3 Surprising Benefits of Taking Cold Showers

3 Surprising Benefits of Taking Cold Showers

Most people love taking showers but very few love taking a cold shower.  However, the practice of taking cold showers is still traditional in many nations.  Cold showers or alternating between warm and cold has been shown to have great health benefits.  In this article, you will learn 3 surprising benefits of taking cold showers and how to begin doing them.

Before the advent of gas and water heating it was common to bathe in cold water.  Today, people in Finland, Russia, Thailand, Korea, and Japan have a long history of cold showering for great health.   The polar bear club engages in winter swimming escapades and they report better memory, mood, and energy (1, 2).  People who have suffered from chronic pain, rheumatism, and asthma have reported great improvement from cold water immersions (3, 4).

Improved Circulation & Lymphatics:

Cold showers or alternating shower temperatures between warm and cold have a powerful effect on circulation.  When you expose yourself to cold temperatures your body constricts blood supply.  When exposed to heat the vessels dilate and expand.  Changing these temperatures and using cold water dramatically improves the tone of the blood vessel walls.  This gives the body a greater adaptability in driving blood into areas that are needed (5, 6, 7).

This also dramatically improves lymphatic flow.  The lymph system carries away waste products from immune related activity.  Lymphatic flow depends upon muscle contraction to move through the system.  If lymphatic flow is slow or stagnant, it leads to pooling and lymphedema in the lower extremities.

Cold showers lead to whole-body contractions which squeeze lymphatic flow through the system faster.    This helps the body squeeze metabolic waste products and environmental toxins out of the skin.  This helps you feel fresher and the skin and hair appear cleaner and younger.

Research has indicated that taking cold showers releases endorphins and improves circulation throughout the body, including the brain. The net effect of this is that cold showers have been shown to help individuals suffering from depression, insomnia, anxiety, and mental lethargy (8, 9).   It also opens up the lungs and enhances respiration and the body’s oxygen intake and utilization.

Cold Showers Boost Immunity:

Cold showers also boost the immune system by activating two important virus fighting cytokines.  A German study indicated that gamma interferon and interleukin-4 are elevated and work more synergistically after the body is exposed to cold.  People who take cold showers on a regular basis have been shown to have a lower chance of developing cancer, colds, flu, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins (10).

Taking cold showers on a regular basis also helps your body adapt to extreme temperatures better.  Sudden weather changes are one of the more challenging environmental stresses we have to deal with on a regular basis.  This is why so many people get colds & flu when the temperature drops.  People who take cold showers are more adaptable and their body responds to this stress more effectively.

Cold Showers Boost Metabolism:

Cold showers have also been shown to improve metabolism and fat burning (11).   There are white fat cells and brown fat cells.   Brown fat contains more mitochondria than white fat and burns more energy to produce heat.  Individuals who live in colder climates and/or use cold showers produce more brown fat for greater body heat production.  Brown fat helps protect us from aging, fights obesity, and reduces the risk of degenerative disease (12).

The best strategy for beginning to use cold shower therapy is, to begin with a comfortable warm shower and then switch the temperature lower towards the end of the shower.  If you do this consistently, over time your body will adapt and get more tolerant with the temperature change and you will reap the health benefits.

Best Strategy for Beginners:

Take a warm shower the way you normally would.  Turn the hot water off for the last 20-30 seconds and pump and flex your muscles (to drive more blood flow and heat) while the water is cold.  You could go up to a minute if you are feeling really good.  You should feel uncomfortable at first but have a great pump and more energy when you get out of the shower.  You should notice that the pump continues for some time.

Once you get into a rhythm, you can alternate between hot and cold water to create better vascular dynamics.  This is a more advanced stage but feels great and offers many performance benefits.

Contraindications for Cold Showers:

Absolutely do not take cold showers if you are pregnant, have a heart condition (A fib, arrhythmia, pacemaker, etc.), or have extreme adrenal fatigue as it could be dangerous.  In adrenal fatigue, the body is unable to adapt to the stress of the temperature change.

A great introductory step is, to begin with the water more neutral on the first day and then slightly cooler each successive day and see how you recover from the session.  You may only begin with 10 seconds of water temperature change and gradually work up to 1-2 minutes as you tolerate it and recover well.

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Sources For This Article Include:

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3. Bleakley C, McDonough S, Gardner E, Baxter GD, Hopkins JT, Davison GW. Cold-water immersion (cryotherapy) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Feb 15;2:CD008262. PMID: 22336838

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5. International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review. Effect of cold water immersion on blood lactate levels of table tennis players Link Here

6. Lateef F. Post exercise ice water immersion: Is it a form of active recovery? Journal of Emergencies, Trauma and Shock. 2010;3(3):302.

7. Brophy-Williams N, Landers G, Wallman K. Effect of Immediate and Delayed Cold Water Immersion After a High Intensity Exercise Session on Subsequent Run Performance. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. 2011;10(4):665-670.

8. Shevchuk NA. Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment for depression. Med Hypotheses. 2008;70(5):995-1001. PMID: 17993252

9. Shevchuk NA. Hydrotherapy as a possible neuroleptic and sedative treatment. Med Hypotheses. 2008;70(2):230-8. PMID: 17640827

10. Shevchuk NA, Radoja S. Possible stimulation of anti-tumor immunity using repeated cold stress: a hypothesis. Infect Agent Cancer. 2007 Nov 13;2:20. PMID: 17999770

11. Srámek P, Simecková M, Janský L, Savlíková J, Vybíral S. Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2000 Mar;81(5):436-42. PMID: 10751106

12. van der Lans AA, Hoeks J, Brans B, Vijgen GH, Visser MG, Vosselman MJ, Hansen J, Jörgensen JA, Wu J, Mottaghy FM, Schrauwen P, van Marken Lichtenbelt WD. Cold acclimation recruits human brown fat and increases nonshivering thermogenesis. J Clin Invest. 2013 Aug;123(8):3395-403. PMID: 23867626