Most of us would never dare shower in cold water of our own free will. You may wish to reconsider after reading this blog. Although the thought of taking cold showers may not get you excited, it can do the body good—in more ways than you can imagine. Here are 10 benefits:
- Cold showers build strong will power: Doing something you are so resistant to every single day, right when you wake up, takes a lot of mental discipline. Over time, this discipline will become automatic and will extend into other areas of life.
- They improve emotional resilience: Do you get easily frustrated, anxious, or angry? Cold showers increase the release of endorphins and can help train your nervous system to be more resilient to stress. Cold showers also stimulate the release of noradrenaline—an important brain chemical that has potent anti-depressant effects.
- Cold showers fight fatigue and increase alertness: Better than a cup of coffee, starting the day with a cold shower will leave you feeling alert and alive, instead of a groggy zombie like your coworkers.
- They will improve your skin and hair: If you are not motivated by feeling better, how about looking better? Cold water on our skin prevents it from losing too many protective oils, and your hair gets the same benefits. Cold water helps the pores close so that your skin looks smoother and healthier. Cold water on your hair tightens the cuticles and helps improve the shine to your hair.
- Cold showers stimulate weight loss: Exposure to cold water increases the metabolic rate of brown fat by up the fifteen times. In our body, there is white fat and brown fat. Brown fat is good because its function is to generate heat and keep your body warm. The resultant thermogenesis can help you burn the bad white fat.
- They increase testosterone levels and fertility in men: There’s an important reason that a man’s testicles (where testosterone and sperm are made) are located on the outside of the body: To function properly, they need to remain cooler than the body’s core temperature. Exposure to a 15-minute hot shower causes a big drop in testosterone and sperm production from the testicles, whereas exposure to cold water increases production.
- Cold showers improve blood circulation and stimulate detoxification: Cold showers improve circulation by shifting blood flow away from the skin and to detoxifying organs such as the liver and kidneys. This shift in circulation also helps expand the muscle cells which speed muscle recovery after a workout.
- They strengthen immunity: One of the greatest benefits of taking cold showers is the fact that they improve your immune system. Taking regular cold showers increases the amount of infection-fighting white blood cells.
- Cold showers reduce aches and pains: Cold water can alleviate painful swelling and reduce inflammation, It also has a numbing effect on a painful part of the body and slows the pain messages from the nerve endings to the brain.
- They put you to sleep: While cold showers wake up in the morning, ironically, cold showers are one of the best ways to get an incredible night’s sleep.
Comments: You are probably asking, “How do I gain the courage to take cold showers?” You don’t have to start off cold. You can start your shower not hot but barely warm. Then, for the last 2 minutes, finish your shower by rinsing off your entire body (including your head) with the coldest water setting. Gradually, work your way up to taking just cold showers.
