Cold showers are all the rage, and they can reduce your energy bills, even as they literally stress your body into releasing hormones. Called catecholamines, these hormones made by your adrenal glands (located just above your kidneys) are released into the body in response to physical or emotional stress.
Cold water uses less energy, keeping the hot water heater from using electricity, Planet Save says. Additionally, you're likely to stay in the shower for less time, decreasing your water usage and, therefore, helping keep a scarce resource available.
“With 10 percent of your energy bills going towards heating water in your household, it's definitely worth using cold water instead of hot when you can.” Opting for short showers over baths can save water and money too.
Disadvantages Of Cold Showers
Cold showers can make you feel worse if you are unwell as it can have an adverse effect on your immune system. If you already have a cold, cough or fever, you will feel colder and your body will take longer to warm up.
There's no evidence suggesting how often someone should take a cold shower. But Dr. Hame recommends using cold therapy in response to your athletic endeavors — if you work out daily, it's OK to take a cold shower every day.
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.
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.
How Long to Take a Cold Shower. Keep it short: When first trying cold showers, aim to spend no more than 30 seconds under the cold water. You can increase the time as your body adapts. Ease in: Instead of jumping into a cold shower, start with the water warm, then gradually adjust the temperature downwards.
People with comorbidities should refrain from taking a cold shower. For instance, if you are suffering from heart disease, or even high blood pressure, taking a bath with cold water can deteriorate your health.”
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.
Research shows that cold exposure increases the metabolic rate by only 1-2 calories per minute, meaning that a 10 minute cold shower is going to burn somewhere in the region of 10-20 extra calories. That's not a lot. You'd need to spend hours in the shower for it to have any kind of meaningful impact on weight loss.
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.
A chilly zap from cold water signals to your brain to release endorphins, the feel-good hormone. This may create: A decrease in depression symptoms and anxiety. Improvement in stress levels.
The cold causes the blood vessels to contract and pushes up blood pressure. Both cold and hot showers are additional shock factors that the body has trouble getting adjusted to and should be avoided. The ideal way is to go for the middle ground and go for lukewarm water.
If you feel very cold, disorientated or dizzy seek help immediately. After your cold shower, warm up gradually. Pat yourself dry and put on warm, dry layers - you could even make a warm drink.
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.
While warm bathing might cause a slight melatonin spike, ice bathing causes an even greater one. This is because scientists believe that melatonin production is stimulated not when the body heats up, but when it cools down.
Cold showers can help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, improve circulation, lower stress levels, and reduce muscle soreness and fatigue.
If it is a cold shower, energy is not an issue. The skin doesn't like too much water as it tends to dry it out. So, if your skin can handle it, 2 cold showers for 4 minutes each is not bad.
It's also a good idea not to go any longer than 10 to 15 minutes. If you're like me and want to try cold water therapy without the ice tub, the Wim Hof Method suggests turning the shower to cold for the last 30 seconds and working your way up to two minutes if you can.
Research shows that cold showers can increase blood circulation, trigger neurological responses, and make people feel healthier. And the jolt will definitely wake you up in the morning! Cold showers might boost the metabolism. So, if you're healthy and curious, give cold showers a try!
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.
A cold shower can boost your mood, which is why it's often recommended as a morning activity in order to help you be refreshed and energetic for the rest of the day. However, it may also help you at night because cold showers tend to increase your endorphins or feel-good hormones.