Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Benefits of Cold Showers

I have a friend that swears by cold showers — he takes them in the mornings and claims that he feels refreshed and rejuvenated in a way that just doesn’t compare to hot showers. The science is there — taking cold showers causes the blood in your body to flow more rapidly. After exposure to an especially cold stimulus, your body forces blood to allocate to your organs in an attempt to keep them heated. Over time, your circulation improves as a result of this energy transfer, and your brain learns to regulate your body temperature more efficiently.


Cold showers have other benefits, too. Bathing in chilled water helps reduce the expansion of skin pores, which in turn improves your complexion by preventing foreign substances from entering your skin. Regular cold showers have been correlated to improvements in mood, energy, and even symptoms of depression. Cold showers might even help to boost your immune system. I almost always feel tired in the mornings, but the shock-factor of a cold shower helps to wake me up and get me ready to start my day. The health advantages add up, and the benefits don’t stop there.

Cold showers are good for the environment. The hot water we use to shower every day is an energy-hog, contributing to high utility costs and an over-saturation of fossil fuel emissions. If you’re considering trying something new, or just looking to spice up your daily routine, consider giving cold showers a try. It’s going to take some getting used to, but there’s definitely physical, mental, and environmental incentives that are worth considering. Good luck, and if you give cold showers a shot, definitely let me know!
Posted by Michael Salhany (C)

9 comments:

  1. Wow, I've always hated cold showers but after reading this post I think I should probably re evaluate my attitude towards them. I kind of knew there were some benefits to cold showers, but never to this degree. Very nice post!

    ~ Mitch

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  2. I like that you provided so much evidence for the benefits of cold showers- it's definitely necessary in order to persuade someone to change over from the comfort of hot showers. Your article definitely makes it worth considering!
    -Meghan Harrington

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  3. Nice post! I'm definitely a hot-shower person. However, this post really makes me consider trying cold showers. I've heard some debates about taking chilled bath or cold showers will temporarily close skin pores to keep your body temperature relatively warm, which might not allow all the dirt, oil and sweat to be washed away. What do you think about this?
    -Phi Duong

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    1. Interesting! I'm sure there are side effects to weigh with the benefits, and there is likely incentive to showering with hot water every now and then. Thanks for bringing up that point!

      -Michael Salhany

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  4. Interesting post! Now that you mentioned all of the benefits of cold showers it definitely makes a lot of sense. My water heater at home just broke actually, so maybe this weekend won't be so bad after all! Still kind of dreading it though..

    -Ashley Condon

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    1. Oh no! Best of luck to you! I'm glad you found my article so you can maybe feel a little bit good about the cold!

      -Michael Salhany

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  5. That's really interesting! You provided a lot of concrete evidence in a manner that was interesting to keep up with instead of just boring. I'm definitely going to have to try and make the swap to cold showers, although I don't think I'll have the willpower to go through with it.
    -Mark Glasman

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  6. This is interesting I really hate cold showers but these benefits are making me think about it more and since summer is near why not. But I have also known that when I'm really sore from doing a sport or exercising a cold shower really helps take away the soreness which I love. This post helps to understand a little as why that is too.

    - Jazmin Granadeno

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  7. Wow! Such an amazing and helpful post this is. I really really love it. It's so good and so awesome. I am just amazed. I hope that you continue to do your work like this in the future also cold shower benefits

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