The benefits and possible harms of a cold shower. Cold Showers: Pros and Cons for Health Is It Possible to Take an Ice Shower?

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 circulatory system, - 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 you have always preferred to take a hot shower in the past, 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.

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 an important moment; the head and face need to be poured 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 “warm weather waiting mode”, 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 dousing cold water on your head, then your head will also go into hot weather waiting mode. In fact, your face will have a reddish-blue tint with semi-expressive spots and, worst of all, you will have difficulty 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, the skin on their arms and legs peels and may crack, because due to systematically reduced blood flow they do not reach nutrients in the right 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 it will be too stressful for of cardio-vascular 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 a hot bath.
And this is necessary not only so that you have healthy skin, but also so that 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.

The modern beauty and health industry offers a wide range of procedures aimed at rejuvenating and strengthening the body. This includes hardware cosmetology, various massages, and cryotherapy (cold treatment). By the way, our article has some relation to the last point, because it will talk about the benefits and harms of a cold shower.

Errors in nutrition, stress and a sedentary lifestyle do not have the best effect on the health of the body. But these attributes have become an integral part of the lives of many people. And if previously problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and excess weight were first encountered only in old age, now it occurs in young and middle-aged people.

Water procedures are the oldest means of preventing many diseases. How does taking a cold shower affect the body? Proponents of cold therapy say ice water improves blood circulation and releases endorphins, known as the feel-good hormone. A person’s mood improves, body tone rises and immunity is strengthened. Below we will examine in more detail the effect of a cold shower on the human body.

Fat Burning

When exposed to cold, the body expends more energy to keep warm. To provide vital organs with heat, reserves of adipose tissue are used up. There is also evidence that cold water helps the production of brown fat, which is considered beneficial. It helps eliminate harmful fats deposited in the abdominal area. If you regularly take cold showers, you can lose up to 4 kg in a year.

Improved blood circulation

Blood circulation improves. Under the influence of cold, vasoconstriction occurs. Blood moves more actively, warming the body and filling internal organs. This is a good prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Improved mood

The effect of a cold shower is comparable to the euphoria of a runner. The skin contains a huge number of nerve endings. When cold water hits the skin, nerve impulses are sent straight to the brain. This helps a person experience less stress and depression.

Cold water is especially useful for the stronger sex. Showering with ice water increases testosterone levels.

Beauty of skin and hair

Cold water has a good effect on the condition of the skin and hair. Under the influence of hot water, the skin and hair dry out, which cannot be said about cold water. Oddly enough, after a cold shower, the skin becomes softer, wrinkles are smoothed out, and the hair gains shine.

Improved tone

If you take a cold shower in the morning, you will feel the benefits throughout the day. Cold water wakes up the body faster, starting the work of all systems. This effect will last all day. Instead of a cup of coffee, try to cheer yourself up in the morning with cold water from the shower.

Relaxation and healthy sleep

It is believed that you sleep better in a cool room. Cold water treatments will help those suffering from insomnia. They lead to stimulation of the receptors, and then to relaxation. A person calms down easier, which means he falls asleep faster.

Rules for performing procedures with cold water

If the beneficial effects on the body have inspired you to try this procedure, it is important to learn how to take a cold shower correctly:

1. Do not rush to fully stand under the cold stream. First wet your hands and feet and wash your face. Let your body get used to the low temperature. And then rinse completely. You can even limit yourself to washing your limbs for the first few days.
2. After the limbs get used to cold water, connect the chest, back and head. Pay attention to the space in the body where the head connects to the neck. Hold the stream there for a while, letting the water flow down your spine.
3. The temperature in the bathroom should be comfortably warm so that when you step out of an icy shower you won't find yourself in the cold air. Otherwise, there will be too much stress, which can lead to a weakening of the body's defenses.
4. It is important to remember that this is not dousing yourself with ice water, and to give your body time to get used to it. Start with water at room temperature, gradually lowering it. Remember that at a water temperature of +16 °C hypothermia begins.
5. The water should be cold, but not extremely icy. Find the right temperature. If the water takes your breath away, increase the degree a little.
6. At first, take such a shower for a few seconds, gradually increasing the duration to 20 seconds.
7. After completing the procedure, rub your entire body well, including your arms and legs. In order not to disrupt the movement of lymph, rub from the extremities to the body, avoiding the lymph nodes that are located in the groin area and behind the ears, and do not rub the armpits.

