reduction in blood flow to the extremities in peripheral vascular disease; increase in blood pressure in those with high blood pressure and increased risk of hypothermia in patients with impaired ability to regulate body temperature — as may be the case with poorly-controlled diabetes,” said Dr ...
Lowering the temperature: Brown fat activates at colder temperatures, right before you start shivering. Some studies suggest turning down the thermostat, taking a cold shower or an ice bath could activate brown fat to help your body produce more to burn more calories.
Sudden exposure to cold water could be detrimental for people with heart disease. Owing to Cold water, Body gets shocked and blood vessels in the skin shrink, making the blood flow in your body slow. Consequently, the heart works harder and beats faster to be able to pump blood throughout the body including the brain.
Almost instantly the shock of the cold water clears away brain fog and once I'm out of the shower I feel energized, happy and strangely proud for toughing out my self-inflicted trial. This boost isn't like a bar of chocolate either, these feelings and energy are guilt-free and lasting for hours.
Basically, when the body faces any external stress like this, heat shock proteins are produced which accelerate the fat burning process. Besides aiding weight loss and calorie burning, taking a hot bath or simply relaxing in hot water has plenty of benefits to offer for our skin, muscles, joints as well as the heart.