Just don’t think that we are forcing you to throw yourself into icy water. Nobody is forcing you to do this. Just try a little experiment: next time you take a shower, start with hot and end with cold.
Stand under running cool water for at least one minute. To make it more comfortable, you can first put your feet up, then wipe your shoulders and face, and then stand completely under the water.
Do this for a couple of days and just see how you feel. If it's better, then why not continue further. This is a good habit, and here's why:
You will become stronger
Do you want to improve, become more resilient, more purposeful and achieve your goals easier? Cold shower - good way strengthen willpower and, perhaps best of all, to get out of your comfort zone (psychologists say this is very useful). Think for yourself what it takes to force yourself to stand under a stream of cold water. So, do it.
You will be less nervous
Do you often worry about everything, do you get angry or lose your temper easily? A cold shower will also help. The fact is that cold water trains nervous system, and it becomes easier for you to deal with stress. Research shows that a cold shower is like a little vaccine against stress. After about a month of regular cold treatments, you will become much “cooler” and minor troubles will no longer be able to affect your mood.
Increased concentration
If you are that brave person who has already tried to take a cold shower in the morning, you probably know that in the first second it is difficult to even breathe. But don't worry, breathing this deeply every morning improves your heart rate and significantly increases the concentration of oxygen in your blood. As a result, you will have more energy throughout the day, you will become more alert and less tired than your work colleagues.
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The condition of hair and skin will improve
Cold shower is one of the the best ways improve the condition of your hair, and it’s free (well, almost). After all, when you wash your hair in hot water, it becomes too dry, and cold water, on the contrary, closes the hair follicles (protective scales of the hair), due to which less sebaceous secretion is washed off from the hair. As a result, the hair begins to shine and falls out less. The same goes for your skin, which becomes clearer.
You will become slimmer
Cold water stimulates the formation of brown fat cells, which warms our body and helps burn fat deposited on the stomach and waist. Cold showers speed up the elimination of toxins, so... excess weight will go away faster. There are studies that show that regular cold showers can help you lose up to 4 kg per year.
Blood circulation will improve
Cold water constricts blood vessels, and blood begins to circulate faster. Starting to freeze, the body more actively supplies blood to the internal organs to warm them up. As a result, this has a very beneficial effect on the state of the cardiovascular system.
You will get sick less often
This is perhaps the most known fact about a cold shower. Chills promote activation of the immune system and an increase in lymphocytes and monocytes, which are responsible for destroying bacteriological agents in the blood; in other words, they kill viruses and bacteria.
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The lymphatic system will be cleansed
In addition, cold showers are good for the lymphatic system, which helps remove all kinds of waste from our cells. This is very important, because poor functioning of the lymphatic system leads to frequent colds, infections and joint pain. A contrast shower and alternating hot and cold water will help start the system and cleanse the lymph.
Depression will go away
It has been proven that cold showers can relieve symptoms of depression, and if taken regularly, they work as well as antidepressants. The mechanism that explains this effect is the stimulation of dopamine energy metabolism.
It will become easier to wake up
Among other things, you will forever solve the problem of early rises. If you find it difficult to wake up in the morning, take a cold shower; it helps better than any coffee.
And it will be easier to fall asleep
Cold water is one of the best ways to help you fall asleep instantly in the evening. At first it is difficult and not very pleasant to stand under cold water. Start with a warm shower, warm up your body until you feel comfortable, and then turn the tap to cold water. For an even stronger effect, pour cold water into a bowl or jug and pour it all over the back of your neck after taking a warm shower. It won't be cold; on the contrary, the water will seem scalding. And after this procedure, you will feel a pleasant warmth, your muscles will relax, and you will fall asleep like a baby.
When you are asked for advice on how to wake up refreshed, or how to cheer up in the morning, the first thing that comes to your mind is, of course, a cold shower. Few people know that a cold shower can either invigorate you or make you half-asleep and comatose. Not enough, because many people talk about it, sometimes do it, and almost no one does it systematically.
And in order not to feel dull in the morning after taking a cold shower, when you actually take it regularly, you need to know how to do it correctly. I won’t say that my option is the only correct and unique one.
I won’t say that it was developed in Antarctica in a secret laboratory by a group of advanced Soviet-Chinese scientists together with penguins. But my option is correct, and I do not exclude that there are other correct options.
How do you still take a cold shower?
You need to start contacting cold water from the soles of your feet. After you have poured cold water on your feet, you need to pour your feet up to your knees.Now pause for a few seconds and imagine that now you will be pouring cold water down your collar, the thought of this is very invigorating. Without delay, gather your resolve and move forward.
