5 Surprising Benefits Of Taking Cold Showers

Most people don’t want to wake up and think about taking a freezing cold shower. What if I told that taking cold showers has some major benefits?

Cold showers have many benefits, some of which you may not even be aware of. They can boost your immunity or improve your mood. This article outlines some of the scientific benefits that daily cold showers can provide.

Five reasons to recommend this ancient, powerful practice:

Increased circulation and detoxification:

The circulatory system transports oxygen, hormones, and nutrients to the cells and removes waste products like carbon dioxide.

As your body works hard to keep your organs warm and your core by constricting your blood vessels, and increasing your heartbeat, you will experience an increase in circulation. When you immerse yourself in cold water, your circulation increases as the body works to keep your vital organs and core warm by constricting blood vessels and increasing heart rate.

The increase in circulation has a variety of benefits including improved heart and brain health, better sleep, and increased immunity.

It has been proven that cold water immersion can also reduce pain and inflammation. Even a few minutes of cold water spraying can improve circulation and your overall health.

Enhance Immunity:

Cold showers are known to increase immunity. Cold showers boost your immune system when you are cold.

It has been proven that cold water immersion increases the number of white cells, which is critical in fighting off infections.

A study in England showed that daily cold showers led to an increase in the immune-boosting number of white blood cells. Researchers at the Thrombosis Institute suggest that the body’s metabolic rate increases as it tries to warm itself up after a shower. This activates the immune response, which results in the release of white cells.

Exposure to cold water may also increase the activity and effectiveness of natural killer (NK) cells. These cells are crucial in the destruction of cancerous cells and viruses. According to studies, cold showers can increase the activity and immunity of natural killer cells.

Cold showers can also improve your resilience. Cold temperatures cause our bodies to release small amounts of stress hormones, such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine.

Over time, exposure to these small amounts of stress hormones can help you build up a tolerance for stress. This makes you more resilient to stress and adversity.

Stress Reduction and Mood Enhancement:

Cold showers have been shown to help reduce stress and improve mood.

Our bodies release cortisol when we are under stress. Cortisol triggers the “fight or flight” response that helps us deal with dangerous situations.

Cortisol, however, can have adverse effects on our health. These include increasing blood pressure and suppressing our immune system. Chronically high cortisol in the body can be likened to putting your foot down on the gas all the time. It takes its toll!

Showers with cold water can help reduce cortisol and stress. Cold water also stimulates endorphins which are happy hormones that can improve moods and reduce depression.

Lose weight and burn calories:

Your body has to work harder in order to maintain its internal temperatures when exposed to cold temperatures. This process is energy-intensive, so your body will burn calories.

A study showed that immersion in cold water at the age of 14 increased metabolism by 350%. The metabolism is a set of processes in the body that regulates energy storage and usage.

Cold showers also help to reduce weight by stimulating brown fat production.

Exposure to cold temperatures increases the production of brown fat, a type that aids in calorie burning.

Brown fat has many more mitochondrial cells than white fat. These mitochondria are “engines” that produce heat by burning calories.

Increased Testosterone Production:

Cold showers can increase testosterone and improve sperm in men, according to studies.

It is no surprise that the testicles are where testosterone is produced. Therefore, anything that changes the temperature could have an impact on testosterone production.

Testicles can be damaged by prolonged exposure to heat. Testicles must be kept at lower temperatures according to research.

Cold showers can help. You can improve your health and libido by exposing your testicles in cold water.

In one study, researchers found that by keeping testicular temperature between 88-99 degrees, DNA, protein, and RNA synthesis was optimized. This resulted in better sperm production. A team of researchers examined almost 6,500 semen samples from healthy males for more than three years. The results of their analyses revealed that the volume, quality and motility of sperm increased significantly during the cooler months.

A high testosterone level is associated with increased muscle mass, strength and mood. Testosterone has also been shown to enhance heart health and cognitive functions.

