Friday was my youngest daughter's birthday. She was treated to a fancy restaurant dinner with friends followed by an evening of sauna and cold plunges! Yowsers! While I'm sure that sounds like torture to my healthy living partner (she HATES being cold and even though she lives in hot humid Florida she has a sweater on most of the time) heat AND cold can instigate great health benefits to your body. This week we will be focusing on COLD
A cold shower might sound unappealing, but we've 12 shocking benefits that will change your mind about giving them a go! I'm willing to bet you'll be a convert by the end of this article
Cold showers have so many benefits including strengthening your immune function, helping sleep, speeding up your metabolism, improving fertility, boosting energy levels and even making you more attractive, so here are those 12 biggest cold shower benefits in full.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #1: BOOST IMMUNE FUNCTION
A simple cold shower can help your immune system in several ways.
Exposure to cold water triggers a beneficial anti-inflammatory norepinephrine release. A study found that cold water swimmers had “an improved adaptation to oxidative stress" while another study explains, “cold water swimming can raise the tolerance of the body”. Even easier than cold water swimming, a cold shower is the easiest way to tap into these great benefits.
Even a few seconds under the cold tap can bring huge benefits
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #2: REDUCE DEPRESSION
“Due to the high density of cold receptors in the skin, a cold shower is expected to send an overwhelming amount of electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings to the brain, which could result in an anti-depressive effect”.
That's from a study by the University School of Medicine, Richmond, while another study showed depressive symptoms were relieved in those who took two or three cold showers per week.
I read about one wife that had started a habit of adding a cold ending to her daily showers and her husband noticed so much of a change in her disposition he wondered if she had started taking anti-depressants.
COLD SHOWER BENEFIT # 3 REVS UP YOUR
METABOLISM
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #3: SPEED UP METABOLISM
People who take a daily cold shower show an increase in metabolism for one main reason - increased activation in brown adipose tissue (good fat) which is used to generate heat and insulate us against the cold. It’s the type of fat we want and kicking it into action boosts metabolism.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #4: INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY
A study in the Netherlands involving 3,000 participants found those who finished their daily shower with a 30-90 second blast of cold water were 29% less absent than their colleagues after just 30-days of the trial.
It speaks volumes that two-thirds of those who completed the study continued with their daily cold shower ritual once the trial ended.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #5: IMPROVED MUSCLE RECOVERY
Cold water immersion for sports performance is well documented and widely practiced by high performance athletes who need rapid recovery.
Athletes typically sit in an ice bath for 7-14 minutes to reduce inflammation and accelerate recovery. Don't worry, you don't have to go to those extremes, your cold shower will do the trick just fine!
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #6: IMPROVED BLOOD CIRCULATION
When you take a cold shower your body naturally increases blood flow which is super good for you.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #7: A FREE ENERGY BOOST
Cold showers stimulate our sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for our 'fight-or-flight' response to danger. This triggers a hormone release which is felt as an adrenaline rush and that's why cold showers leave you buzzing every time.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #8: BEAT CHRONIC FATIGUE
One interesting study suggests brief cold water exposure can help with chronic fatigue, also known as overtraining syndrome.
There appears to be a strong link between chronic fatigue and insufficient hypothalamus function, which cold water exposure has been shown to reverse.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #9: BOOST MALE FERTILITY
There’s evidence showing high water temperature exposure – like baths, jacuzzis and hot showers – can reduce male fertility. Testicles need a cool environment to operate optimally and a cold shower delivers exactly that.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #10: WAKES YOU UP - FAST!
Of all effects, this is the one we most readily feel. Regardless of the countless health benefits, there's no doubt a cold shower makes you more alert at the start of the day.
After a night sleeping, your body often needs a kick to start firing on all cylinders - a cold shower is the perfect prescription.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #11: MAKES YOU MORE ATTRACTIVE. NO, REALLY!
Yup, cold showers have been shown to improve your hair and skin. You'll even feel it – in a cold shower your skin becomes more taught, that feeling is your pores contracting.
Furthermore, cold water doesn’t wash away the natural oils on your skin the way the way hot water does,
As Dr Jessica Krant confirms: “excessively hot water will strip healthy natural oils from your skin too quickly”.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS #12: BETTER SLEEP
You’ll enjoy improve sleep after a cold shower too. We know how important sleep is for athletes and the general population and, taken one hour before bed, a cold shower will lower your core temperature and relax your mind.
COLD SHOWER BENEFITS: CONCLUSION
A cold shower is one daily habit that we can totally get on board with and it's as easy as turning the tap the other way. Better still, not only will it boost your life quality and performance at a stroke, it will also save you money on your energy bills and help the planet too.
READY FOR A COLD SHOWER? YOU CHOOSE THE INTENSITY OF THIS CHALLENGE BUT FOR EVERY DAY YOU COMPLETE #1 YOU EARN THE 5 DAILY BONUS POINTS. I’M HOPING YOU ARE ALL ABLE TO ALSO DO COMPLETE #2
- Tip #1 - easy does it: Start with a normal shower and reduce the temperature for a minute before reverting to warm. Do this a couple of times during your shower
- Tip #2 - cold finish: Have a normal shower but this time finish with 60–90 seconds under the cool tap
- Tip #3 - total immersion: Dive in and go cold from the off. Psych yourself up and know you’ll feel great afterwards. Remember, it’s only the first 10 seconds that are hard and you'll be reaping the benefits for the rest of the day
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