1. Improved metabolism
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We need certain fats, like brown fat, to keep our bodies healthy. Brown fat is activated by exposure to cold temperatures, and experts say that 2-3 cold showers a week can help kick-start our metabolisms. As your metabolism gets faster, your body will get better at burning off calories, so it’s definitely something to bear in mind if you’re trying to get in shape.
2. Boosted endorphins
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Clinical trials have found that 2-3 cold showers a week have actually helped relieve symptoms of depression. Just 5 minutes in a cold shower will do the job! The cold water sends electrical impulses to your brain. They jolt your system to increase clarity, and energy levels, and also help your body release endorphins.
3. Improved circulation
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Cold showers might be uncomfortable, but they can be invigorating too. This is because water that’s colder than our natural body temperature makes our bodies work that bit harder to maintain their core temperatures. So if you’re taking regular cold showers, you’ll actually improve your circulation, which will make your skin look better.
4. Fight off common illnesses
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As we get more exposed to things, the better our bodies get at fighting off illnesses. Leukocytes are a type of blood cell that are great at fighting infection, and are stimulated by cold water. This means that regular cold showers will help you build up your resistance to common illnesses like flus and colds.
5. Calm irritated skin
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According to skin experts, regular cold showers are great at calming down irritated skin. If you’re suffering from flaky, itchy patches or you’re having some trouble with acne, a cold shower can calm everything down and take away the need to scratch or pick at your skin. Just be sure to moisturize when you step out of the shower.
6. Increase alertness
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Cold showers are great at waking your body up – mainly because of the shock of the temperature! The cold will stimulate you to take deeper breaths, which will decrease the level of CO2 throughout the body. This helps you concentrate and focus, so be sure to take a cold shower at the start of a busy day. You’ll thank us later.
7. Reduced stress levels
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Regular cold showers at pretty good at lowering your stress levels. Through a process called hardening, your body gets used to the short-term shock of the temperature. Your nervous system builds up its resistance to manage this shock more easily, which will gradually help you get used to handling stress and keeping a cool head.
8. Robust immune responses
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Studies have shown that taking cold showers can actually increase the number of white blood cells in your body, which help protect you against diseases and infections. This happens when your body’s metabolism starts to improve. Just a few minutes in a cold shower 2-3 times a week will help boost those white blood cells, so it’s definitely worth it!
9. Boosted willpower
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Let’s face it – it takes a strong mind to endure cold showers on the reg! So it’s no huge surprise that those who can take cold shower temperatures have pretty good willpower. This strength of mind will benefit you in tons of ways, but it’s especially helpful if you want to lose weight or kick cigarettes or alcohol.
10. Reduced muscle soreness
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Did you know that cold water has regenerative properties? This makes it great for soothing tired, aching muscles after exercise. Pop yourself in a cold shower for five minutes, and your muscles will be able to relax and start repairing. It’s a good idea to incorporate these showers into your weekly workout routine.
11. Strengthened hair
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Some early research has shown that cold water can close and strengthen your hair cuticles. And, unlike hot water, it doesn’t strip away the sebum layer – a naturally lubricated barrier that provides protection for your hair and scalp. This means that cold showers can make your hair stronger and healthier over time.
12. Glowing skin
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With all that boosted circulation, your skin is going to be glowing! But that’s not all – cold water has also been found to tighten and constrict blood flow, which will tighten up your skin and your pores. If you can’t quite bring yourself to have a cold shower, at least wash your face with cold water to feel the benefits.
13. Boosted heart rate
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When our bodies feel cold water, they automatically switch to survival mode, which means our heart rates get a whole lot faster. The cold water shock gets our hearts pumping blood much more effectively around our bodies, which boosts our circulatory systems. At least two cold showers a week should do the trick.
14. Eased anxiety
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According to a recent French study, various types of hydrotherapy (like cold hydrotherapy) were found to ease symptoms of anxiety. While it’s not quite clear whether cold showers will have the same effect, they’ve found participants to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their systems.
15. Reduced sick days
Scientific studies have shown that regular cold showers have the potential to reduce sick days. Participants who took hot showers were more likely to call in sick than those who had cold showers, which suggests that cold bathing can make a person’s illness feel less severe. More research is still being done in this area though.
16. Increased productivity
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The same studies that focused on reduced sick days also found that those who took cold showers were more productive, and able to carry out more tasks during the course of their day. So if you’ve got a big day at work like an interview or presentation, be sure to have a quick cold shower first thing in the morning!
17. Boosted energy
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Cold showers are really good at stimulating our sympathetic nervous systems, which are responsible for our ‘fight-or-flight’ response to potential dangers. The sympathetic nervous system triggers a hormone release, which is felt as an adrenaline rush. This is why some people feel a ‘buzz’ after those hardcore cold showers.
