The Benefits Of A Cold Shower

If you are not used to cold showers, you can start by lowering the temperature gradually. Your bathroom should be relatively warm for the contrast to be beneficial.

Some people like to take a cold shower. But, is it good for your health?

Many of us take hot or even lukewarm showers, depending on the temperature outside.

It’s a hard habit to change until we know all the good things a cold shower can do for us.

Find out how to improve your health by taking cold showers, and try several techniques to do it without too much difficulty.

Shower in cold or hot water?

In fact, both cold and hot water have benefits for our health. The important thing is to know how to use them at the right time, and in a balanced way.

As a rule, we shower almost exclusively with hot water, sometimes at an excessive temperature, and quite often for too long.

For our body, heat is more pleasant, because it allows the blood vessels to dilate and promote relaxation.

However, if we overdo it, hot showers can weaken us, rob us of our energy, and unbalance our blood circulation.

For all these reasons, it is important to know how to combine the two temperatures when washing.

Many seaside resorts and other hydrotherapy centers offer alternating temperature baths to take advantage of all the benefits that water can bring us.

The best way to start is to apply a little cold water gradually, combining it at regular intervals with hot water.

The benefits of cold water

• It reduces inflammation.
• Improves blood circulation as it constricts blood vessels and prevents varicose veins.
• Fights tissue flaccidity.
• Tones the skin and improves its appearance.
• Accelerates the metabolism.
• Prevents cellulite.
• Provides vitality and energy, while producing long-term relaxing effects.
• Gradually strengthens the immune system.
• Regulates the nervous system.

How to take a good cold shower?

• Low temperature showers should not be very long. 5 minutes is more than enough.
• Avoid the area of ​​your head. You can pass a net, very quickly, on your neck if you wish.
• Your bathroom should be relatively warm, and you should not feel cold when you shower, so that you can benefit from the virtues of temperature contrast.
• If you have heart trouble you need to be extra careful. You can start with lukewarm water and then gradually lower your shower temperature, depending on your body’s reaction.
• You can alternate the temperatures during your shower. Start with 1 minute of cold water, then 1 minute of hot water, and continue with 2 minutes of cold water, to finish with 2 minutes of hot water.
• You should always end your shower with a trickle of cold water.
• When you get out of the shower, you should help your body get back to its usual temperature. You can do a little exercise, massage yourself by applying a lotion or rub vigorously with your towel.

It is best to take a cold shower in the evening, because you can then go straight to bed to warm up.

Open air baths

As your body gets used to the cold water, you will feel the urge to keep following this habit.

You can then consider other options, such as swimming in the sea, in a river or in cold water lakes.

It’s common to do this in the summer, but it’s also important to do it on those sunny days of fall or spring.

You can exercise before swimming, then dip in the water for just a few minutes, before doing a new exercise, or dry off well, to bring your body temperature back to normal levels.

The fact of carrying out this type of bath in full nature will bring you many benefits, in particular for your nervous system.

Do it in safe areas, taking all necessary precautions.

Localized baths

If you have health problems in the extremities of your body, such as arthritis or osteoarthritis in the joints, you can take baths with only those parts of your body wet.

You will need containers large enough to be able to immerse areas of your body that are painful. Put very cold water in one, and fairly hot water in the other.

In the same way as for the shower, alternate between the two basins, immersing your limbs for the same amount of time in both.

If you do this every day, you will drastically reduce the inflammation and pain you may experience in these areas, even if you have suffered from these problems chronically for many years.