Table of contents:
- Benefits of cold shower for health
- 1. Increase alertness
- 2. Smooths hair and skin
- 3. Improve immunity and blood circulation
- 4. Lose weight
- 5. Accelerate the recovery of muscle aches and pains
- 6. Relieve stress
- 7. Helps manage depression
- However, not everyone is allowed to take a cold shower
Many immediately shook their heads when they imagined that they had to wash their bodies with cold water when they woke up in the early morning. In fact, a cold shower can be a healthy way to start your day. And not only that, cold showers also have various health benefits that you never realized before.
Benefits of cold shower for health
1. Increase alertness
Getting cold even before the rooster crows is probably the last thing many people want. However, taking a deep breath when we start to shiver cold actually opens our breathing and increases oxygen intake throughout the body, which in turn increases our heart rate and improves blood flow, thereby keeping us warm. This then gives us the energy "kick" to get started.
2. Smooths hair and skin
A cold shower is a natural way to keep hair and skin healthy. Hot water which strips away natural oils and dries out the skin. Meanwhile, cold water actually tightens hair and skin cuticles by temporarily contracting blood vessels as the body reacts to changes in temperature. Tightening the cuticles and skin pores will prevent dirt and other harmful elements from clogging the pores of the skin and scalp.
A cold shower can also make hair look shinier, stronger, and healthier by flattening the hair follicles and increasing their ability to grip the scalp.
3. Improve immunity and blood circulation
The shock we feel from the splash of cold water first triggers the heart to more efficiently pump blood around the body, which in turn can promote better health - including skin and liver health. A smoother blood circulation after a cold shower can also lower blood pressure, flush plaque build-up in blood vessels, and promote a better working immune system.
A 1994 study found a drastic reduction in uric acid levels during and subsequent exposure to cold stimuli.
4. Lose weight
A cold shower can help your weight loss program in unexpected ways. The human body contains two types of fat, white fat and brown fat. White fat is the accumulation of fat in the waist, stomach, and neck that occurs when we consume more calories than our bodies need to function, and we don't burn white fat for energy. Meanwhile brown fat is the good fat we use to generate heat to keep our bodies warm, and is burned when we are exposed to extreme cold. So, cold showers can promote brown fat metabolism.
A 2009 study found that exposure to extreme cold temperatures reportedly burns brown fat by a 15-fold increase, which means you can lose up to 5 kilograms in a year if you continue to regularly shower in the morning with cold water.
5. Accelerate the recovery of muscle aches and pains
Cold showers are especially effective in relieving muscle soreness whose symptoms appear late, for example a few days after you hit the gym. That's because cold water has regenerative properties that can help soothe sore muscles after a tiring workout session.
6. Relieve stress
Leaving the body in the cold, unrelated to help promote increased tolerance for stress, both physically and mentally. There is also an increase in gluthathione, an antioxidant that keeps all other antioxidants at optimal levels. After observing 10 healthy people who swam regularly in cold water during the winter, researchers reported an adjustment to the body's repetitive oxidative stress - indicating increased resistance to attacks from stressors.
7. Helps manage depression
While trials using cold baths as a treatment for depression have not been conducted, repeated exposure to cold water has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms due to the intense impact that cold receptors have on the skin, which send large amounts of electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings to the brain.. This has an antidepressive effect, and it elevates your mood, making you more excited about the day.
In addition, adapting to exposure to cold water can increase the body's ability to deal with other psychological aspects that accompany anxiety and depression.
However, not everyone is allowed to take a cold shower
While cold showers have many health benefits, they are not recommended for everyone. The shock sensation we feel from cold water, while enhancing beneficial, can have the opposite effect in people who are sick or otherwise vulnerable - for example, people who are older, elderly, or who have a heart condition. The jolt of shock from a cold shower may cause them to faint or have a heart attack that can be fatal - especially if they fall and hit a wall.
