Normally whenever I take a hot shower I feel lethargic afterwards. Recently I have been plagued with cold showers every morning I wake up before class. Surprisingly, I have been more alert and active during the day after I take a cold shower. Do cold showers make you more aware and awake during the day?
According to Lizette Borreli, taking a cold shower can have surprising benefits to our skin and body. For starters, it increases your alertness. The response our body gives off to cold water splashing us is a shock that keeps us warm. As a result our body increases its oxygen intake, which causes to more blood to be released and spread faster throughout our bodies. This gives us a natural dose of energy.
Another benefit to taking cold showers is it relieves muscle soreness while at the same time speeds up recovery. A 2009 study analyzed 17 trials involving over 360 people, who after working out either rested, or immersed themselves in cold water. This was a randomly controlled, experimental trial because the scientists randomly selected their test subjects and controlled whether they would be exposed to cold water or not. It is experimental because the scientists are controlling the variables. The result of the experiments was a 24-minute cold-water bath healed sore muscles 1-4 days faster than not taking a cold bath at all.
A third benefit to taking cold showers is it helps maintain your skin and hair. According to Borreli, “Hot water has the tendency to dry out our skin, so it’s best to use cold water to tighten your cuticles and pores, which will prevent them from getting clogged.” The cold water also helps keep your pores in your hair “closed-off” too, so that dirt doesn’t get into them. Jessica Kant told The Huffington Post that while hot water may feel good on our bodies, excessive hot water use can “strip healthy natural oils from your skin too quickly.”
Personally I wouldn’t take a cold shower everyday because I couldn’t deal with the cold water and shivering everyday. However, after the research I’ve done I think that I will start taking cold showers after I come back from working out at the gym.
Hi Michael,
I enjoyed reading your post and how you included the study regarding physical benefits. You successfully employed class concepts into your post which makes it a fairly easy post to grasp. However, I wish the study that you incorporated measured some of the mental benefits of cold showers such as alertness as you stated initially. Could there be any third confounding variables that played a role in the results? I know that the study derived its conclusion based on sore muscles, but some muscles do heal faster than others. Your post now makes it understandable as to why athletes take ice baths!
I know that cold water is more beneficial for me, I read so many artciles that hot water affects the skin in so may ways. First of all hot showers break down skin’s oil barrier what leads to dryness. Hot water causes skin lose its elasticity what basically leads to wrinkles. And even though I know that hot water makes me age faster I continue to take hot showers because it feels so much better than to stand there and freeze under the cold water.
I have started getting in the habit of taking cold showers as of late. Although it can be uncomfortable at first, I find that cold showers are much more rewarding than hot showers because of what it can do for you psychologically. In addition to the obvious physical benefits, you walk out of the shower feeling energized and unstoppable simply because of the fact that you withstood gallons of ice cold water pouring down on your skin for minutes on end. According to Medical Daily, there have been studies to show that cold showers can relieve stress and even depression because of the intense impact of cold receptors in the skin.
Hi Michael!
You’re post is really interesting. I’ve heard some remarks that cold share are typically better, but the research you found definitely makes me believe the idea even more. I love taking hot showers here in State College mostly because the weather is so cold. However, I’ve noticed that it does dry my hair and skin. It also makes sense that cold water makes you more alert. In the morning, oftentimes I’m still half asleep and simply standing in the shower. If I turned the water to cold, I’d have an immediate reaction, and it would be a nice quick start to my day. It is also common for athletes to soak in cold water to sooth their muscle pains. It is interesting how many positive benefits cold water has that we simply overlook.
I have heard that cold showers are better. I have also heard that they are better because hot water can have some sort of effect on the heart. I am completely unsure if this is true or not. Did you come across any information on this in your study?? Personally I hate cold showers. Although it does make me shower faster because I am anxious to get out.