18. Boosted fertility (if you’re a guy that is!)
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There’s growing evidence that being exposed to high water temperatures – like hot showers, baths, and Jacuzzis – can actually reduce male fertility. So if you and your partner are hoping for some little ones some time soon, you might want to start cooling those showers down! Testicles really need cold environments to do their thing, and cold showers will give them just that.
19. Reduced chronic fatigue
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A recent study has suggested that brief cold water exposure can actually help with chronic fatigue, which is also known as overtraining syndrome. The study found that seems to be a strong link between chronic fatigue and insufficient hypothalamus function, and cold water exposure has been shown to improve this.
20. You can wake up more quickly
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Of all the benefits you’ll get from taking regular cold showers, this is the one you’ll notice the most! If it takes you a while to wake up in the mornings (like us), a cold shower will bring you around pretty quickly. Even just a few seconds of cold water exposure will do the trick, and will get you firing on all cylinders in no time.
21. Better sleep
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Yep, you heard us right. Regular cold showers before bed can improve your quality of sleep, helping you feel more rested and ready to face the day. Take a short cold shower one hour before you go to bed for maximum benefits; the cold water will help lower your core body temperature and calm your busy mind.
22. Relieved pain
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Cold therapy like cold showers reduced localized pain in the body. And it’s also pretty good at changing your perception of pain too, as the cold dulls and slows down the pain sensation that travels through your nerves to your brain. So if you’re in pain after pulling a muscle or joint, this is the way to go!
23. Decreased swelling
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If your muscles are swollen, perhaps after an injury or workout, it can be really helpful to have a cold shower. The cold water can reduce swelling, so your body will be a little bit happier. You don’t need to go to any extremes – just pop yourself in a cold shower for less than five minutes to see the benefits.
24. Weight loss
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As cold showers boost your metabolism, guess what; this may actually lead to weight loss! The brown fat in your body gets stimulated, which means it can get to work on burning those calories. Just remember that you’re not guaranteed to shed tons of weight with cold showers; try and use them as a part of a healthy lifestyle.
25. Reduced inflammation
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If you tend to suffer from conditions like arthritis or joint pain, cold showers can help. They will reduce inflammation, which can lead to reduced pain and improved mobility. This is because cold temperatures help to constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling, which lowers the damaged tissue’s temperature.
26. Improved muscle recovery
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Did you know that regular cold showers can also help to prevent injuries by improving blood flow and flexibility? So if your muscles are feeling the pain after a recent injury, be sure to add cold showers to your weekly routine. They will prevent muscle stiffness and improve muscle recovery over time.
27. Better day-to-day mood
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As we’ve covered above, all these cold showers will be super helpful at reducing your stress, anxiety and depression levels. Which means you’ll be in a better mood each day! In a recent scientific study, people who took regular cold showers reported feeling much happier and more positive than those who didn’t.
28. Increased confidence
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Cold showers have been shown to have positive effects on mental confidence. Beginning your day with a cold shower means that you’re getting confident in overcoming adversity, which builds mental toughness to overcome those daily challenges. They might be uncomfortable, but they will help keep your mind resilient!
29. Reduced chances of heart disease
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One of the most well-known benefits of cold showering is improved cardiovascular health. Regular exposure to cold water keeps the blood flowing around your body, which reduces your chances of heart disease. However, if you have high blood pressure, a heart condition or a weak immune system, be sure to speak to your doctor before you incorporated them into your routine.
30. Hydrated skin
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If we haven’t quite sold the benefits of cold showers yet, we’ve got one last benefit up our sleeve. Soft, hydrated skin. Cold water is great at locking in moisture and keeping your skin hydrated. Unlike hot water, it doesn’t strip away the natural oils in the skin, so you can sit back and enjoy your dewy glow.
31. Cold showers won’t help if you’re unwell
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While there are many health benefits to having lots of cold showers, it’s not recommended if you’re feeling really unwell. If you’re already run down with cold and flu and you’re busy shivering, a cold shower definitely won’t help you to feel your best! Stay warm!
32. Or your doctor might advise not to have them
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There might be other health reasons that you shouldn’t be having cold showers, and your doctor may actually tell you not to have them. So if you’re currently being treated for anything at the doctors, you might want to ask about cold showers before you start taking them every day!
33. Helps to relax those muscles
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You might think the sharp, cold water will make you wince and seize up so that your muscles go into defensive mode, but it’s not the case! Cold water can actually work to help relax your muscles so it’s perfect if you’re feeling particularly achy at the moment.
