Cold exposure helps boost metabolism and fat burning, but the effects of a cold shower are minimal. Sure, a cold shower might help you burn a few more extra calories and keep you more alert, but it is not a long term, effective solution for weight loss.
Cold Showers Help You Lose Fat
Studies show that once “activated” by cold temperatures, just two ounces of brown fat can burn through as many as 500 calories per day in an effort to elevate body temperature.
No, cold showers do not burn belly fat. While taking a cold shower will increase your metabolism, which may create a calorie-burning effect, it won't specifically target belly fat. To lose belly fat and see results, you need to combine a calorie-controlled diet with physical activity.
How long are we talking, exactly? Well, in one study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, people who spent two hours per day in 66-degree temps lost one to two pounds of over a course of six weeks. And, no, we aren't suggesting daily two-hour-long cold showers.
No, it won't just get rid of the fat or the weight but what hot water does it speed up the process and reduce inflammation in your body, which is core to weight loss. The bath also seemed to have the same effect as exercise when it came to the anti-inflammatory response post-activity for each of the participants.
Increases endorphins
Taking a cold shower for up to 5 minutes, 2 to 3 times per week, was shown to help relieve symptoms of depression in a clinical trial. For people with depression, cold showers can work as a kind of gentle electroshock therapy. The cold water sends many electrical impulses to your brain.
Cold showers can help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, improve circulation, lower stress levels, and reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. Hot showers, meanwhile, can improve cardiovascular health, soothe stiff joints, and improve sleep.
Scientific studies have found that taking a cold shower increases the number of white blood cells in your body. These blood cells protect your body against diseases. Researchers believe that this process is related to an increased metabolic rate, which stimulates the immune response.
Protects Your Skin And Hair. When you shower with cold water, it does not strip your skin and hair of their natural oils. Cold water closes pores, which tightens the skin.
There is also some evidence that a cold shower can help you lose weight. A study found that cold-water immersion at 14℃ increased metabolism by 350%. Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy, so a higher metabolism roughly equals more energy burned.
A 15 minute cold shower can burn as many as 62 calories. For a deeper insight into the benefits of cold showers, take a look at our dedicated blog, Cold Shower vs Hot Shower – What Are The Benefits?
Cold showers may help boost weight loss
Some fat cells, such as brown fat, can generate heat by burning fat. They do this when your body is exposed to cold conditions like in a shower.
Try to remain in the cold shower for at least one minute the first day; work your way up to 5 minutes. You can take your time getting to 5. You might try just one minute for several days in a row before you step up to 2 and such.
This could be anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Some people prefer to take just a brief cold shower of around 5–10 minutes. This may also be a practical approach to cold water therapy. Several studies cite a target cold temperature of about 68°F (20°C), according to an article in the journal Medical Hypotheses.
There is a fat-burning benefit to colder weather as it causes our body to shiver and activates reactions intrinsically within brown fat cells. As we are mammals and use fat cells to store energy, our bodies are designed to eventually utilize that fuel to regulate our core body temperature in cold temps.
Bae adds some in dermatology also theorize cold showers have even more benefits, too, such as "a little bit of (skin) tightening or at least also temporary decrease in redness of the skin. "If you are a healthy person, then taking a cold shower every day would be much better for your skin.
Benefits Of A Cold Shower Before Bed
When you sleep, your body temperature lowers. By taking a cool shower before bed, you're showing your body that bedtime is near by starting the temperature-lowering process. The cool water helps trick your whole system into sleep mode.
The supposed benefits are improved immunity and circulation, stress relief, better mood, and relief of muscle soreness.
So, if you're still struggling after a few days, remember that not only will it get easier, but your body will actually start looking forward to it.
Cold water isn't going to do anything for your testosterone levels that exercise won't do. Many other variables affect those levels, such as diet and lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking. A quick cold shower isn't a testosterone level hack.
A youthful-looking complexion is only possible with proper blood circulation. Poor skin blood flow results in dry, dull, and aged complexion. Given that cold water improves blood flow, you're essentially helping your skin prevent premature skin aging every time you shower using cold water.
The white fat accumulates when we eat more calories than our body needs to function (this is the body fat that people are trying to lose). The brown fat is good fat, which generates heat in order to keep our bodies warm. This is activated when you are exposed to cold, and burns energy instead of storing it.
“After a swim or a shower, your body can absorb 1 to 3 cups of water, increasing your true weight by a few pounds.”
You have lost water weight due to the heat from the shower.
Your body is trying to keep its temperature constant and attempts to do that by evaporative cooling (which doesn't work quite as well in the humid environment of a shower).