A cold shower — even just for a few minutes — can work as cold therapy to help you heal, recover and generally feel good, especially after exercise.
Cold showers can help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, improve circulation, lower stress levels, and reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. Hot showers, meanwhile, can improve cardiovascular health, soothe stiff joints, and improve sleep.
After 30 days of cold showers, most individuals report feeling more alert, having more energy, having healthier skin and hair, improved mental health and resilience, improved circulation, and more.
Going from a hot to cold shower — even for a couple of minutes — might protect you from circulating viruses. The shock of cold water can stimulate the blood cells that fight off infection (leukocytes).
'Cold showers definitely help with mental resilience,' says Hayes. 'Simply having one is a feat of willpower in itself. You're training your body and mind to go out of your comfort zone, which makes you stronger and more resilient.
Cold water has long been used as treatment for sore muscles by sports therapists and athletes. Other physical benefits of frigid H2O are said to include increased weight loss and improved skin, but there is also evidence that cold showers can help with your mental health, too.
Cold showers and exposure to cold temperatures have been shown to increase testosterone levels, which can indirectly impact sperm count. Higher levels of testosterone can stimulate sperm production and increase the motility of sperm, which can improve overall sperm count.
Cold blood from your limbs and skin returns to your core where it mixes with warmer blood thereby causing your deep body temperature to drop, even if you're warmly dressed and move into a warm environment. This is why you often only start shivering 10 to 15 minutes after leaving the water.
Cold showers aren't going to help you lose fat faster, increase your testosterone levels, boost your post-workout recovery, strengthen your immune system, or give you prettier skin or hair. 10-minute ice baths can reduce post-workout muscle soreness, but they can also impair muscle growth and strength gains.
Beneficial for your hair
Finishing a shower with a cold blast can help lock moisture in your hair, while also tightening your hair follicles, meaning reduced hair loss. Additionally, cold water helps to close hair cuticles, which enables the hair to reflect light resulting in a high shine.
Cold showers might not improve sleep because of cold water's stimulating properties. Cold water immersion raises levels of cortisol and norepinephrine. View Source . Cortisol is involved in boosting alertness levels, and consequently, cortisol levels.
It turns out that ultimately, no, a cold shower isn't bad for you. If anything, cold showers have proven to have many benefits, from increasing your mood, aiding weight loss, and increasing immunity.
Cold showers don't necessarily produce more sperm cells, but they do not pose a threat to sperm in the same way as increasing one's body and scrotal temperature would via a hot shower.
At the end of your shower, simply blast yourself with cold water for 30 seconds, followed by hot water for 30 seconds, and then finish with cold water for a final 30 seconds.
Cold water not only helps the scalp retain its moisture—it also seals down the hair cuticles and helps lock moisture into the strands themselves. "The cool water temperature closes and strengthens the hair cuticle, which can result in stronger, healthier hair over time," notes celebrity hairstylist Andrew Fitzsimons.
Lukewarm water is advisable to wash your face with, but cold water has its benefits, too. Cold water tightens the appearance of your skin, so it may make you look renewed and refreshed. It also helps boost your circulation, which can help give your skin a healthier appearance, albeit temporarily.
The best time to take a cold shower is in the morning, as it kick-starts your system ready for the rest of the day. If you struggle to take the plunge, start with your feet and hands and submerge one limb at a time.
Scientific studies have found that taking a cold shower increases the number of white blood cells in your body. These blood cells protect your body against diseases. Researchers believe that this process is related to an increased metabolic rate, which stimulates the immune response.
In a clinical trial, researchers found that taking a cold shower for up to five minutes once or twice daily can help relieve symptoms of depression. Cold showers can also help clear your mind and combat overwhelm by decreasing your heart rate.
My commitment for this 30-day experiment was simple: expose myself to cold water everyday for 30 days in the form of a cold shower or bath, and stay in for at least a consecutive two minutes. That's it.
The largest study with 3,000 participants was carried out in the Netherlands and found that people who took a daily cold shower (following a warm shower) of either 30 seconds, 60 seconds or 90 seconds for one month were off work with self-reported sickness 29% less than those who had a warm shower only.