Someone may tell you to grab a cold shower to wake you up or improve your recovery after exercise. But are there any benefits to doing this?
Well, it turns out that there are some
benefits of cold showers. They can improve the body’s health, fitness,
and recovery. However, the aftermath of the shivers may not always be
completely worth it. Whether cold showers are worth it for you will
depend on the benefits that you want to gain.
So, what are the scientifically proven
benefits of a cold shower? Will they work out worthwhile for you, even
just now and again?
Your Hair and Skin Look Better
Showers are primarily for cleaning. You
use them to get rid of the dead skin cells and remove excess oils from
the skin and hair. Well, it’s time to turn down the heat! You can an
instant benefit without the need for extra products on either your skin
or hair.
Cold water will help to reduce the size
of your pores, as your skin tightens from the temperature. Your body
isn’t encouraged to release oils, so you don’t end up with a greasy look
on your skin or in your hair. If you have dry skin, excess oils aren’t
lost, helping to create a healthier and less painful appearance on your
skin.
The skin and hair follicles will also
see increased activity. Your skin latches onto your hair, meaning you
will lose less. You get thicker, more luxurious locks.
If you have dyed hair, you certainly
want to think about cold showers. The heat of the water will damage your
hair and make the colors bleed. You end up needing more touch ups,
especially if you opt for fashion colors. Cold water helps to lock in
the colors to your hair, so they look vibrant and clear for longer.
Better Chances of Weight Loss
Did you know that being cold can help
you lose more weight? It promotes the loss of fat, rather than the loss
of muscle, so your weight loss is healthier too.
There are a few scientific reasons for a
cold shower boosting your weight loss efforts. The first is that your
body needs to burn more calories to get you warm again. Your metabolism
gets a boost, so you will find it easier to create a calorie deficit.
While boosting your metabolism, your
brown fat is activated. This is the good fat that helps to generate
heat. Of course, by generating it to warm your body up, the calories
within it are used. You end up losing more of it throughout the day. You
can lose an extra 9lbs of fat over a year by added a cold shower to
your day. It may not sound like a lot, but it’s worth it for doing
nothing extra.
Shivering will also help to burn more
calories. You’re constantly getting your muscles working, while your
body tries to warm itself back up. This helps to focus on fat loss
instead of any weight loss.
If you want to take this one step further, you can opt for ice baths. This is something.The 4-Hour Work Week
author Tim Ferris does help his weight loss efforts. There are other
benefits to ice baths, including muscle recovery after a hard workout.
Cold Showers Reduce Stress and Depression
This benefit can seem contradictory to
number two. After all, cold showers will increase the oxidative stress
in your body. Surely that means you’ll see an increase in stress.
Well, it’s because of the small increase
in oxidative stress that you see a decrease in overall stress. Your
nervous system gains the ability to hand more thrown at you during life.
It doesn’t get as flustered or embarrassed by the slightest things, so
you don’t feel as stressed when life doesn’t quite go the way as
planned.
At the same time, a cold shower will
increase the Glutathione in your bloodstream, while lowering the levels
of uric acid. The Glutathione is a hormone that controls the amount of
stress you feel. You won’t find outside forces as problematic on your
stress levels.
Meanwhile, cold showers will also help
to boost the levels of noradrenaline in the body. This is because the
temperature of the water stimulates the part of the brain called “the
blue spot.” By getting more noradrenaline, your brain releases more
happy hormones into the body.
The mild electroshock therapy your body
receives will also help to keep depression at bay. Your nerve endings
get more electrical pulses, keeping them active and positive. You can
also gain a resistance against the cold, meaning winter temperatures
won’t affect you as just much.
Yes, there are studies that show all
these benefits. Researchers have found that a cold blast at the end of
your normal shower will help you gain the benefits.
You’ll Gain More Will Power
Are you struggling to build willpower in
your life? Do you constantly find yourself giving into temptation or
letting people walk all over you? Well, it’s time to consider a cold
shower.
One of the biggest benefits noted
through studies is how your willpower builds all because of an icy
shower on a morning. It’s something often overlooked as a benefit
though.
Willpower helps you make stronger
decisions? You have the mental strength to get through the day while
having the discipline to be a healthier and fitter you. Struggling with
the will power to stick to the diet? It becomes easier when you add more
cold showers to your day? Need help to create the gym habit? The cold
shower will work.