After a shower, you should feel warm throughout your body. This is an indication that the procedure was performed correctly. It's good to walk around in your underwear for a while, but if you feel very cold, put some clothes on right away.

Contraindications and harm

Is it possible for everyone to take a cold shower? Despite many beneficial properties, there are also contraindications. If you have any heart disease (ischemia, tachycardia, heart failure), such a shower should not be taken. During acute respiratory and viral diseases, it is better to postpone the procedure until complete recovery. If you have skin problems, it is recommended to consult a dermatologist. Ice showers are also contraindicated for people suffering from high or low blood pressure.

In addition to the diseases listed above, individual intolerance to cold water is possible. If you just can’t get used to such water, even by gradually reducing the temperature, then perhaps the procedure should be postponed for a while.

Cold and hot shower

No less beneficial properties has a contrast shower. The essence of the procedure is to alternate cold and hot water. Moreover, the sequence will be different for men and women. So, men start with cold water, then hot water, and finish with cold water again. Women need to start the procedure with hot water, turn on cold, and then warm. The time of the hot and warm phase should be minimal for the best effect. Basic rules for taking a contrast shower:

1. The procedure is carried out in the morning on an empty stomach after exercise.
2. The difference between cold and hot water should be around 30°C. Of course, it will take time to get used to such a contrast. Hot water- approximately 43 °C, cold - 14-15 °C.
3. A minimum of 4 contrast douches should be done, each lasting 1 minute. Duration from 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Start pouring from the bottom, moving upward. Do not keep the stream in one place for a long time.
5. Don't use detergents(soaps, gels, shampoos).
6. After the procedure, do not wipe or dry yourself. Let the body dry on its own.

In general, a contrast shower tones the body, strengthens the immune system, and prevents many diseases.

A cold shower in the morning will wake you up and energize you for the whole day. This procedure will bring benefits only if it is performed correctly, otherwise it can cause harm. In any case, listen to your body and sensations. And if you have any chronic diseases, first consult your doctor. If you follow the recommendations and regularly, procedures with cold water will bring health, good spirits and good mood.

Many experts advise taking cold shower even in winter, because it is very good for health. Cold water makes the skin more youthful and elastic, helps cope with depression and activates the brain. .

However, before you start practicing this method, you should learn about possible contraindications. In this article, we will detail all the pros and cons of cold showers so that you can make a fully informed choice.

The benefits of cold water for our health

Water is the source of life. In addition, it amounts to most our body (the human body is approximately 60% water). In order to maintain normal body water balance, it is recommended to drink 2 liters of water per day. It is important not only to regularly drink water in the required quantities, but also to please your body with water procedures.

We very rarely wash our faces with cold water, even in summer. In winter we take very hot showers, and in the hottest months we switch to warm showers. Spas use it for a reason technology to activate blood circulation using cold water. It helps saturate cells with water and significantly improves appearance skin.

Skin and hair

In addition, cold water perfectly smoothes the skin, relaxes muscles (not hot water, as is commonly thought), and exfoliates dead cells. After physical activity it is recommended accept cold shower to restore muscles.

Cold water is very beneficial for the scalp. It improves the condition of hair, makes it strong and shiny. If you can't bring yourself to wash in cold water, at least give your hair a final rinse with cool water.

Still cold showers naturally fight dandruff and prevent baldness. Hot water, for example, on the contrary, opens the pores of the scalp and stimulates the sebaceous glands. If you want to dry your hair a little, switch to washing with cold water.

Immunity and circulation

Cold showers stimulate the production of red blood cells(erythrocytes) and increases the body's resistance to bacteria and viruses. It is ideal for preventing flu and colds (although they usually claim the opposite), helps to cheer you up in the morning and clear your mind.

Also recommended take a cold bath before meditation, as the mind becomes calmer and more controllable. Cold water perfectly fights depression and activates brain functions. After the shower, you will feel cheerful and happy.

Cold water also stimulates cleansing of the body. Low temperatures have a diuretic effect and help avoid fluid retention and the formation of fat nodules. For men, bathing in cold water increases the production of the hormone testosterone and improves sperm quality.

If you've had a hard day at work or spent a lot of time on your feet, take a cold shower. Another option is to soak your feet in cold water to relax the veins and activate blood circulation.

Some studies demonstrate that cold water reduces the likelihood of developing diseases associated with hypothermia. It also helps cure tuberculosis, skin diseases, disorders menstrual cycle and diseases of the genital organs.

