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At the end of a long and tiring day, nothing beats the relaxing feeling of a soothing hot shower, am I right.
It stimulates blood flow throughout your body, unclogs pores and preps you for a relaxing night with your loved ones. So then why the hell do we insist on taking a hot shower first thing in the morning? After a long nights rest, what we need is energy, clarity and focus to take on the day with vigor!
Which is why you need to substitute those hot morning showers for cold showers!
Ladies, if you’re reading this, don’t be alarmed if the men in your life scream like ladies because let me tell you, cold showers can even make the manliest of men scream like a 10-year-old girl. Dudes, don’t let that fool you from missing out on the wonderful benefits of a cold shower which we’ll be discussing below.
1. IT HELPS PREVENT BREAKAGE OF HAIR
By tightening and closing pores whilst preventing the natural oils in your scalp from drying up, cold water showers aids in strengthening hair follicles.
Also, cold water allows dirt and grime to easily wash away from your scalp! How awesome is that? If you were to switch over to an all-natural hair care regimen combined with cold water showers, the results will be awesome!
2. IT STIMULATES BLOOD FLOW TO THE SKIN
When your skin is exposed to cold temperatures, blood rushes to those areas (in hopes of warming it up).
The stimulation of blood flow encourages repair and reconstruction of cells that have been damaged from all sorts of factors such as injuries, bites, acne and so on.
3. IT REDUCES THE APPEARANCE OF SKIN CONDITIONS
While we’re on the topic of skin care, when suffering from conditions like psoriasis and acne, hot water can tend to exacerbate these conditions because it strips the skin of its natural oils and is generally drying.
Because cold water doesn’t have the same effect on skin, it doesn’t worsen skin conditions.
Apart from that, cold water can help with inflammation thus reducing the appearance of red marks.
4. IT GIVES YOUR METABOLISM A BOOST
With a healthy metabolism, you can function properly and burn calories at an optimum rate. The problem is that as we age, our metabolism tends to slow down.
Alternately, if you’ve been dieting haphazardly, chances are that your metabolism may take a knock.
As it turns out, cold showers stimulate the cardiovascular system resulting in the expenditure of energy which ends up boosting your metabolism.
5. STRENGTHENS IMMUNITY AGAINST VIRUSES
With autoimmune diseases becoming a worldwide phenomenon, it comes as no surprise that more and more experts are placing an emphasis on maintaining a healthy immune system to live a healthy (autoimmune) disease-free life.
Cold showers stimulate the production of white blood cells in your body making you more immune to viruses and so on.
Also, if you suffer from an autoimmune disease that is inflammatory in nature, cold water baths and showers could help in reducing the amount of inflammation in your body!
HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO SHOWER IN COLD WATER FOR?
Some people argue that it’s imperative you shower under cold water for 3 minutes on average whereas others believe that effects are experienced within just 10 seconds. It’s hard to say how you will react.
Personally, I‘ve noticed the 3-minute average seems to be the sweet-spot for myself. Not only do I experience a burst of energy and elevated moods after my shower but my skin looks amazing.
You could start with 10 seconds of cold water just before exiting the shower and work your way up to 3 – 10 minutes of cold showers.
ARE THERE ANY POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS?
It depends. I know that’s not the answer you were looking for but that’s as honest as I can get. If it’s the middle of winter, I don’t think it’s such a wise idea to have a cold shower.
Not so much for physical side effects but for the psychological effects it may have on you. The last thing you want is to be stressed out over freezing your ass off in the shower when you’ve spent most of the day frozen like a Popsicle.
Use your discretion. If cold water showers make you feel brittle, sick or uneasy beyond the shock, avoid it.
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO SHOWER IN COLD WATER? IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY FOR ME TO GET SOME OF THE BENEFITS LISTED ABOVE?
In the likelihood that you don’t ‘warm’ to having cold showers, the next best thing is to shower in tepid or luke warm water.
By doing so, you avoid drying the natural oils in your skin and hair from super hot water whilst possibly experience the benefits mentioned above in varying degrees of efficacy.
Alternately, swimming in a pool or at the beach could be an option for you. You’re still submerged in cold water but with the added advantage of having fun and getting some exercise. It’s a win-win situation!
Worse case scenario, have a combination of hot and cold water showers. It’s not perfect but it’s a great way to get the best of both worlds!
With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this article and found value in it. As more information becomes available on the topic, we’ll be sure to update this list and inform you about it! For now, get into the shower and turn on the cold water!
