A Cold Shower - First Thing In The Morning

Sounds crazy, right? Perhaps not the way you’d like to wake up? 

However, for those of us who are looking to improve our lives in every way possible and be the very best we can be, cold showers in the morning can provide many health benefits. 

Some people even say that it's better than coffee!

There are so many proven health benefits such as improving your hair and skin quality, giving you more energy, decreasing stress levels, boosting your immune system, helping your blood circulate, and more.

Still sound insane? Here are some tips you might want to implement to help you recognize the benefits of taking an ice-cold shower first thing in the morning.

Improves Your Health

Chances are, if you have a choice between a piping hot shower and an ice-cold one, you’re going to pick the piping hot one. For most people, a hot shower is far more relaxing than a frigid one.

However, have you taken the time to consider the health implications of both? While a hot shower is probably much more enjoyable, a cold shower comes with many more health benefits.

Have you ever taken a moment to breathe in the air after a hot shower? Chances are, the air flow and general air quality in your bathroom are pretty poor after a hot shower, filled with hot humidity that makes it tough to breathe.  

A cold shower, on the other hand, can clear out your sinus passages just as well as a hot shower without making the air flow in the bathroom so stuffy. You’ll breathe easier after taking just one cold shower first thing in the morning.

A cold shower can also make it easier for your blood to circulate. You don’t have to commit to a shower that’s 100% icy, either. By switching up between alternating warm (not hot) and cold water, your blood vessels will constrict and dilate. This strengthens your circulation as well as your immune system.

Believe it or not, a cold shower can even improve your recovery time after a tough workout! That’s why you’ll hear about so many athletes taking ice baths between workouts. It will reduce the soreness you experience and speed up the time until your next bout of intense exercise. Talk about a win-win!  

It’s not just your physical health that can be improved by cold showers, either. Your mental health can be dramatically improved by a cold shower once or twice a day. Taking a cold shower puts a bit of stress on your body in a process known \as hardening.

Your body (and in particular, your nervous system) will get used to those small amounts of stress and will help you keep a cool head the next time you find yourself facing what you might have once considered monumental levels of stress.

In addition, a cold shower can help strengthen your willpower. By incorporating a daily cold shower into your regular routine, you’ll find that you need a strong mind to handle the cold for an extended period. This improved willpower can translate into many areas of your life and have impactful results on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Skin Health

Did you know that many people actually set their shower temperatures way too hot? A hot shower is not only no more effective at getting you clean than a cold shower but it can also strip your skin of its layer of sebum.

Sebum is a thin layer that helps protect your skin from bacteria. It helps repel water and can also prevent your skin from becoming overly dry. While a cold shower will have no effect on your sebum, a too-hot shower will make you more sensitive to skin infections and the cold. You’ll notice that your skin loses its elasticity more quickly and can cause it to become dry.  

Especially in cold, windy weather, you’ll find that your skin becomes cracked and irritated. A too-hot shower can also strip your skin of the natural oils it needs to prevent wrinkles and fine lines, while a cold shower will help keep you looking younger (and your skin more supple) for far longer.

A shower that is too hot can also affect your hair by the same token. It will cause your scalp to become overly dry and your hair, as a result, will become fragile and brittle.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that a steamy shower will help rectify your hair woes if you have naturally greasy hair, either. Unfortunately, it will have the opposite effect, since your hair will work overtime to produce those oils - and will make it worse over time. Don’t be tempted into the steam room when you’re fighting greasy hair! 

Rather than taking a hot shower, take a nice cold one cold water will make the pores of your skin tighten up and can also help make your hair shinier and smoother. You will avoid drying out your skin and prevent stripping your skin of its layer of sedum.

A cold shower can help your hair look ten times better. The cool water will seal in the cuticles of your hair, locking in moisture and reducing that frizzly-frazzled look that you experience (especially during the hot, humid days of summer). This is a helpful tip for anyone, but especially those of us who are blessed (cursed?) with hair that’s more on the curly side.

Treat Depression

While the thought of jumping into an ice-cold shower might not have you jumping for joy, it’s worth noting that a cold shower can also help to treat depression. Cold sends more electrical impulses to your brain which can help ease symptoms of clinical depression.

Full disclosure - you’ll need to commit to cold showers for quite some time before you notice a difference in your symptoms of depression. It can take up to three or four weeks to start seeing an impact. However, it’s a worthwhile treatment to consider, especially if you feel like you’ve tried everything else.