34. Cold showers won’t strip your skin of its natural oils
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There’s always a risk with showers that are too hot – no matter how amazing they feel – to have your skin’s natural oils stripped away. While it sounds bad to have oily skin, natural oils are important for keeping balance and you don’t want to dry out your skin with hot water.
35. It’ll shock you awake!
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We all know that a good ol’ shower in the morning is what we need to wake up, splash our faces and be able to keep our eyes open. While a hot shower does the job, a cold shower is the much better option because it’ll be so cold it’ll shock you awake and make you feel more alert in no time!
36. It can help scratch that itch!
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Cold showers can be great if you have very itchy skin in general, or just one of those days where you have an itch or heat spot that just won’t quit. Putting cold water on an itch can help to cool it down and soothe it, and it’s also good if you suffer from itchy skin conditions like eczema.
37. But there are some benefits of hot showers instead: they’re better to relax after a stressful day!
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When you’ve had a very long and stressful day with your boss being a particular kind of annoying today, you want to wash it all away with a nice shower – and a cold shower isn’t really going to do that. Sure, it has health benefits but what you need right now is a warm hug and not a bucket of cold water!
38. Reduce stiffness in your joints
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While cold showers can help your muscle and joints, a hot shower is perhaps a better option for dealing with stiffness in aching joints. As we know, the cold can make aching joints a lot worse, so a hot shower can be just the ticket to having them feeling better.
39. Can relax your muscles a little more comfortably than cold showers
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Cold showers are great at relaxing muscles and boosting circulation, but hot showers are good at warming up and relaxing your nerves and muscles, too. Depending on what you feel your muscles need right now, both hot and cold showers are good for muscle relaxing.
40. Open up your airways with steam
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If you have respiratory problems, or if you’re blocked up with a cold, then hot showers are the way to go. The build up of steam will help to loosen your nasal passage and airways, and loosen up any phlegm you’ve got stuck in there. Hot showers are great for a cold and cough.
41. Create your own relaxing sauna
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Saunas, hot temperature and steam have a great many health benefits, which is why a lot of people use saunas from time to time, especially during a spa day or workout. If you have a hot shower instead of cold, you can fill the bathroom with steam and reap the benefits of a homemade sauna!
42. You Might Save Time Having Cold Showers
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If you’re someone who’s guilty of having very long showers because it’s nice and warm in there and you don’t have to think about your daily responsibilities while you’re in the shower, then switching to cold shower can save you a bunch of time wasted standing under hot water! You definitely won’t want to stay under a cold shower for too long.
43. And Preserve Water!
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With this in mind, it’ll also help you to save on water if you’re bad at taking many long and hot showers during the day. Cold showers will keep it short and sweet and you’ll probably have less of them because who wants to be colder than they need to be during the day?
44. But Hot Showers Can Better Open Up Pores
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If you have a history of annoyingly clogged pores and you struggle with blackheads or spots, hot showers might be better for you than cold showers. The heat and steam from a hot shower will open up these pores and make it easier for you to clean out dirt and bacteria.
45. If You’re An Evening Shower Person, Hot Is Better
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Some people are morning shower people, some are evening shower people. If you’re an evening shower – maybe later at night before bed – then a hot shower is the way to go. It’ll help you feel relaxed and sleepy, whereas a cold shower is going to make you feel awake before bed.
46. You Could Mix It Up With Both
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Of course, if you’re a two-shower-a-day person you can mix it up and reap the benefits of both. A cold shower in the morning will help to wake you up and save time, and a hot shower in the evening after a workout, or before bed, will help to relax you and make you feel sleepy.
47. Whether hot or cold, try for five minutes only
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It’s good standard practice to try and only shower for no longer than five minutes, whether that’s hot or cold. Spending too long in a cold shower will be difficult, and spending too long in a hot shower can risk drying out your skin and hair. 5 minutes is a good general rule of thumb!
48. Use good moisturizing products for both hot or cold
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Don’t forget about your face moisturizer and moisturizing body lotion after any kind of shower! Because both hot and cold showers can risk drying out your skin, it’s important to moisturize. But because hot and cold showers have skin benefits, you’ll want to lock all that in, too, and finish off with a good moisturizer!
49. If in doubt, warm is always good!
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If you’re really struggling to cope with cold showers and you hate the negatives associated with a shower that’s too hot, lukewarm is always a safe option! It means you’re not damaging your skin or hair and it’s still warm enough for you to not be dreading getting in!
50. Cold showers can be ideal for after a workout
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Cold showers are a good choice if you’re having one after a sweaty workout. This is not only because of the benefits for muscle recovery, but just because it will also help to continue the pumped-up feeling of being alert and active after you’ve been hitting the gym!