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We're about to get real cold, real quick - and your body will thank you for it. Bathing in cold water will benefit your mind, body and wallet.
7 Health benefits of bathing with cold water
1. Increases energy and mental alertness
2. Improves mood
3. Shinier hair and healthy skin
4. Boosts your immune system
5. Increases metabolism and helps with weight loss
6. Fights depression and anxiety
7. Relieves muscle soreness
1. Bathing with cold water increases your energy and mental alertness
Who doesn't get the shock of their life when a stream of ice-cold water sprays on their face and body?
This shock is actually very natural. It creates an influx of adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones increase energy levels dramatically - and the effect lasts for hours. Some even say that cold showers are better at waking you up than a cup of coffee in the morning!
Celebrities like Katherine Hepburn and Miranda Kerr are major advocates of the practice. They use it to reap the benefits of increased physical and mental energy.
The cold water alerts your brain, accelerates your heart rate, increases your oxygen intake and boosts your energy within seconds. The effects of this can last well into your day and accumulate into better overall energy levels over time.
2. Bathing with cold water improves your mood
You might be skeptical about the idea that cold showers have a relaxing effect.
This study found out that exposure to cold water increases glutathione and improves levels of uric acid. The study also found that these levels changed over time and that regular exposure actually 'hardened' the body and improved its ability to cope with any type of stress - all thanks to regular cold exposure.
Ironically, cold exposure reduces stress as your body fights to cope with the sudden drop in external temperature. It is similar to the high that you get after a good workout.
3. Bathing in cold water gives you shinier hair and beautiful skin
The cold temperature of the water tightens the pores on your skin and scalp. This helps to prevent the loss of the natural oils which are needed to moisturize your skin and hair.
Sealed pores also prevent dirt from getting into your skin. Increased natural oil retention, decreased dirt absorption and the antioxidant activity (prevention of cell damage) of glutathione discussed above all contribute to glowing and healthy skin.
Your hair will become more luxurious, shinier and thicker - even if you process it through excess heat, styling products and dyes. This is in direct contrast to warm water which strips away the natural oils while you wash it.
4. Bathing in cold water boosts your immune system
Your body's natural defense system gets stronger when you bathe in cold water regularly. Your immune system defends your body against germs like bacteria, viruses, fungi and mold that make you sick.
Cold water stimulates immune cell production (see the studies). This has a cumulative effect - the more often you expose your body to the cold, the stronger your immune system becomes.
This happens when your body warms up during and after being exposed to cold water. Your metabolism increases during cold exposure in order to create heat. This activates your immune system and releases more white blood cells.
5. Bathing in cold water helps with weight loss
Should you sweat to help with weight loss? You should, but another great way to lose weight is through cold water exposure.
The human body has two types of fat. That is, white fat and brown fat.
White fat stores calories to be used as food. It is the stubborn fat that you want to lose from your waist, lower back, neck and thighs.
Brown fat (or brown adipose tissue) is used to generate heat. It is the kind of fat that you want to keep on your body. It helps your body to maintain its warm and fuzzy temperature.
Brown fat decreases as we grow up. White fat tends to increase.
Brown fat can be activated and regenerated. The more brown fat you have, the better your body can warm itself up whenever you get cold - and the greater the amount of calories you can burn when you get cold. You can literally train yourself to burn more and more calories by bathing in cold showers regularly.
Your body will only convert white fat into brown fat when it needs to adapt to cold temperature. This is one of the reasons why cold water exposure gets easier over time if you do it regularly - you have more calories to turn into heat each time.
Remember to do everything in moderation. You can't expect to sit under a cold shower until you've lost a pound. It doesn't work that way. If your body isn't accustomed to warming itself up in the cold, your temperature will drop too low and this can lead to hypothermia. This can lead to many health risks, including death.
Start off small and give your body time to adjust.
6. Bathing with cold water fights depression and anxiety
This may interest you: 15 tips to relieve stress and anxiety
Cold showers may help with debilitating moods and depression.
Exposure to cold activates the sympathetic nervous system. Cold exposure is being investigated as a clinical treatment for depression for two main reasons. Firstly, it is believed that depression is caused by the fact that we aren't exposed to the same stressors that we were exposed to regularly before the convenience of technology (heat exposure, cold exposure, exercise, etc.) Secondly, lack of thermal exercise (training the body through heat and cold exposure) may cause inadequate functioning of the brain.
A cold shower sends an overwhelming amount of electrical impulses to the brain from peripheral nerve endings present in the skin. This has an antidepressant effect.
Bathing in cold water stimulates your blue spot. This is the part of your brain that produces noradrenaline or norepinephrine. These chemicals produce the opposite effect of depression.
7. Bathing in cold water relieves muscle soreness
Athletes are known to dip into ice baths after training and sports events to help alleviate muscle soreness.
366 volunteers underwent resistance training, cycling or running. The volunteers were then asked to soak in ice-cold baths afterward. Cold baths were found to be effective at relieving sore muscles.
Chris Bleakley, the lead author of the study, warned of the potential harmful effects of immersing yourself in icy water. He said that it could induce a degree of shock to the body. People need to be careful that they aren't doing anything that might cause harm.
Never do more than what your body can handle. Rather do too little and build yourself up over time. This is meant to help you - not add more stress onto your body than what you can handle.
Are you ready to try a cold shower based on the benefits we've discussed today? Hold on before you do.
Don't jump into the shower just yet. I need to tell you about the safety precautions that you must take before you bathe in icy water.
Firstly, don't try this if you are sick, have recently been admitted to the hospital or if you have heart disease. Your body is already under stress and adding more stress to your body might do more harm than good.
Set the temperature between 54 degrees and 60 degrees Fahrenheit for your first attempt. Don't go overboard because you might suffer from frostbite or hypothermia. Settle within your personal comfort zone. Turn the temperature up a notch if you know that it's too cold for you.
Your first few showers should last 5 to 8 minutes. Don't exceed 9 minutes. You can increase this over time as your body adapts and you feel more comfortable. Your body can only handle so much at any single time. Give yourself time to reap the benefits instead of risking harm by doing too much, too soon.
If a 5-minute bath or shower is not enough, you may indulge yourself in a warm or lukewarm shower to finish your bathing routine - or bathe in warm water first and end it all with a splash of cold water.
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