To use cold showers in this way, start by slowly turning the temperature of the water down to help yourself get acclimated. Take a cold shower once or twice a day for two to three minutes a time for the best results. A cold shower will release norepinephrine, a hormone that improves your energy levels, focus, and physical performance, too.

A cold shower can also make you more alert, something that may be useful if you’re suffering from a depressed state of mind. The cold will encourage your body to take deeper breaths, lowering the amount of carbon dioxide in your body and forcing you to concentrate. By taking a cold shower, you’ll find that you’re laser-focused and ready to start the day.

Stimulate Weight Loss

If you’ve been struggling with the number on the scale despite trying seemingly everything - from fad diets to extreme exercise and even weight loss pills - it might be time to take a step back. 

Believe it or not, taking a cold shower is a simple solution that can pay out major dividends.  

Cold water can help you lose weight in a very simple way.

Human beings have both white and brown fatty tissue. Brown fat is commonly recognized as the good fat that helps to keep us warm even when we are exposed to cold temperatures - by and large, it is this brown fat that is necessary for survival.

White fat, on the other hand, is the bad stuff. White fat is the stuff that our bodies store when we eat more fat (or calories in general) than our bodies actually need. This is the fat that causes us to become obese - and it’s not really all that necessary. 

Taking a cold shower activates your brown fat, since your body senses that it needs to find a way to stay warm. When the brown fat is activated, your body has to work overtime to stay warm and it starts burning calories. It can help get rid of that white fat faster, particularly if you combine your cold shower habit with regular exercise and a healthy diet! You’ll be a fat-burning machine.

Of course, it’s also important to recognize the ancillary benefits that taking a cold shower will have.

It can help you focus and improve your willpower - both essential traits to have when you’re trying to lose weight. It can improve circulation, something we’ll address in more detail below, and to reduce inflammation, two factors that are often viewed as correlated when it comes to weight retention and trouble losing weight.

Plus, since taking a cold shower after a tough workout can help your muscles recover better, there’s a good chance that you'll find it easier to stick to those hard workout routines - rather than throwing in the towel when your post-workout soreness lingers after more than a couple of days.

Strengthen Your Immune System

If you remember your mother telling you not to go out in the rain because the cold water would cause you to catch a chill and get sick, it’s time to rethink that old wives’ tale! While it’s true that hypothermia isn’t exactly great for your overall health, a few minutes in a cold shower isn’t going to do much harm - and in fact, may pose a greater benefit overall.

A cold shower can dramatically improve the functioning of your immune system. That’s because a cold shower increases the number of white blood cells in your body. If you aren’t familiar with how white blood cells work, all you need to know is this - these blood cells help to protect your body from disease.

A cold shower causes an increased metabolic rate which in turn, helps to stimulate your immune response.

Improve Circulation

In addition to greater overall focus and nicer-looking skin and hair, taking a cold shower in the morning has another benefit. It can help improve your circulation!

The cold water will help your blood pump better, making your body run more efficiently. Improved circulation is beneficial in countless ways, from stimulating hair growth to improving your complexion.

It can help improve your cardiovascular fitness and even help you lose weight and sleep better at night. What more could you possibly want (besides a warm blanket after that frigid shower, that is!).

Beat The Heat This Summer By Cooling Off With A Cold Shower

As the weather starts to get warmer, many people start looking for ways to beat the heat. One way you can do this is by taking a cold shower in the morning. Studies show that taking a cold shower every morning will improve your mood and energy levels throughout the day.

By waking up with an invigorating ice-cold blast of water, you’ll be able to enjoy your workday better than before! Although it might seem daunting at first, after just one week of doing so you won't want anything else - guaranteed.

If you're considering giving it a try but think it might be too drastic or extreme, consider easing into this practice gradually by starting with just 5 minutes at first before working up to 10 or 15 minutes total per day over time.

Here’s another easy way to acclimate yourself to cold showers. Start by rinsing with warm water at the end of your shower, then gradually make it cooler until it’s cold. Rinse just your right leg with the cold water, starting on the outside of your ankle. This spot is the furthest from your heart so it will deliver less of a shock to your system.

Work your way gradually up your body, moving to your other leg and then your arms on both sides. Then, rinse your core with cold water. By the time you get to your core and your head, your body will be used to the frigid temperature.

You can also start by turning down the water temperature gradually during your normal shower time so it's not as shocking of an experience when you turn on the tap - although we recommend going all-out and embracing icy mornings!

Lisa Czachowski is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Lisa is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sustainability, natural, sleep products, health, fashion and many more. She is passionate about what providing as much information as possible on products you bring in your home and what we wear.

Follow Lisa at Lisa Czachowski

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