The next step is to pour water over your back, as if you were pouring water down your collar, as they say, “down the collar.” Your feet and legs up to your knees get wet quickly, but you shouldn’t spare water on your back. Next, pour water over the entire body, and longer. In general, approximately 70% of the water should go to pouring over the body.
Next, you need to quickly pour water over your hands, feet, groin areas, and intimate places. And at the very end you need to pour over the face and head (where the hair grows, if it is short, if it is long, then you can only pour over the face).
The head is important point, the head and face should be doused quickly, accompanied by massage movements of your hands. After dousing your head and face, you should immediately shake off excess water with your hands.
And at the end, you can once again generously pour water on your back and torso.
Then dry your entire body with a towel, rubbing the skin thoroughly to increase blood flow. It is advisable to use a cotton or bamboo towel.
Why do you need to do it this way?
This needs to be done so that you don’t feel cold after taking a shower for another half a day, so that your head doesn’t think too hard before lunch, and so that a cold shower really charges you with energy.
When some part of our body freezes, the body puts it into “standby mode.” warm weather", cutting down the heating of this part of the body to save heat, and this part of the body, for example the leg, becomes colder. Thus, blood flow to the cold part of the leg slows down, and metabolism and nutrient supply are also reduced.
If you overdo it on your hands and feet, your hands and feet will remain cold for a long time and you will feel cold from midday, especially if it is not too hot at home or wherever you are going.
And if you overdo it with pouring cold water on your head, your head will also go into hot weather waiting mode. In fact, your face will be red blue tint in semi-expressive spots and, worst of all, you will have trouble thinking because the blood flow to your head has slowed down.
And in order not to slow down the blood flow to the head, arms and legs, it is necessary to do everything as expected, not to overcool the head and limbs.
The main part of the cold water should be poured onto the torso, because the boiler room of our body is located there. And if you sharply reduce the temperature of the body by a few degrees, the body suddenly releases additional thermal resources. The effect is similar to that of “walruses” who pour buckets of ice water on themselves, or jump into an ice hole.
That is why you need to pour over your arms and legs after the body, that is, after the body has additionally warmed the body. If you immediately pour over your head, arms, legs, and then your torso, the effect will not be as expected; you risk putting your head and limbs into standby mode.
If you don’t add water to your torso, you will be cold, and your head and limbs may go into waiting mode for warm weather and the day will be ruined.
Those who take cold showers regularly and incorrectly usually feel cold before lunch, if not until the evening. Their heads are slow to think, and it also takes about the same amount of time. Such people turn on properly only after lunch or in the late afternoon.
Even in winter, their skin on their arms and legs peels and may crack, because due to systematically reduced blood flow, nutrients do not reach the required quantities, the skin renews itself too slowly.
The same thing will happen on your face + acne if you have the slightest predisposition to it.
The head should be doused after the arms, legs and torso precisely because in this way the blood is driven through the head to the maximum, which provides the greatest invigorating effect.
At the very beginning, you need to pour on your feet, then your legs to the knees in order to let your body know that it will soon be cold and give it the opportunity to prepare. It is possible to immediately suddenly pour water down the collar, but it is not advisable, since this will be too much stress for the cardiovascular system.
Don't forget that there is still a hot shower
A cold shower in the morning is good, but in the evening you need to take a hot one. Because if you take only cold showers in the morning and evening, day after day, you may develop minor skin problems. Firstly, fat, dirt and dead layers of skin will not be washed off well. Secondly, the pores of our skin shrink when in contact with cold water, and expand when in contact with hot water. Therefore, in order to cleanse the pores and not clog them, you need to regularly take not only a cold shower, but also a hot one, or hot bath.And this is necessary not only so that you have healthy skin, but also to make you feel better. Because the surface of the skin is the largest excretory organ of a person, and if it does not work well, then your health will be worse.
Cold water causes blood vessels to constrict, which speeds up blood flow throughout the body.
This, in turn, promotes cleansing internal organs, helps remove impurities through the blood and pores of the skin.
7 factors that positively affect health
1. Accelerate metabolism
When you take a cold shower, your body temperature drops. As a result, the body begins to consume more energy to restore it. This way, you naturally speed up your metabolism and burn more calories.
This is especially true for people with a slow metabolism, such as that caused by hypothyroidism.
2. Regulates body temperature
When our metabolism increases, our body activates its natural temperature regulation function.
This, in particular, is very good for health. After all, we are used to always being in comfortable temperature regulated externally (heating, air conditioning).
3. Elimination of edema
The effect that cold water has on the circulatory system activates blood circulation and lymphatic drainage of the body, which helps fight swelling.
