Hey, it's been a week that i have started taking cold showers in the morning when i wake up early in the morning and during my lunch break after hitting the gym. Last week, i saw a bunch of Instagram reels about taking cold shower and wanted to try it at home. According to what i read on the internet the are some benefits and downsides of taking these cold showers. After listing what i read on the internet & chatgpt i will add my comment after 1 week of cold showers.
Benefits :
1) Mood/Energy, cold water increase adrenaline for a moment
2) Immune system boost, according to some articles regular cold shower would reduce "little" sickness, but this seems like a placebo effect more than anything else
3) Better blood circulation
4) Muscle recovery boost, reduce inflammation and sore feeling after intense sport sessions
5) Morale boost
Downsides/risks :
6) Temperature shock, sudden cold cause a reflex that cause rapid breathing and hearth pace which can be dangerous if you have heart or lung conditions
7) Cold + Cold = colder, when you already cold taking a cold shower will get you even colder which can be dangerous if you are already cold
8) Skin & Hair dryness, exposure to cold can tighten the skin and remove hair oil
9) Not many long term/large scale studies on the effect of cold showers
1) Taking a cold shower do give me a lot of energy, why ? No clue but in the morning even after a horrible day when i take my cold shower i get filled with energy for the next few hours, after working out during my lunch break the cold shower allow me to get a boost of energy after working out and being completely tired.
2) Honestly, as said upper in the post i think it's really a thing and can't really be verified on a single individual.
3/6) I indeed feel my heart beat quick during my cold showers, in the start i too had to take huge breath but after only one or two days it start to reduce. Leaving only the high hearth rhythm, it might help for a better blood circulation.
4) From what happen during this week, i think cold shower help you recover quickly because i felt like my recupartion after workout was quicker than usual but it might be not related to the cold showers.
5) When you land under the shower and start putting the cold water on your self it ask a bit of self motivation and disipline and therefore boost your morale as a little day by day achievement.
7) It's the middle of the summer so no chance of happening.
8) I don't think my skin/hair is more dry than it was before, i already had a pretty dry hair and skin and therefore didn't see a big difference.
In the comments share your experiences with taking cold shower, like what are the benefits you see of it : P