What does taking a cold shower do to your body in the winter cold? What benefits does taking a shower with cold water have on the body? Benefits of cold showers…
The benefits of taking a shower with cold water have been known since ancient times. Cold water was used as a source of healing in different cultures, but in the 21st century, our relationship with cold air and cold water has been cut off as we have become more disconnected from nature and constantly try to stay in our comfort zone in a stressful life. As our minds and bodies got used to comfort, they became weaker.
Cold showers, also recommended by doctors and experts, have many benefits for our physical and mental health.
Cold water has a great healing power, if used correctly. Taking cold short showers every morning provides great healing and development in our mind and body as a whole.
The mind and body as a whole activate mechanisms that we already have to adapt to cold water, but that we do not use by staying in our comfort zone, and the hormones and other changes secreted during this adaptation increase our health.
What does taking a cold shower do to your body?
- It creates a very strong and well-functioning immune system by regulating your immune system.[1]
- It reduces chronic stress and chronic inflammation in the body.[2]
- It accelerates recovery after exercise.[3]
- It strengthens your cardiovascular health by increasing the flexibility of the cardiovascular circulatory system.[4]
- It increases blood circulation and oxygenation.[5]
- It may provide burn calories and weight loss.[6]
- Regulates sugar.[7]
- You develop a high tolerance for cold weather.
- It helps you feel very strong, positive and healthy by ensuring the secretion of good mood hormones such as dopamine, endorphins and noradrenaline.[8]
- Your metabolism starts to work more effectively, you have healthy mitochondria and you feel very energetic all day long.[9]
- Your brown fat cells are multiplying.
- Your ability to be mentally focused increases.
- You create a determined and strong mindset against stress and difficulties. With a strong will, your ability to take steps in difficult times in life and stay in control and balance improves.
However, the most important healing and development is done in the mind. This healing and development, chronic stress in life and long-term exposure to stress hormones are the main problems of the 21st century. If we take cold water as a metaphor, the cold showers we take every morning are actually a source of stress.
Staying in control and focusing on our breathing in cold water (i.e. short-term stress) gives us the ability to stay in control and strong against the sources of stress in life. Mind and body tolerance to stress increases and we eliminate the damage caused by chronic stress, in short, we become healthier. Instead of having a mental and physical stress response to stress, we practice staying in control in the uncomfortable.
Does it burn fat/calories?
Research shows that cold showers can benefit your health by improving circulation and stress response. As a result, cold showers can help improve your mood, energy levels, muscle soreness, pain, metabolism, and immune system. However, more research is still needed to fully confirm or better understand many of the claimed benefits, including their ability to treat depression or burn fat.
Cold showers can be brief; As short as 15 seconds. The temperature of the water is usually 10-15 degrees Celsius (50-59 F). They are safe for most people, but if you have a cold or a condition such as Raynaud’s syndrome, you may want to consult a healthcare professional before taking cold showers.
Risks of taking cold showers
For the average healthy person, the most significant risk of taking a cold shower is that you won’t like the uncomfortable feeling. While taking a quick cold shower isn’t inherently risky, it can cause issues for people with certain health conditions. You should avoid taking cold showers if you have the following health conditions:
- Cold urticaria (cold hives): People with this type of hives develop itchy welts after being in cold water or whenever something cold touches their skin. This condition can also cause the throat or lips to swell or for you to feel faint.
- Heart or lung conditions: Cold water narrows blood vessels, increasing blood pressure and heart rate. As a result, cold water exposure can increase strain on the heart in people with heart disease or high blood pressure. A cold shower can also cause irregular heartbeats in people with heart issues and pulmonary edema, a condition that causes fluid-filled air sacs in the lungs.
- Raynaud’s syndrome: This condition causes the blood vessels to narrow from cold exposure or stress, causing little to no blood flow to certain body parts (typically the fingers and toes). A cold shower could trigger a Raynaud’s reaction, leading your skin to temporarily turn white or blue. As blood flow returns and your skin turns red and then back to normal, you might feel throbbing or tingling in the affected area. In severe cases, you might develop sores.