More research is needed, but the studies that are available show a correlation between low temperatures and healthy testosterone and sperm production.

Does it make sense to take cold showers each day?

There are many reasons to take a cold shower every day. We haven’t even touched on all of them!

The benefits of cold showers for your health include reduced stress, improved immunity, an improved mood, a higher metabolism, and increased testosterone production.

I have found that a cold shower daily has made me more resilient to adversity. The’micro-discomforts,’ which you experience voluntarily on a daily base, compound over time to make you stronger both inside and outside.

For how long should you take a shower?

The length of your cold shower depends on many factors, including your personal preferences and health goals, as well as how much experience you have.

Start small. Aim for 30 seconds. It’s a great way to trick the brain into pushing you beyond your comfort level by starting out with a warm and then turning it cold at the end.

As you become more comfortable, increase the time to 3-5 mins.

Wrapping up

Here are five scientifically-backed reasons for why taking cold showers is good for you.

Cold showers are a great way to increase circulation, boost testosterone, reduce stress and burn extra calories.

Have you ever taken a cold bath? Tell us in the comments.

(1) A hypothesis on the possible stimulation of antitumor immune response by repeated cold stress.

The article 5 Surprising Health Benefits of Cold Showers first appeared on Alternative Medicine Magazine.

Frequently Asked Questions

How safe are holistic medicines?

Holistic medicines are safe because they are not harmful drugs but natural remedies for people who have been using them for centuries.

They have been shown to cure many illnesses, such as arthritis, chronic pain, asthma, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, infertility, etc.

Millions of people across the globe who are suffering from different diseases use holistic medicines. They include homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, herbal treatments, massage therapy, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, nutrition, counseling, physical fitness, exercise, and other complementary therapies. These therapies are holistic and treat the person as a whole, not the symptoms.

What are the five domains of integrative medical care?

Integrative medicine covers five areas: mind-body and nutrition; lifestyle; social determinants; lifestyle; and prevention. These five areas cover all aspects of health care including spiritual, physical, and environmental well being.

Integrative medicine provides a comprehensive approach to the treatment of disease, health, and well-being. It can include conventional medical treatments, as well as complementary therapies, such as acupuncture or yoga, meditation, massage therapy and herbal medicine.

What are some examples of alternative medicine?

Alternative medicine is any treatment that isn’t considered medically necessary to treat disease. These include traditional Chinese medicine and homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture and herbal medicines, nutritional therapy, energy healing techniques, such as Reiki, and acupuncture.

Alternative medicine could also refer to any practice that has not been supported by scientific evidence but is used in clinical practice. Meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and reflexology are some examples.

Statistics

In 83% of the cases, the readers agreed. (en.wikipedia.org)
In the 17% in which they disagreed, a third reader agreed with one of the initial readers to set a rating. (en.wikipedia.org)
category.[111]Edzard Ernst characterized the evidence for many alternative techniques as weak, nonexistent, or negative and in 2011, published his estimate that about 7.4% were based on “sound evidence.” However, he believes that may be an overestimate. (en.wikipedia.org)
The use of alternative medicine in the US has increased, with a 50 percent increase in expenditures and a 25 percent increase in the use of alternative therapies between 1990 and 1997 in America. (en.wikipedia.org)
The concept of regression toward the mean implies that an extreme result is more likely to be followed by a less extreme result. (en.wikipedia.org)

External Links

How To

What can a holistic doctor do differently than a traditional doctor?

A holistic doctor is able to provide more services than traditional doctors, such as nutritionists, massage therapists and naturopaths.

Holistic doctors treat patients holistically. This means they take a holistic approach to treating their health concerns. This approach helps them identify underlying causes and work towards long-term wellness and preventative measures. Holistic doctors combine conventional medicine with natural remedies like essential oils and herbs to treat illness. They can also offer nutritional advice and support healthy living.

A holistic doctor can also offer therapies like reflexology (reiki), shiatsu (yoga), hypnotherapy, craniosacral and other therapies.

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