Did you know that taking a cold shower has wonderful health benefits? You’ve heard it right. While a warm shower helps relieve your tense muscles, a cold shower and cold bath also have its own fair share of benefits. Keep on reading to know how adjusting the temperature gauge can bring improvement on your wellness.
1. It strengthens immune system
Contents
- 1 1. It strengthens immune system
- 2 2. It aids sleep
- 3 3. It alleviates stress and depression
- 4 4. It improves metabolism
- 5 5. It improves inhalation or deep breathing
- 6 6. It produces natural painkillers
- 7 7. It boosts men’s fertility
- 8 8. It regulates body’s temperature.
- 9 9. It helps fight cancer.
- 10 10. Get rid of varicose veins.
It has been proven that cold water from the best bathtub or shower can strengthen your immune system. Apart from that, they also increase your chances of combating infections and diseases. One of the latest medical research proves that people who are regularly taking a cold shower have limited chance of acquiring the following:
- Colds
- Flu
- Cancer
- Hemorrhoids
2. It aids sleep
Can’t get enough sleep at night? Taking a cold bath in a walk in tub aids those who have difficulty in sleeping. Try it at least before bedtime to calm down the exhilarating feeling under the water.
3. It alleviates stress and depression
As mentioned earlier, cold water helps greatly in setting up positive mood just like meditation. Due to the cold temperature, the brains’ ‘blue spot’ was being stimulated. This blue spot in the brain releases important chemicals significant in alleviating depression and stress. If you would notice, you usually feel a light and happy feeling whenever you had a cold bath. This mood is medically referred to as euphoria. The feeling can be compared to the pleasure or happiness you feel after hard physical workout or exercise.
4. It improves metabolism
As a result of increased level of brown fats, improved blood pressure, and proper body temperature, the chemical reactions within the body will happen faster leading to improved metabolism. An increased metabolism helps the body sort out the essential and nonessential nutrients needed for various bodily functions. Increased metabolism also supports individuals to break down fats easily. It only means more weight loss because many calories are being burned faster to supply energy. This also means faster repair of muscles and growth of cells. Therefore, many workout or exercise will lead to better result leaving a leaner and fitter physique and healthy you.
5. It improves inhalation or deep breathing
If you’re a keen observer, you’ll eventually notice that cold showers can enhance breathing. How? The body’s natural response to the cold temperature of the water is by breathing deeply. This is to combat the stress of the vasoconstriction shock. Thus, the extra need for enough oxygen to respire and keep you warm is by breathing deep. The process opens up our lungs just like doing a strenuous physical exercise. Thus, it results in a higher average of oxygen intake, improving your inhalation and strengthening your lungs.
6. It produces natural painkillers
Taking a cold shower after your hectic day can give you a lighter feeling. It is because the cold water temperature is effective in reducing the pressure and pain that is experienced by the muscle and joint. Did you notice that most of the athletes and sports enthusiast are taking a cold bath always after their exercise? Well, now you know why.
7. It boosts men’s fertility
The temperature helps men boosts their sperm count than a hot bath in a hot tub do. More study even proves that cold water increases the fertility of men. It is due to the fact that cold water makes the organs active and aids them to produce essential cells that are good for the body.
UCSF study also shows that men who take a regular hot bath than taking a cold shower kill more than 45% of their sperm cell. It even stated that male who took half hour of the hot bath every three weeks can render infertility in just 6 months.
8. It regulates body’s temperature.
Are you currently suffering from cold hands and feet? Do you feel an unusual amount of sweat? If yes, taking a cold shower can significantly help you. It will normalize the temperature of the body.
9. It helps fight cancer.
Cryotherapy is a cold water treatment that uses extreme cold water temperature to destroy the cancer cell. This treatment is also known as ‘cryoablation’. During the treatment, the doctor freezes the cancer cells to kill the harmful cancer cell from accumulating within the body where it is occurring.
After the treatment, the patient’s immune system gets rid of the dead tissue after a few weeks. Cryotherapy is also used in treating basal cell skin cancer and cervical cancer. Moreover, this treatment is safe to use, where patients do not generally experience pain, unlike surgery.
10. Get rid of varicose veins.
Contrast therapy or the alternating bath between hot & cold can reduce the enlarged veins caused by varicose. Indeed, this type of hydrotherapy (contrast therapy) is one of painless, effective, and safest natural remedy for varicose vein. Cold water promotes contraction to the superficial veins, thus lessening the effect of inflammation of the varicose.
Getting yourself on an immediate cold bath without properly adjusting the temperature of the shower will only trigger shock to the muscles and tissues, therefore causing unwanted strain and discomfort on the body.
- Adjusting the temperature gradually. The best way to begin your cold water therapy is by adjusting the temperature of the water slowly from warm to cold each time you take a shower. Subsequently, you can adjust it a little colder each day.
- Begin with your feet. Feet can easily adjust to the temperature as compared to other parts of your body. So, get your feet under the spray, then work with the lower body under the shower as quickly as you can in order for your body to easily adjust to the cold water temperature.
- Upper extremities next. Get your upper extremities wet and splash water over your torso, arms, and hands. Do not start with your upper body if you don’t want to experience extreme chilling or shivering. Also, make sure that the water is running freely at your chest and shoulders.
- Head under. Cold bath or shower is very different from hot or steam shower since you are going to breathe heavily or involuntarily because of the natural response of the body to the temperature. Therefore, to get a better inhalation or to avoid water from entering through your mouth and nose, get yourself under the shower head.
- Run water at your back. Thousands of nerve fibers are naturally routed through our spine, that’s why getting the back wet with cold water is one of the hardest.
You are going to feel like an electrical charge crackling up and down on your back, so get your back wet lastly before finishing your bath.
Now you know the 10 amazing ways how a cold shower or cold bath can improve your health. So, go ahead, close that shower enclosure, and give yourself the cold shower that your body deserves.
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