The idea of a cold shower might send shivers down your spine. However, this icy practice has heaps of mental and physical health benefits—meaning you might just want to give it a try!
So, what should you know before you dive headfirst into that first cold shower? In this article, we explore the benefits of cold showers and how anyone can get started with them.
Are Cold Showers Good for You?
While cold showers don’t treat any one particular condition, they do have many proven benefits. In fact, research suggests that cold showers might provide a useful practice to help treat depression. This is because cold showers stimulate the release of endorphins, which leads to feelings of well-being. Plus, if you start your day off with a cold shower, everything else feels that much easier.
On top of this, cold showers have the following advantages:
- They increase circulation in the body. When you crank that shower knob to cold, it sends a shock into your system. In response, your body increases blood flow in an effort to get warm. (In fact, many people talk about how their skin looks better with cold showers, and this might be part of that reason!)
- Cold showers improve metabolic function. Some evidence shows that cold showers help activate brown fat. Brown fat burns energy to help regulate your body’s temperature, which means activation of this type of fat can up your caloric burn.
- They reduce stress. Cold showers may help lower the stress hormone, cortisol, as well as help make you more resilient to stress as you go about your day.
- They decrease pain. Yes, you read that right! Cold showers can help reduce inflammation and swelling. They also may accelerate recovery after intense activity, ensuring you avoid pain and can continue to perform.
Cold Showers for Beginners
The hard part about cold showers is cranking that shower knob to the coldest level possible. If you’re struggling, here are a few tips to get started with this wellness practice:
- Ease into it. Start with only a few seconds and not too cold.
- Breathe through it! Focusing on your breath can help you stay calm and collected.
- Put on some music to pump you up!
- End with a bit of warm or hot water so that you get a reward for it.
- Do it first thing in the morning before you’ve had time to think about backing out.
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