There are more and more influencers who acknowledge having joined the fashion of the cold shower to improve your health. It may seem strange to us, since we have traditionally associated the fact of taking a shower with cold water with removing the heat, caused by whatever causes. But it is true that a cold shower can bring us very varied benefits, ranging from from the mental to the physical.
Of course, you have to do it carefully. There are certain conditions in which a cold shower can bring more harm than benefits. For this reason, it is important to know those exceptions, before jumping on the bandwagon of low-temperature soaking.
Once we are clear about it, we can start little by little, to squeeze all the benefits of the cold shower, without falling into its risks. The first thing that we must be clear about is that the water is considered to be cold enough if it is below 15.5ºC, although with 20ºC benefits have already been found in some studies. It is not necessary that we shower with a thermometer, but surely, as a guide, we can calculate more or less when we have reached that point. With that being said, let’s see what are the benefits and harms of cold shower.
Benefits of a cold shower for mental health
Many of the influencers who defend the cold shower assure that they feel much better mentally since they do. Now, is there any truth to that?
The truth is that there is, but we must take it with caution. Exposure to cold is known to activate the sympathetic nervous system, in charge of regulating several involuntary functions, associated with systems such as the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems. In addition, the cold promotes the release of beta endorphins and norepinephrine in the blood and also of the latter in the brain.
It has also been seen that the autonomic nervous system, of which one of its sections is the sympathetic, is related to the depression. And that the decrease in neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine can affect mood.
Few studies about it
For all this, in 2008 a study was carried outor aimed at testing whether a cold shower could help patients with depression. There was a group of volunteers who showered with water at 20ºC for 2-3 minutes, preceded by a gradual adaptation of 5 minutes. This was done once or twice a day for several weeks or months, varying between volunteers, and then checked to see if symptoms of depression improved.
Sure enough, those who underwent more cold showers had a better progress of depressive symptoms. However, there are several things to keep in mind here. The first is that the number of participants was very small. Therefore, the study should be repeated with more people. The second issue to take into account is that the depressive symptoms of the volunteers were not very severe.
Therefore, this cannot be taken as definitive and, furthermore, one should never try to treat depression only with cold showers. Yes, they can be seen as a way to improve the general mood. But, if there is any psychological problem, professional help should be sought. This, in addition, is applicable to the rest of the conditions that we are going to see in this article. A cold shower may help, but it doesn’t cure anything.
It also seems beneficial for the immune system.
In 2016 a study was carried out in the Netherlands whose participants were assigned to a control group, which showered normally, or an experimental group in which they had to take a cold shower for 30, 60 or 90 seconds daily, in a total of 90 days. Afterwards, his absences from work due to illness were analyzed and it was seen that in the experimental group absences from work were reduced for this reason by 29%.
It is believed that this may be because the cold shower can strengthen the immune systemalthough other factors may also come into play such as reduced anxiety, demonstrated in the 2008 study.
A cold shower to improve circulation and injuries
This is possibly the best known application of the cold shower. When we are exposed to cold, a increased blood circulation, especially the peripheral, to try to warm the body. This favors freshly oxygenated blood reaching the tissues. If these are damaged, they can be recovered faster. Therefore, it is useful both for injuries and after exercise.
And it is that, even if we are not injured, with exercise micro-tears of the muscles can occur that also recover before with the water of a cold shower. In addition, all this is very beneficial to reduce pain and reduce inflammation.
Improves skin and hair hydration
A cold shower helps us feel better on the inside, and also on the outside. And it is that the water at low temperature contributes to retain the natural oils of the skin and coat. Therefore, when the hair is very dry or brittle, it is recommended, when washing it, to give a last rinse with cold water. And the same for the skin.
Precautions to take when taking a cold shower
With the heat that we are experiencing right now in the northern hemisphere, we may really want a cold shower. However, we should not do it all at once. In all these studies, a previous habituation, cooling the body little by little before taking the full cold shower. This precaution is especially important when it is very hot, to avoid the so-called cut of digestion. Actually, what is called in this way is a phenomenon known as hydrocution, which occurs when the sudden contraction of blood vessels due to temperature change prevents, for example, the blood from reaching the brain correctly.
On the other hand, some people shouldn’t take cold showers. This is the case of patients with heart diseases, as this increased circulation makes the heart work harder and can be dangerous. Neither should people with Raynaud’s syndromewho develop numbness in their hands and feet after exposure to cold.
It is important to make the shower cold little by little. First you can try 30 seconds, then 60 and, after a few days, try staying for 2 or 3 minutes. That would be enough to experience its benefits. Now, if in the attempt it appears hives, headache, or any other strange symptoms, we should leave it. There are many other ways to take care of yourself, a cold shower is not essential.