There really are some benefits to it
We always hear that taking a cold shower has some pretty significant health benefits. But we always wondered whether or not this was true. And it turns out, there are some benefits to taking a very cold shower! Find out more below.
Hot and cold
Whenever your body comes into contact with something cold, it will do two things. First it will try and maintain your body heat. Your blood vessels are responsible for this process. Whenever you get cold, your blood vessels will narrow. This will cause them to retain warmth within your body without losing warmth to your surroundings. This is also the reason why your hands and feet get cold first. The second thing your body does is shiver. When you get cold, your muscles contract, causing you to shudder. Sometimes this contraction makes your teeth chatter too. By contracting your muscles, your body can produce heat to warm itself up. These days, because of the luxury of central heating, our body usually doesn’t have to work very hard to stay warm. But this process of maintaining and gaining body heat is actually beneficial for your endurance. That means that it might actually be good to expose yourself to a little cold. Or to a very cold shower in this case!
Stress
If you get stressed sometimes, you might benefit from breathing exercises. And do you know what could help with learning how to breathe? A refreshing cold shower! When you first step into the freezing cold shower, you might start breathing uncontrollably. It might take a while for you to get your breathing under control. After a few days of showering with cold water, you will notice that it won’t take you as long to get your breathing under control. That means it’s working! If you can apply those breathing techniques to your day to day activities, you will always keep your cool. In or out of the shower.
Immunesystem
It has not been proven, scientifically that is, whether a cold shower could actually be beneficial for your immune system. But it might have some positive short term effects! If you take a cold shower and do some breathing exercises while you’re at it, your immune system might get a much needed boost. If only for a short time. Another positive effect from taking a cold shower, is that your body will start producing more adrenalin en endorphins because of the cold water. That will also give your mood a much needed boost. Especially during the dark winter days.
Are you a fan of cold showers yet?
Also read: Overactive bladder in winter? This is why the cold makes you pee
Source: Max Vandaag, Outside | Unsplash, Tim Wilson