This is useful both for those who suffer from swelling and heaviness in the legs, and for those who have the problem of inflammation in the joints.
4. Cold showers improve skin condition
A cold shower is the best spa treatment for your skin. Since it has a positive effect and also helps fight wrinkles.
In addition, cold water helps remove dead cells from the surface of the skin and also prevents the appearance of stretch marks and cellulite.
5. Shiny hair
Apart from the health and skin benefits, cold showers can also transform your hair. You will achieve this effect if you rinse the back of your head with cold water. As a result, your hair will gain shine and stop falling out.
However, the temperature of the water when rinsing your hair should be cool, but not icy.
6. Activates blood circulation
Cold showers speed up the heartbeat and cause muscle contraction, which activates blood flow throughout the body.
Firstly, it immediately makes you feel great, and Secondly, very good for health.
7. Improves immunity
By improving the functioning of the lymphatic system, cold water also has a beneficial effect on the immune system. We can even say with confidence that a cold shower in the morning strengthens the immune system.
How should you take a cold shower?
Always start with your feet. Since a sharp drop can be dangerous for the health of the heart and lungs.
Apply to both legs first, then move towards the neck and face, while avoiding the rest of the head. You can also climb right leg to the neck, and then go down the left.
The duration of a cold shower can range from 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can also do a contrast shower, alternating very cold and very cold. hot water.
Although cold water is very beneficial for our body, you should always avoid the head area.
If in the past you always preferred to shower with a very hot water, then we recommend lowering the temperature gradually. You can either lower the temperature or alternate between cold and hot water.
Thanks to beneficial properties, which we described above, a cold shower is very useful in the morning, thanks to its stimulating power.
On the other hand, hot water is more appropriate in the evening; it helps us relax and fall asleep faster.
Note: People with heart disease or hyperthyroidism should not shower with water that is too cold. You can combine hot water with cool water, or, for example, take a shower with warm water.
7:30. Frosty March morning. I stand in the cramped bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and resolutely look at my reflection. The shower is on, as always at this time. But one detail changes the entire usual order: not gentle streams pour into the bathtub warm water. This morning my goal is to jump into a cold shower. And period.
But as soon as my fingertips touch the water, the ghost of determination melts away, like a snowflake in the palm of my hand. I grab the handle of the hot water faucet and turn it all the way, like the last coward. The bathroom mirror is fogging up. This is amazing, damn it!
The origins of my failed experiment can be traced back to a stray New York magazine article about cryotherapy for rich people: Spend three minutes in a room while cold nitrogen does its thing, and get healthy with extreme low temperatures! The treatment should burn calories, jumpstart the immune system and trigger a flood of mood-boosting endorphins, similar to a runner's high. Excellent tool from seasonal blues.
But while I'm not a millionaire and don't live in an apartment overlooking Central Park, I decided to look for more available methods, to reap the same harvest of beneficial effects. The Internet led me to the wonderful and harsh world of invigorating showers.
Health improves from cold water, the temperature of which you can tolerate.
Katharine Hepburn spent her life preaching about the benefits of cold. Brave walrus divers who dive into icy waters in winter also claim that this gives them an adrenaline rush to make them feel renewed and fresh. (Although doctors warn that winter swimming is dangerous for people with heart disease.) Orthodox Christians are known Epiphany bathing in ice water to cleanse the soul.
Professional athletes like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James take ice baths to relieve irritation and soothe post-workout aching muscles. (And even don't be shy post experiments on social media.) Ned Brophy-Williams, an Australian sports scientist and author of several studies on cold water therapy, explained that immersion in cold water redirects blood flow “from peripheral to deep vessels, while reducing inflammation, increasing and improving venous outflow (amount of blood returned to the heart).”
In fact, improved venous drainage means that metabolic waste products and waste that were created during the training process are quickly eliminated from the body, and nutrients are nourished to strengthen tired muscles. In other words, you will be cleansed. Although an ice bath is ideal in this case. Eight minutes in a cold shower - alternated with a warm one - is better than nothing. There are even clinical studies that have confirmed that cold water stimulates the formation of healthy brown fat cells, which are deposited in the upper half of the body and help burn lipids - fats that store excess calories and are deposited on the stomach and waistline.
But since I can't start my morning with hundreds of jumping jacks and squats, I thought cold water would help my productivity or at least lift my spirits. In 2007, molecular biologist Nikolai Shevchuk published a study in which he proved that cold showers can treat symptoms of depression, and with regular use they even show top scores than pharmacological antidepressants. “The mechanism that explains the uplifting effect of cold water immersion may be the stimulation of dopamine energy metabolism in the mesolimbic and neurogastric pathways,” Shevchuk told the Neuroscience podcast. “Dopamine pathways control our emotions, and many studies have shown that these areas of the brain are linked to depression.”
