If you want to become as slick and suave as James Bond, you might have to give up on your cozy, hot showers and start taking cold ones instead. Apart from increasing your style quotient, these cold showers might be beneficial for different aspects of your health too. So, are you up for the challenge?
Health Benefits of Short, Cold Showers
While most of us enjoy the luxury of having running hot water throughout the day, consider those who live in conditions where it is difficult to even think of a constant water supply, let alone warm showers on cold mornings.
But experts believe that the lack of access to hot water might actually be good for such individuals, as there are a lot of health benefits associated with taking cold showers.
While it may be very difficult to even imagine stepping into the icy cold water, there is a solution — the Scottish shower or the James Bond shower. This involves stepping into a warm shower and gradually reducing the temperature to icy cold conditions.
It is recommended to start with short, 20 to 30 second sessions and slowly going all the way up to five minutes for optimal benefits.
9 Benefits of Cold Showers
1. Improved circulation
When the cold water hits the body, it can help the blood circulate better to all the organs, improve the heart’s functioning, lower blood pressure and even help clear arteries. These functions may help improve overall heart health.
2. Weight/fat loss
The body contains two types of fat tissues — white and brown. While white fat accumulates because of unspent calories and tends to get stored in the abdomen, lower back and thighs, the brown fat is good for the body. It is stimulated when the body is cold and helps warm the body. A cold shower can thus help stimulate the brown fat, warm the body and burn more white fat.
3. Hormone balance and fertility
Cold showers may help improve testosterone levels and boost fertility in men. Studies have shown that men who regularly took hot showers or baths had a reduced sperm count and testosterone levels. Switching to cold showers showed an exponential increase of 491 percent in their sperm count.
4. Healthy muscles
While some athletes believe in ice baths or cryotherapy, others feel that simple cold baths can reduce muscle soreness and pain.
5. Depression relief
When cold water touches the skin, it can send out electrical responses to the brain, providing a strong antidepressive effect that can help relieve symptoms of depression and gradually improve mood.
6. Improved immunity
A rush of cold water can help rev up the body’s sluggish metabolism, which, in turn, can help warm the body and activate the immune system to release more white blood cells to boost immunity.
7. Better hair and skin
Cold water is better for skin and hair health because it can help tighten the hair follicles and pores, reduce dryness of the skin and scalp and provide a healthy sheen to the hair.
8. Energy boost for the day
The sudden impact of cold water touching the body can improve the intake of oxygen, warm our bodies and improve the heart’s pumping activity. This might give us an energy boost to get started and keep going throughout the day.
9. Water savings
Warm baths and showers can often take 10 to 15 minutes or even longer and can translate into excessive water and energy usage. A cold shower, on the other hand, will force you to speed up the process, thus saving you some water, power and money.
Regardless of whether you aspire to become James Bond or are a fan of glowing skin and beautiful hair, consider taking cold showers to support physical and mental well-being.
The content of this Website is for informational purposes only, is general in nature and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and does not constitute professional advice. The information on this Website should not be considered as complete and does not cover all diseases, ailments, physical conditions, or their treatment. You should consult with your physician before beginning any exercise, weight loss, or health care program and/or any of the beauty treatments
References
Borreli, L. (2016, June 07). Benefits of Cold Showers: 7 Reasons Why Taking Cool Showers Is Good For Your Health. Retrieved from https://www.medicaldaily.com/benefits-cold-showers-7-reasons-why-taking-cool-showers-good-your-health-289524
Pemberton, C. P. (2018, January 26). 6 Unexpected Benefits of Cold Showers. Retrieved from https://blog.paleohacks.com/6-unexpected-benefits-of-cold-showers/
16 Benefits of Cold Showers That Will Blow Your Mind. (2018, September 06). Retrieved from https://www.menprovement.com/benefits-of-cold-showers/
