Any showers below with a water temperature 70°F is a cold shower. They possess some health benefits. Water therapy or hydrotherapy has been used for ages to take advantage of our body’s tendency to prepare for harsher conditions. Consequently, the body become more immune to stress.
Benefits of cold shower
Makes your hair and skin hydrated
When we take cold showers, it temporarily tightens pores and assists us in retaining the natural oils in our skin and hair. Those exposed to dry skin or worried about dry, brittle hair may consider rinsing off with cold water frequently.
Increase mental health and immunity
Cold water activates the generation of beta-endorphins and noradrenaline. Electrical impulses are discharged from our nerve endings to our brain when we undergo cold showers, and this chemical reaction does have an antidepressant effect on a few individuals. Getting a cold shower may keep you from getting a cold by enhancing your immune system and making you more immune to illness.
Improve circulation
When the body feel cold water, they instinctively switch to survival mode and respond by increasing the heart rate. The cold water makes your circulatory system into to high gear, making your heart to pump more efficiently and creating overall circulation throughout your body to improve.
May alleviate pain
Research highlights that exposure to the cold creates the cold receptors in your skin to send electrical impulses to the brain that have a considerable pain-lowering effect.
Cold exposure also generates more endorphins, which elevate mood and act as natural pain relievers during stress or pain. Furthermore, cold showers can assist in reducing pain from injury or chronic conditions.
May assist metabolism
Few research highlights that cold showers may stimulate your metabolism. The metabolism process converts the food into energy in the body. Increasing metabolism can assist the body in burning fat and calories. The cold shower may have this effect on your metabolism during shivering.
May safeguard against age-related conditions
A 2022 review highlighted that cold water may elevate the levels of adiponectin. Adiponectin play a crucial role in preventing age-linked conditions such as diabetes, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. Adiponectin increases as you shiver during cold showers.
May lower muscle soreness
Different forms of cold therapy such as ice application are frequently used to reduce pain after exercise or assist heal an injury. Cold showers other different forms of cold-water immersion may have a analogous effect.
Increases sleep quality
Taking a cold shower before bedtime can help in getting better sleep. The fall in body temperature after a cold shower simulates the body’s natural temperature decline as it makes ready for sleep. This process can help manage the sleep cycle and support a more restful and deeper slumber.
Increases alertness and mental clarity
The shock of cold water stimulates a rush of adrenaline, resulting in increased heart rate and oxygen intake. This instant surge of adrenaline works as a natural stimulant, leading to heightened alertness and mental clarity. Cold showers can also relieve symptoms of brain fog and give a more focused and energised state of mind, making them the best way to jumpstart the day.
Cons of Cold Showers
Cold showers may not be great idea if you are already cold, because the cooler temperature will not warm you up by any ways. It can actually make you even colder and raise the amount of time that will take for you to get warm again.
It is not suggested to get cold showers when you are sick. In the beginning, the cold temperature may be too hard on your immune system, hence it is good to ease into the cooler temperatures.