In non-scientific terms, cold water fills the areas of the brain responsible for mood with happiness hormones.
Independent studies have shown that “walruses” have “significantly reduced feelings of tension and fatigue, improved mood and memory.”
I was interested in the methodology that the scientist used. In his study - and Shevchuk admits the sample was statistically small - participants started with a warm shower. (Here's my mistake: I should have done the same.) Over the course of five minutes, the water temperature gradually decreased until it reached 20 °C. This temperature appears very low upon contact with the skin. Participants stood under a cold shower for two to three minutes. It's like swimming in the spring Pacific Ocean in the Orange County area of California or in the Baltic Sea in early summer. It should be noted that temperatures below 16 °C cause hypothermia!
Armed with this new knowledge, I decided to give cold water a second chance. The next time I turned on the tap with less hot water than usual and jumped into the shower. Over the course of several minutes, he slowly reduced the temperature until the body began to rebel. My breathing quickened. My heart began to beat faster. I started dancing to keep warm. But when I concentrated and slowed down my breathing, the cold water became easier to endure. It was like getting used to swimming in an unheated pool: doable and not that scary.
When I dried off, I immediately felt ready for action. My heart was still beating faster, and that morning I felt an excitement that I can no longer get from coffee. I was full of enthusiasm, even though it was a slushy New York winter outside. I even smiled at my colleagues!
Did I take the desired effect for the actual one? Certainly. But the best thing I can say to confirm the results of the experiments is that I have been taking cold showers ever since.
Take a cold shower is probably not the most inspiring thing for most people. On the contrary, just the thought of it can send shivers down your spine.
However, if you learn about the enormous benefits that cold shower brings to the body, you will definitely want to try this simple and affordable home therapy.
The effect of cold water
Cold water helps constriction of blood vessels, which speeds up blood flow throughout the body.
This, in turn, helps cleanse the internal organs. Helps remove toxins through the blood and pores on the skin.
7 factors that positively affect health
1. Cold showers speed up your metabolism
When you take a cold shower, your body temperature drops. As a result, the body begins to spend more energy to restore it. This way, you naturally speed up your metabolism and burn more calories.
This is especially true for people with a slow metabolism, such as that caused by hypothyroidism.
2. Regulates body temperature
When our metabolism increases, our body activates its natural temperature regulation function.
This, in particular, is very good for health. After all, we are used to always being at a comfortable temperature, controlled externally (heating, air conditioning).
3. Take a cold shower to eliminate swelling
The effect that cold water has on the circulatory system is - improving blood circulation and lymphatic drainage of the body. This helps fight swelling.
It is useful both for those who suffer from fluid retention and heaviness in the legs, and for those who have problems with the joints.
4. Cold showers improve skin condition
A cold shower is the best spa treatment. It has a positive effect on the skin and also helps fight wrinkles.
In addition, cold water helps remove dead cells from the surface of the skin, and also prevents the appearance of stretch marks and.
5. Shiny hair
Apart from the health and skin benefits, cold showers can also transform your hair. You will achieve this effect if you rinse the back of your head with cold water. As a result, your hair will gain shine and stop falling out.
Just keep in mind: water when rinsing should be cool, but not icy.
6. Activates blood circulation
Cold showers speed up the heartbeat and cause muscle contraction, which accelerates throughout the body.
Firstly, it immediately makes you feel great, and secondly, it is good for health.
7. Strengthens the immune system
By improving the functioning of the lymphatic system, cold water also has a beneficial effect on the immune system. It's safe to say that A cold shower in the morning strengthens the immune system.
How should you take a cold shower?
Always start with your feet. Since a sharp drop can be dangerous for the health of the heart and lungs.
- Apply to both legs first, then move up to the neck and face, while avoiding other parts of the head.
- You can also go up the right leg to the neck, and then down the left.
- The duration of a cold shower can range from 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can also do a contrast shower, alternating between very cold and very hot water.
- Although cold water is very beneficial for our body, you should always avoid the head area.
- If previously you always preferred to take hot shower, then we recommend lowering the temperature gradually.
- Cold showers are especially beneficial in the morning due to their stimulating power.
Hot water will be more appropriate in the evening. It helps us relax and fall asleep faster.
Note: People with heart disease or hyperthyroidism should not shower with water that is too cold. You can combine hot water with cool water, or, for example, take a shower with warm water.
