Cold showers wake your body up, inducing a higher state of alertness. The cold also stimulates you to take deeper breaths, decreasing the level of CO2 throughout the body, helping you concentrate. Cold showers thus keep you ready and focused throughout the day.
Increase circulation
(Getting in at least half an hour of exercise every day is ultimately the best way to get your blood pumping, though, and it doesn't involve shivering all the way through.) Taking a cold shower in the morning can also give you an initial energy boost and even help you establish a regular routine.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
In general, showering every other day or every few days is enough for most people. Keep in mind that showering twice a day or frequently taking hot or long showers can strip your skin of important oils. This can lead to dry, itchy skin.
Cold (or at least lukewarm) showers are better for your skin
"The effects of hot water on the skin can be a little bit negative in that they can strip away a lot of our protective oils and fats that is responsible for keeping our skin well moisturized as well as ensuring that our skin barrier is intact," Bae says.
What Is The Challenge? Take a cold shower each morning for a minimum of 30-seconds for 7-days. Ideally, the water will be around 60°F (15°C) or less.
If you have any heart issues, it's best to talk to your doctor before starting cold showers. It's also possible to overdo the cold. "If the water temperature is too cold, below 10°C, and you take a long shower, you can get hypothermia.
Cold showers increase blood flow to your brain, delivering a bumper hit of oxygen and nutrients that improve your concentration, alertness and mental clarity.
Cold showers are purported to have many health benefits. While research shows cold showers can improve circulation, immunity, and mental health, research on their effect on weight loss and skin and hair health is still ongoing. The main disadvantage of cold showers is that many people consider them uncomfortable.
In general, the coldest a shower is likely to get is around 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, although this can vary depending on the factors mentioned earlier. If you're trying to take a very cold shower, it's important to start slowly and gradually decrease the temperature to see how your body responds.
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.
A cold shower is a raw experience that disturbs you mentally before it begins, and physically when you're experiencing it. There is a primal sensation that brings people, closer than they could imagine, to a feeling of fighting for their life.
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.
Since hot showers open up your pores, it only makes sense that cold showers tighten your pores. So which is better: hot or cold? It's all about your individual needs. If you're prone to dry skin, a cold shower will help you retain natural oils in your hair and keep your skin hydrated.
"Jumping in a cold shower is much more powerful than 300mg of caffeine and will get you from sleeping to fully awake in less than 5 minutes. Simply turn your shower on from hot to cold for ten seconds each day and then build up to a minute or two.