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If you’ve heard that turning the tap to blue while you’re in the shower could actually be good for you, you’re not wrong.
While steaming hot showers feel wonderful after a long day at work or a tough workout, washing your skin and hair with cold water also has many hidden benefits.
Are cold showers good for you?
You’d better believe it! But before you head off and start blasting yourself with ice cold water (brrrrr), have a read of this article because it guides you through some of the reasons why you actually might want to turn the temperature to cold next time you shower.
As crazy as it may sound, cold showers can do us a whole lot of good. And this goodness can deliver a wide range of benefits that are good for the body; not to mention, good for the mind too.
Feeling a bit more inclined to go channel your inner Wim Hof now? Here are some benefits to help you make up your mind….
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Cold shower benefits: 9 reasons to have one
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They’re good for circulation
This is the No. 1 reason why cold showers should be a part of your regular routine. Wondering how they can exactly improve your circulation?
By reducing your core body temperature through showering or bathing in cold water, your body has to work harder and faster to warm itself up. It does this by increasing blood flow to the surface of your skin, therefore promoting healthy circulation.
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They can soothe sore muscles
If you’ve just completed an intense gym session or played a football match with your mates, having a cold shower afterwards could help soothe tired and achy muscles.
Wondering why? It’s for the same reason that cold water impacts circulation. The cooler temperature promotes faster blood flow, allowing more blood to be delivered to areas that are sore.
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Studies show they may help depression
If you suffer from depression, cold showers could help improve your mood. Hydrotherapy has been used for centuries to relieve stress.
Having regular cold showers is thought to have the same sort of effect, as they trigger electrical impulses in the brain that help to boost your energy levels, making you feel more alert.
Similar post: How a shower can cleanse your aura…
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They can make your hair look healthier and shinier
Rinsing yourself off with cold water after you’ve shampooed could make your hair appear shinier. That’s because warm water opens up the follicles in our hair so they can be cleaned and conditioned.
Cold water, on the other hand, closes these follicles up, locking in any moisture and reducing the risk of your hair becoming dry and brittle over time.
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They could support your immune system
Research suggests that cold showers could also be great for your immune system. By shaking your body up a bit through showering in cold water, you could stimulate the white blood cells that are present in your bloodstream.
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They may help ease anxiety
That’s the conclusion of a French study that was featured in Psychology Today. It found various types of hydrotherapy, including cold, to be helpful in relieving anxiety.
Bathing in cold water has been linked to a decrease in the stress hormone, cortisol, as well as helping balance the feel-good neurotransmitter, serotonin.u
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They could reduce sick days
According to a study carried out in the Netherlands, cold showers can help increase productivity and reduce sick days.
Between January and March 2015, 3,018 people aged 18 to 65 took a hot shower then used applications of cold water for 30 to 90 seconds.
Meanwhile, at the same time, one research group took warm showers as usual and didn’t use cold water at all.
Although those who took cold showers were less likely (29% less likely) to call in sick for work, they didn’t report fewer sick days. The researchers concluded that cold showers might make a person’s illness feel less severe, allowing them to continue with their daily activities.
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They can make you feel more alert
Taking a cold shower literally wakes the body up, and makes us feel more alert too.
The cold against our skin also stimulates us to naturally take deeper breaths. This decreases the amount of CO2 in the body, which can help improve focus and concentration.
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They may help you lose weight
Research has shown that cold showers, and being exposed to cold temperatures in general, increases our metabolic rate and stimulates the generation of brown fat.
Brown fat is a specific type of fat tissue that generates energy by burning calories.
Summary
- Taking a cold shower can be good for the mind and body
- They’re good for circulation, soothing sore muscles and giving hair a glossy finish
- They may also help with anxiety, depression and weight loss
Source: hollandandbarrett.com
