I’ve heard so many good things about cold showers but actively avoid them – what have I been missing?
May be you’ve heard the phrase ‘nothing warms you like a cold shower‘?
Well, I challenged myself to take 40 cold showers and recorded my experience not only prove it but to record it and try and understand what all the fuss is about.
You can see the video I made of my experience via the below YouTube link:
After dong a bit of research, I was surprised to find that showers are only classed as cold when the water temperature below 21°C which I think is still quite warm?
With that in mind, I began the challenge in Riyadh with much trepidation only to find that even on the very coldest setting, the water was still not actually that cold so I decided to wait until I was in the UK to ensure the shower was truly cold… and it was, really, really cold!
This suited me as it allowed me to prepare for the open water swim section of an Ironman 70.3 I was taking part in. I had only trained in tropical sea water and heated pools so using this to prepare for the shock was a welcome training aid!
I understand that exposure to cold water produces endorphins, the cold water sends electrical impulses to your brain that increase alertness, clarity, and energy levels which can improve general well-being and optimism.
Examples of some other benefits people have suggested are as follows:
- Wakes you up
- Increases circulation
- Reduced stress and other symptoms
- Improve hair and skin
- Reduces post-workout muscle soreness
- May stimulate the metabolism and assist weight loss
- Improved immunity
Sure a cold shower stimulates the heart rate, makes you more alert and is quicker than a warm shower but I found that the threat of a cold shower made me stay in bed longer, dreading the event and putting it off! I didn’t enjoy it as much as steaming away in a hot shower feeling the hot water running down my skin and so a cold shower had the opposite effect, in fact I’d go as far as to say that it depressed me – what a miserable experience!
I was so keen to get out of each cold shower that I really didn’t spend long enough in there to get clean! Nor did the really cold water activate any products such as shampoo and soap as well as hot water does.
Supposedly exposure to cold water increases your metabolism and levels out hormone levels and even more so if this is done earlier in the day. I guess regular exposure could help weight loss if a person has naturally slow metabolism but I do not believe cold showers alone are not going to offset a poor diet for example.
I totally get swimming in cold water because the body to work slightly harder to maintain its core temperature so immersion is invigorating. I assume this is good exercise for the circulatory system and could lead to the skin looking better or help blood pressure. The problem with a shower is that there is no immersion and I really didn’t feel anything other than uninspired by it, whereas open water swimming for example is thrilling.
I appreciate that ice can reduce inflammation and I think not only does the skin shrink as all things do when cold, by reducing the temperature of an area of the body, this accelerates the delivery of warmer, freshly oxygenated blood to that area, thereby accelerating recovery time. This works better for me on a targeted area with a shower and I am yet to try an ice bath but that’s for another time.
The shock of cold water in the bloodstream stimulates leukocytes. This means that taking cold showers can help your resistance to common illnesses, like colds and the flu.
I reckon the majority of people prefer a warm shower but I like it steamy hot.
Science says that hot showers activate the parasympathetic nervous system which can help us relax and will help some people get to sleep but for me I found it stimulating, refreshing and energy giving.
Examples of some of the benefits of hot showers I’ve heard are as follows:
- Respiratory symptoms relief / reduce congestion
- Easier to get cleaner
- Muscle relaxation
- Stress relief
I do love a steam room and a really hot shower is the closest thing I’ve got at my own home. The heat from the water and the steam can help to open airways and clear out your nasal passages. I also found it a lot easer to get clean and to feel cleaner afterwards as the hot shower opened up the pores of my skin, which facilitated me cleaning out the trapped dirt and oil.
Some people find that hot showers irritate their skin and make them itch and I feel sorry for them but it has not ever had this effect on me and I can’t imagine warm showers do much for blood pressure or weight loss.
Conclusion:
There are obvious benefits to both hot and cold showers and after my experience, I think both are important but at different times, for different reasons and for different people.
For example, I would pick a warm shower to bathe, to relax, to warm up and to share with someone. Conversely, I would pick a cold shower to wake up, to have a refreshing and quick ‘splash and dash’ and to cool down after exercise for example.
Perhaps the best balance could be achieved by starting with a warm shower to relax and get clean and then switching to cool to rinse off , close your pores and freshen up…
Like a lot of things, persistent extremes of anything aren’t healthy and by introducing balance and variety into your routine you can get the best of both words, tailored to your own self.
Nothing warms you like a cold shower? Yer right..!
