Cold Shower Therapy

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I’m not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, but one of the things I look forward to upon rising is a long, hot shower. It’s the next best thing to a warm, toasty bed.

Lately, however, I’ve been experimenting with cold showers.

“WHY would you do that?” you ask.

Well, as you’ll see, the only reason not to take cold showers is that they’re uncomfortable. The benefits far outnumber the negatives. Observe:

  • It helps you wake up. Hot showers are very relaxing, but they don’t do much to get you going in the morning. Cold showers shock the system, leaving you alert and energized.
  • It’s good for your hair and skin. Hot showers dry you out, and slathering moisturizer on after every shower is a pain. Cold showers prevent this, and they also help close your pores, which makes your skin look healthier.
  • It improves circulation, testosterone production, and male fertility. Ladies.
  • It increases your metabolic rate. This is because your body is trying to warm itself. Cold showers also help activate brown fat, which burns calories to help warm the body.
  • It improves mood and energy. Hot showers make me sleepy. Cold showers are invigorating; it’s a healthy form of stress for the body.
  • It makes you feel like a bad ass. Sometimes, it feels good to scream and curse while flexing all of your muscles under an icy waterfall.

For more on the benefits of cold showers, see:

  1. “The James Bond Shower: A Shot of Cold Water for Health and Vitality” | The Art of Manliness
  2. “Why so glum, chum? Take a cold shower to ditch the morning blues” | The Handbook of Awesome
  3. “Cold Water Therapy” | Mark’s Daily Apple

The best way to experiment with cold showers is to take your typical warm shower, and then turn the temperature down for the last couple of minutes. You can steadily decrease the temperature as you get acclimated, or try going progressively colder with each shower you take. Make sure the water is truly cold; it should make you gasp.

I’ve been turning the temperature down at the end of my showers for a couple of weeks, and I can honestly say I look forward to it now. I’ve also found that my usual “hot” setting is now too hot for me, so I’m using cooler water while washing.

Spring is the perfect time to develop this healthy habit because of the warmer weather. I know it sounds horrible, but you might learn to love a cold shower. If I can do it, you can do it.

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