Benefits of Cold Showers

Photo by: www.nutriclub.ie

 The thought of cold water trickling down your back should send chills down your spine but have you ever thought of the benefits of cold shower? Back then before the luxury of built in water heaters, men has always dipped into cold water for their wash. More so, it has been researched on its health benefits and thus, cold shower therapy; cold hydrotherapy is borne.

As the century moved along, our immune system tends to get weaker as we are dependency on drugs for our increasing illness. Hydrotherapy is a viable treatment that can rebuild or strengthen our body.

1. Strengthens Immunity
Cold showers can be used as a preventive measure for colds, flu and infections. By immersing ourselves with cold water, our metabolic rate increases that help our body attempting to warm up by itself. This activates our immune system and releases more white blood cells that are vital in eliminating virus and toxins from out body.

2. Improves Blood Circulation
When we are immersed in cold water, our arteries and veins constricts allowing blood to flow at a higher pressure since there is less space for the blood to flow. Our body naturally responds to cold water by rapidly circulating blood to all vital organs to keeping them warm. This improves your overall blood circulation.

3. Increases Metabolism
Exposure to cold naturally stimulates the production of brown fats that is responsible in burning energy. The higher number of brown fats leads to more energy burned and more weight is lost. Since our metabolism increases as well, our process of weight loss will be more efficient.

4. Improves Lymphatic Movement
The lymphatic system is a system of tubing separate from our blood vessels that is responsible for carrying away waste from your cells as well as help fight pathogens (disease). Unlike blood vessels, the lymphatic system does not have blood, it has lymph, which carries away waste products and white blood cells which handle infection. Also different from blood vessels is that the heart does not pump lymph around the body like it does the blood. The lymph relies on the contraction of muscles. This contraction squeezes the lymph up to the thoracic duct so that the lymph can mix with the blood and then be dealt with by organs. Cold showers cause whole-body contraction and this works excellently with the lymph system, squeezing the fluid up through the body. If the lymphatic system is compromised and not efficient, then the fluid pools at faraway places (usually the feet). This results in what is known as lymphedema (a type of edema).

5. Deepens Breathing
When we are exposed to cold water, our body reacts from the shock by inhaling deeply. Our lungs opens up like during strenuous physical exercise and large amount of oxygen is taken in. This has benefits like not feeling tired during the day and performing better in sports.

6. Keeps Skin and Hair Healthy
Hot water as we know dries up our skin and hair. On the contrary to cold water, it makes out skin and hair healthier by tightening the cuticle and pores. This prevents our pores from getting clogged. Cold water also aids in detoxification by eliminating toxins from the skin giving us a cleaner and younger skin. Tightening of the cuticles prevents dirt from accumulating on our scalp giving us stronger hair.

7. Increases Energy
A cold shower can definitely leave one feeling invigorated and energized. The heart starts pumping, and the rush of blood through the body helps shake off the lethargy of the previous night’s sleep. Additionally, while there are not many studies to confirm, many people swear that cold showers are a definite stress reducer.

8. Increases Hormone Production
Cold water showers have the ability to increase hormone production and activity by giving the body’s glands a boost. For example, cold showers can be of great benefit to the reproductive system when trying to conceive a child. A man’s testes are not meant to get too hot; that’s why they hang outside of a man’s body. Sperm counts decrease when the temperature of a man’s testes increases. In fact, experiments done in the 1950s showed that hot baths were an effective contraceptive. Men who took a 30 minute hot bath every other day for 3 weeks were infertile for the next six months.