It will be hard sticking to the use of a
cold shower on a morning. This is a discipline. And if you can stick to
this—which can seem like torture at the time—you can stick to anything.
Add a cold shower to your morning routine, and you’ll see your
willpower in other parts of your life improve.
It’s Easier to Control Your Emotions
If you find it hard to control your
emotions, you’ll want to consider a cold shower. The temperatures help
to control your whole nervous system, making it far more resilient to
anything that comes your way.
In fact, studies have shown that cold
showers create a small amount of oxidative stress on your body. While
large amounts of oxidative stress are bad (and you’ll use antioxidants
to ease that), a small amount on a regular basis is good for you
overall. Your nervous system becomes used to the levels, which means it
can handle those small amounts.
The next time you feel stressed, your
body will naturally be able to handle it. You won’t get flustered in a
meeting, and you’ll find it easier to manage the anger and frustration
you feel when something doesn’t quite go right. You’ll find it easier to
think straight and manage the situation at hand, instead of giving into
the fight or flight mode.
You don’t need a full cold shower to
gain this benefit. Starting with a warm, relaxing one and finishing with
an icy blast is an excellent way to get all the benefits from your
shower in one sitting. This is something James Bond does, so it must be
good, right?
You’ll Be More Awake and Alert
You likely know that cold water helps to
wake up your body. The temperature sends your body into a slight state
of shock, which instantly boosts your alertness and feeling of being
awake.
When you initially get hit by the cold,
it feels like you can’t breathe. It’s painful to start again, which can
be scary. However, this feeling is good for you in small doses.
While initially, you will take shorter
breaths to help catch your breath again, you will start to take deeper
ones. You inhale more oxygen, which means your organs get the air that
they need. There’s this instant boost of alertness spreading throughout
your body.
You will feel more pumped after getting a
cold shower. Your body is ready for absolutely anything you throw at
it, and your mind is working at the same pace. While all your colleagues
need a boost of caffeine to get themselves ready, you’ll have already
started work. By being more awake, you’re more productive, and that
makes you look good for the boss.
You only need one cold shower a day to
gain this benefit. Opt for a cold one on a morning to wake you up. You
don’t even need to do it every day. Opt for one after a bad night’s
sleep to get you back in the zone, or when you know, you have an
extremely hard day coming up.
Your Lymphatic System Is Drained
Commonly overlooked when it comes to
your immune system is your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is
directly affected by a cold shower, but why is this so important?
Well, the lymphatic system helps to
remove cellular waste. It helps to protect your body from infections,
but regularly becomes blocked by toxins, chemicals, and environmental
effects. When your lymphatic system is blocked, dead cells and cell
waste build up in the body. The immune system can’t work effectively,
and you’re more likely to suffer from a common cold.
The lymph vessels are directly exposed
to the cold water, helping to improve their activity levels. Researchers
have found that the vessels will contract in the cold but then relax
once warmed up. The constant movement helps to flush out the waste and
improve your overall health.
Your immune system is also supported.
Studies have shown that by the body attempting to warm itself, the
immune system is activated. It’s ready to fight off more that affects
you.
The reduction of stress levels will also
help your immune system. Stress hormones affect the body’s ability to
create white blood cells and fight off diseases. Just by reducing the
number of stress hormones in your body, you will find your whole immune
system is healthier and ready to fight.
Muscle Recovery Takes Less Time
I promised I’d cover how icy baths can
improve muscle recovery. Well, it’s not just icy baths that help. Cold
showers will also help to speed up the recovery process within the
muscles.
The benefit is the boost to your
circulation. The muscles get more oxygen and more blood so that the
cells can repair quicker and more effectively. You get rid of the lactic
acid build-up within the body, helping the muscles to relax and repair.
You may find that you need a mixture of
hot and cold. In some cases, too much cold can be damaging. The heat
will help to encourage relaxation more, as the heart rate slows down and
your brain releases more happy hormones. Try alternating between the
two temperatures to get the best results.
It’s Time to Add Cold Showers to Your Morning Routine
Are you ready to get an icy blast? You
don’t need your whole shower to be cold to gain all the proven benefits.
Start with a normal, warm shower and then switch to an icy blast at the
end. Give your body a chance to get used to the cold and take deep
breaths to boost the oxygen spreading around your body.
Cold showers are highly beneficial.
They’re also easy to add to your morning routine. It’s time to get to
work ready to tackle anything colleagues, your boss, or life wants to
throw at you.
Credit: #positivehealthwellness
