To most people, jumping into a cold shower never sounds like a good idea. The moment I suggest that my clients add it to their health routine, nipples go hard, and a serious case of shrinkage develops. However, the benefits to your health, wellness, and longevity will outweigh the slight discomfort you will experience for a measly 180 seconds of your day.

8 Reasons Why You Should Take Cold Showers

1. It Eases Stress 

Jumping into a cold shower can promote an increasing tolerance to stress, and even disease. A study in 1994 found a drastic decrease in uric acid levels during, and following, exposure to a cold stimulus. There was also an increase in an antioxidant called glutathione, that keeps all other antioxidants at their optimal levels.

2. Relieves Depression

Cold showers have been shown to relieve symptoms of depression due to the intense impact of cold receptors in the skin. It sends an overwhelming amount of electrical impulses from the peripheral nerve endings to the brain. Thus, it produces an anti-depressive effect, and boosts mood, making it a pick-me-up.

3. Increases Alertness

Most of my clients who have started taking cold showers have told me that, at first, it is hard to breathe, so I tell them to practice breathing through their diaphragm, rather than their chest – and this extreme deep breathing every morning is going to dramatically increase your oxygen intake & heart rate, resulting in a natural dose of energy throughout the day, leaving you feeling alert and amazing.

4. Improves Your Sleep 

Taking a cold shower one hour before bed may help your body trigger sleep signals, and give you a deeper sleep.

5. Strengthens Immunity

Researchers believe that the increased metabolic rate that results from the body’s attempt to warm itself up activates the immune system and releases more white blood cells in response.

6. Great For Your Skin and Hair 

Hot water tends to dry out your skin and hair. If you want to avoid irritating, dry legs, knees, and elbows, turn down the heat! Cold water can also make your hair look shinier, and your skin look healthier, by closing up your cuticles and pores.

7. Increase Testosterone

Researchers have found that cold showers increase testosterone levels. Higher testosterone levels not only boost a man’s libido, but also his overall strength and energy levels. If you’re looking to increase your testosterone, instead of supplements, have a cold shower.

8. Better Sperm

Another interesting benefit of cold showers is that they will boost your sperm count and increase fertility. Your testes aren’t meant to get hot, that’s why they hang free and easy, where it’s breezy. A study at the University of California San Francisco showed that men who stopped taking regular hot baths had a sperm count increase of up to 491%! Although a hot shower won’t be as harmful as a hot bath on your sperm, it will have an effect. So do your little guys a favour, they want to be nice and cool, and if you’re trying to conceive, have a cold shower.

Are You Ready To Take The Plunge?

If you’ve spent most of your life taking hot showers, suddenly turning that knob in the other direction can be a big shock to your system. When I decided to get started with them, my heart almost jumped out of my chest, and I thought I was hyperventilating when the cold water hit my body. Based on personal experience, I recommend gradually decreasing the hot water, so that your body can adjust until the temperature is all the way down to cold.
PLEASE NOTE!
Some people with certain conditions should avoid cold showers because of the shock to their body’s system.
  • Heart disease. If my healthy heart felt like it was to explode, imagine how a diseased heart would feel.
  • High blood pressure. The contraction in your blood vessels caused by cold water could cause a stroke. (Apparently)
  • Overheated or feverish. Your blood vessels need to dilate in order to release heat. Cold water causes them to constrict.

Feature Image: Seth Doyle – UNSPLASH

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