10 Health Benefits of Cold Water Showers
Cold showers are ideal for the person to activate and wake up, as it activates circulation and improves the blood circulation itself. Of course, the water should never fall below 15 degrees, the best temperature considered is above 20 degrees and is not recommended for people suffering from vascular diseases, rheumatic heart or urinary tract diseases.
Benefits of showering with cold water
Improves physical health
The force of cold water on your skin makes your heart beat faster and your muscles flex. This sends blood to your muscles and your vital organs. The hot water does the opposite, moving the blood to the surface of the skin. Alternating hot and cold water while in the shower is a great way to stimulate and improve circulation. That also serves to improve the nervous system.
Psychological benefits
The ancient samurai of Japan used to pour buckets of icy water over their heads in the morning to cleanse their body and spirit. They believed that helping them to start the day and each adventure fresh and with the senses "awake”. Cold water showers release chemicals in the brain that improve your mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and relieve depression. Cold showers can stimulate the secretion of adrenaline in the brain, which is associated with the improvement of mood disorders like depression.
Increased energy
In addition, there is nothing like cold water to wake up to, cold showers can increase your energy levels because the nerve ending of your skin becomes active. When we shower with cold water we can experience that after getting out of the shower we feel rejuvenated, fresh and with more energy than before showering. Suddenly, it feels like the fatigue had gone down the drain.
Treatment of inflammations
Frozen baths are often used to decrease inflammation of the extremities. Veins are contracted throughout the body and toxins are removed from the blood.
Tolerance to stress
In general, cold exposures improve the ability to control stress, with the passage of time, this leads to the strengthening of your immune system. Cold water showers have also been used to reduce chronic pain, kidney function and improvement of sleep quality, which cause us to feel more stressed.
Lymphatic movement
Cold showers cause contraction of the entire body and this is very good for the lymphatic system as the fluid expands throughout the body. If the lymphatic system is not efficient, the fluid accumulates in the extremities (usually in the feet) and this can be detrimental to our health.
Detoxify your body
Cold water encourages toxins to be removed from the skin, therefore, they do not continue inside the body, where they can cause us infections.
Better appearance of skin and hair
The hot water opens the pores and the cold water closes them. Using hot water to clean your pores and then using cold water to close them will improve the appearance of your skin. The same goes for the hair, keeps it cool and shiny.
Increased testosterone and fertility
It is known that heat kills sperm. On the contrary, cold water baths have the opposite effect, since they increase the level of testosterone in men, which leads to an increase in sperm production and improves fertility.
Metabolic advantages
Cold showers increase the metabolic rate, forcing your body to regulate the temperature continuously, which uses many calories.
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