Beneficial properties of a cold shower: to summarize

• Stimulates the immune system.
• Skin looks firmer, younger and healthier.
• Triggers skin defense mechanisms.
• Stimulates the functioning of internal organs.
• Improves blood circulation.
• Allows oxygen to circulate more efficiently throughout the body.
• Soothes skin with eczema, itching and hives.
• Neutralizes the negative effects of prolonged exposure to the sun.
• Helps to wake up and bring the body into an active state.
• Constricts blood vessels, helps cure or prevent the appearance of spider veins.
• Helps remove toxins through pores.
• Makes hair healthy and shiny.
• Prevents hair loss and dandruff.

Cold shower: contraindications

Doctors advise not to overdo it with cold showers. He Contraindicated in people suffering from hyperthyroidism, as they are more susceptible to low temperatures.

People suffering from cardiovascular diseases and sleep disorders should also refrain from this practice, as cold water stimulates the nervous system. In order to relax before bed, hot water is much better.

What else should you know about cold water?

Do not suddenly switch to cold baths or showers. This is a great stress on the body, as the heart rate is disrupted and the lungs weaken. You need to change the water temperature gradually. Start with a warm bath, then gradually reduce the temperature. This is easier to do in spring and summer.

Pay attention to the temperature of the water in which you bathe your children. For them, it is preferable to choose medium-temperature water. If you want to get them used to cold showers, do it gradually. There are no contraindications based on age.

A cold shower will make you a man. And we are ready to vouch for such a bold statement. But let’s not be such sadists - we don’t want you to die, so if the cold doesn’t work out, start with a contrast shower, in which biting hot jets alternate with scalding ice of cold water.

In the novels about the famous “agent 007”, James Bond washes only under a contrast shower. Of course, Mr. Bond is so cool not because of his shower, but because that’s how he was described by Ian Fleming, who considered that others don’t work at Mi-6, but in real life the psychological and physical benefits of such a shower become noticeable.

Let's turn to science, which has still not recovered from the shock after the statements of Saudi scientists that the Earth is flat. Science has found the strength to confirm that a contrast shower:

Stimulates fat loss;
- accelerates metabolism;
- increases testosterone;
- improves the condition of skin and hair;
- increases sperm count;
- improves blood circulation;
- improves immune function;
- improves muscle recovery;
- increases vigilance;
- improves sleep.

It would seem like a panacea for all diseases! Wash yourself properly and be healthier, what else do you need to be happy? But they don’t wash - it’s cold. It’s like with sports - everyone understands the benefits, but few people practice.

But unlike sports, the benefits of a shower are not immediately visible. From sports, muscles grow, kilograms go away, the respiratory tract matures, but nothing grows from washing. But health increases.

Willpower and discipline

Without willpower, even the most complete collection of virtues and talents is completely useless.

A cold shower trains willpower, and it's no joke. What can you do in this life without willpower? Nothing. She makes you quit smoking, take on life, take your will into your fist.

Let us recall one experiment in this regard. Psychologists divided the unhappy, hungry students into two groups and sent them to a room where there were two bowls. One contained delicious, freshly pulled out of the oven chocolate cookies, and in the other - bitter and much less appetizing radishes. The first group was allowed to eat as many cookies as they wanted, while the other was allowed to touch only the radishes.

After such a blatant act of injustice, the students were sent to solve a puzzle. True, they were not told that it was impossible to solve - the researchers simply wanted to measure how long each group would last. The radish eaters gave up after 8 minutes, the cookie eaters in 18.

What do the results say? That willpower is just as trainable as muscles. But after chopping wood, it’s quite difficult to go and assemble grandma’s sofa - it’s too energy-intensive. So it is with radish eaters - their supply has dried up. But there is no limit to perfection: the more you train your willpower, the greater your margin of safety.

And the good news is that you can achieve good results by spending no more than a minute a day. Just when you get into the shower, turn the tap to the “hell cold” position and stand there for a minute. It's scary, unpleasant, humiliating, but damn, it works. Willpower is trained only by discomfort.

After this, you feel focused, attentive, and a strange feeling appears, like a second wind. A good compromise to improve your life is a minute under cold water.

But how can getting your loved one used to cold water can improve your career? Australian scientists answered this by saying that willpower is like a disease. Once you overcome yourself in one area (say, you learned to save), it suddenly becomes easier to overcome yourself in another (for example, in smoking). So it is here: a shower can be the beginning of something big.

