Are Cold Showers Good For You? Everything You Need to Know

If you are like me you hate taking cold showers, especially in the morning! Most people, including myself, love to take hot showers. However, today we are going to be discussing why you might want to potentially include cold showers into your daily routine.

Are Cold Showers Good For You?

What are cold showers?

There is no official cutoff, but a cold shower usually means water well below body temperature, often under about 70°F. A gentle way to start is to begin your shower warm, then switch it briefly to cold for about 30 seconds up to 2 minutes.

Some people take 5-10 minute showers and that is all up to you. Personally, I turn my shower to freezing cold for about 10-30 seconds at the end of my shower and I come out feeling more awake than I did going into the shower.

Are cold showers healthy?

Pros for taking cold showers:

increases alertness
may lift your mood
slightly raises calorie burn
calms itchy skin
stimulates blood flow
may ease muscle soreness post-workout

Cons for taking cold showers:

doesn’t boost testosterone
hard to do during winter
not good when you are sick

Increases Alertness

Are Cold Showers Good For You?

Cold showers can make you feel more alert and awake, this is why it is good to take a cold shower in the morning to help give you a little extra boost in the mornings.

Research on cold water immersion, such as this review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, describes the body’s sudden response to cold water, including:

increased heart rate
higher blood pressure
elevated respiratory rate

The shock of the cold water when it hits your body first thing in the morning, causes you to be more alert and can lead you into being more physically active. Read More

Helps with Depression

Are Cold Showers Good For You?

About 4.5% of American adults have regular feelings of depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Depression is treated with therapy, medication, or both. Some people are curious about cold water, sometimes called hydrotherapy, as an add-on.

A 2008 paper proposed adapted cold showers (about 68°F for 2 to 3 minutes, once or twice a day) as a possible treatment. This study was a hypothesis paper, not a clinical trial, so it did not show that cold showers relieve depression.

The author suggested that cold water sends a strong burst of nerve signals to the brain, which might have an antidepressant effect. That idea still needs testing in proper trials.

Cleveland Clinic notes that cold showers may help with circulation, focus, and mood, and many people say they feel more upbeat afterward. That is a reasonable thing to try, not a proven treatment. Read more

Helps Burn Fat

Are Cold Showers Good For You?

Everyone has 2 types of fat:

White Fat
Brown Fat

White fat is the fat that stores your energy and insulates your body. We mostly associate excess white fat with conditions such as obesity and heart disease.

Brown fat on the other hand is a special type of body fat that burns calories to make heat when you get cold, which helps keep your body warm.

Cold water can cause a small, temporary boost in calorie burn as your body works to stay warm. Cleveland Clinic says cold showers aren’t your best route to weight loss; diet and exercise matter far more. Read more

Calms Itchy Skin

Are Cold Showers Good For You?

According to Adam Friedman, MD, he says if you have itchy skin taking cold showers can help you overcome the sensation to scratch it.

From a physiological standpoint, it is said that your nerves can’t transmit multiple sensations at the same time. Read more

Increases Blood Flow

Are Cold Showers Good For You?

As the cold water hits your body, your blood vessels near the skin narrow and blood moves toward your core to protect your organs. This stimulates overall blood flow.

That same shock also raises blood pressure and heart rate for a short time. This is why people with high blood pressure or heart disease should talk to their doctor before trying cold showers, rather than using them as a treatment. Read more

May Ease Muscle Soreness Post-Workout

Are Cold Showers Good For You?

A 2010 case study described two athletes who used ice water immersion after hard exercise. The author concluded it was hard to tell whether it helped their muscle soreness, and noted the research was mixed.

Cleveland Clinic says cold showers might not beat an ice bath, but they may still help with muscle soreness. One caution for lifters: the same case report notes studies suggesting that regular cold water immersion after training may blunt muscle and strength gains. If building muscle is your goal, save the cold for occasional sore days.

Cons:

As for the cons, cold showers will do nothing for your testosterone that a workout at the gym won’t do.

It is extremely hard for people to take cold showers when it is cold outside. However, most people during the winter are not running or working out as much as they would during the summer.

I would also not recommend you take a cold shower when you are feeling ill. Just take a warm shower or bath.

Precautions

Cold showers are not for everyone, people with the following conditions should avoid them:

high blood pressure
heart condition or heart disease
overheated or feverish (hyperthermia) from an illness or intense exercise
recently recovered from an illness, such as flu or cold
immune system disorder or have a compromised immune system from an illness
feeling over exhausted or stressed, as switching to cold showers can put extra stress on the body

Also if you have depression or a mental health condition, please do not replace your medication with cold shower/cold water therapy. Instead, use it with your medication. And ask a doctor if cold showers are right for you.

Conclusion

Cold showers are safe for most healthy people and may offer modest benefits, though the research is limited. But they are not for everyone. I suggest just try and take a quick cold shower at the end of your warm shower and see if you like it and benefit from any of the topics I just talked about in this article.

If you do like it then great, try to use it in your daily routine. If it isn’t for you then that’s fine too. I am not saying cold showers are necessary for everyday life. I just think it has some good benefits for people to try out and test for themselves if it helps them or not.