Controlling your own emotions

I started every morning with a freezing cold shower. I take it for seven minutes every morning, it immunizes your body and your body starts to get used to the cold. It really works.
- -

Perhaps the best thought that will allow you to live your life without visible disappointments is: “You should be comfortable with uncomfortable things.” For example, if your nose itches, you don’t scratch it, you wait until it goes away, and you do the same with other little things. This teaches us that most uncomfortable things are temporary and disappear with time. You have to control the body, not the other way around.

It’s the same with a shower - you need to endure the discomfort until it becomes a force of habit and stops causing trouble. At the very beginning of the journey, every touch of cold water will cause you to squeal like a girl, and your hand will reach for the valve. It’s better to swear, scream, but endure it.

All these processes carry a deep philosophical message: you cannot control your environment, but you can control your reaction to it. You stopped shaking from the cold and squealing when getting under the shower - which means everything else will work out.

Accept negativity

But there is one pattern. Pay attention to the list of the happiest:

Denmark,
Norway,
Switzerland,
Netherlands,
Sweden,
Canada,
Finland,
Austria,
Iceland.

Do you need a globe to understand the pattern? Yes, these countries are damp and cool even in summer, not to mention winter. This begs two questions. First: shouldn’t people who live in wonderful weather conditions all year round, be happier? And second: why the hell don’t we feel special grace in our cold?

The answer to the first question is quite simple: comfort spoils people. Remember the mouse experiment “Universe-22”, where God’s creatures, even in comfortable conditions, began to cause mayhem.

One American journalist from the valiant and still wild state of Montana once described his short experience in Los Angeles with the words: “These bastards always don’t like something, even the weather.” But the “city of angels” has an ideal climate: not too cold, not too hot, a pleasant breeze. And the journalist, who found this climate after Montana heavenly, claims that local residents constantly complained about the weather.

Living in an uncomfortable climate teaches patience and humility. Not that slavish humility, but the understanding that not everything in this life depends on you. But if you can't change things like the climate (even if you run around Norway for a year spraying hairspray, you still won't be able to burn through the ozone layer to warm Norway up), then there's no point in being discouraged. You need to try to be happy in such conditions.

So accept the bad to live better. And take a cold shower: it’s unpleasant, cold, hard to bear (a direct description of the Finnish climate), but it teaches patience and reduces susceptibility to disease.

But we won’t give an answer to the second question, because it’s not only the cold that determines the level of happiness.

From breathing to immunity

Cold is your door to the soul.
- Wim Hof ​​-

Wim Hof ​​is an extremely entertaining guy, very partial to everything cold. He spent 73 minutes in a transparent pipe filled with cold water and ice, climbed the French Mont Blanc while wearing shorts, and swam for about a minute under the ice of a frozen lake. Doctors admire his immune system, and he tours the world and talks about his secret - breathing technique.

Imagine that you are about to take a dip in an icy lake in the middle of winter. Really imagine. What's the first thing you do? Change your breathing. When jets of invigorating cold liquid fall on you, you begin to breathe quickly, and after plunging into ice-cold water you even feel tired.

Correct execution of the Vima exercise leads to hyperventilation of the lungs and, as a result, increased blood circulation and excess carbon dioxide in the blood, which dilates the capillaries in your limbs, helping them not to freeze.

This largely explains why almost every meditation practice involves breathing exercises. If you are focused on your breathing, it means that you are focused on one moment and are not mentally wandering around the depths of the subconscious.

A cold shower will put this aspect of meditation into overdrive. Vim claims that his body, hardened by cold and proper blood circulation, has learned to kill diseases in the bud. So you can practice doing pranayama right in the shower.
Another life hack: when you can’t concentrate, imagine that you are standing up to your neck in ice water, this will immediately invigorate your thoughts.

Know your place

Do you remember this fun thing from two years ago called “Ice Bucket Challenge?” Even Zhirinovsky took part in this obscurantism. It was nice to see how people who consider themselves celestials squealed like bitches. It’s immediately obvious that they are people just like us.

Cold water reminds a person of who he really is. This is a psychological kick early in the morning that can bring you to your senses and remind you who you are and what you are striving for.

When you start taking cold showers regularly, you will notice changes within a month or two. More energy and discipline will appear - another reminder that we are all human beings, and the cold is stronger than your inappropriate show-off.