“Cold Showers” is part of a monthly column of mental health articles by Karen Munson. Read the previous month’s article, “Meditation,” at the link.
According to Gary Brecka, human biologist, researcher, biohacker, and social media influencer in health and fitness, there are several mental and physical benefits to taking a cold shower. Since cold heats up the body, and is invigorating, it is best to take a cold shower first thing in the morning to get you energized. Hot showers cool off the body and make you sleepy.
After sudsing up in a warm shower, step back, turn the nozzle to a colder setting, and step into that chilling stream to rinse off. Just do it. The first 15-20 seconds are the toughest. Be uncomfortable for a few minutes as an investment in your future self. At first, you will start breathing rapidly with the impact. Taking deep regular breaths will increase your control and decrease stress.
You can ease into it by making the water gradually colder with each shower, or hit the throttle and turn it to the coldest setting right away. You may be more likely to continue this practice if you work into it in increments. You can also gradually increase the length of your exposure starting with 30 seconds and increasing 30 seconds with each shower.
Whether you start slow or go all in, your temperature goal is 57 degrees Fahrenheit or 14 degrees Celsius for 1-3 minutes in duration. The optimal amount of cold exposure is 10 minutes per week so you only need to shower 1-2 minutes per day to get the optimal results.
Cold water temperature is based on the ground temperature. Thus, water in cold climates will come out of your faucet colder than in warm climates, and snowy winters will be even more chilling. While we can control the hot temperature of water, we cannot control the coldest temperature. Do the best you can in your setting.
The first thing you will experience is your arteries clamping down, pushing all your blood from your extremities into your core and brain. Your body was designed to do this because it doesn’t know how long you will be exposed and it is saving your life from hypothermia. But not to worry; you will be done in a few minutes.
Your arteries are lined with smooth muscles. This clamping exercises your circulatory system and makes it more efficient. Exposing your body to cold is a workout, surging blood and its accompanying oxygen to vital organs and the brain. Disease cannot reside in an oxygenated environment. Let that sink in.
The next thing that will happen is an endorphin rush of dopamine. This rush will last several hours longer than any other drug. It will elevate your mood and eliminate darkness and negativity. This is the main reason cold showers are recommended in this column. The uplift first thing in the morning will set your trajectory in a positive direction. And the confidence you feel after repeatedly doing this tough thing is amazing.
The third thing is that when you get cold enough, the liver will produce a shock protein. When this protein hits the blood, it scours it. The shock of cold water in the bloodstream stimulates leukocytes which help fight infection in the body. This can help you fight off common illnesses, like colds and the flu. It builds your resistance to disease.
Being exposed to cold also activates brown fat or brown adipose tissue, a healthy fat we are born with. White fat is associated with obesity and heart disease. Whenever you are cold, some of your white fat converts into brown fat. Healthy levels of brown fat also indicate that white fat will be at a healthy level and that glucose is being quickly cleared from your bloodstream. This increases insulin sensitivity which helps prevent cardiovascular disease.
Wim Hof, also known as the Ice Man for his utilization of cold therapy for fitness and mental health, says that the most proven benefit of taking a cold shower is a more efficient metabolism. Since the cold water is cooling down your body, your cells start burning extra fuel to keep you warm. Taking a cold shower regularly improves your metabolism, which could contribute to weight loss over time. Just like lifting weights makes your muscles stronger, cold showers help your metabolic system stay fit.
One of the most interesting benefits of cold exposure is that it helps your body fight sickness. In 2015 scientists in the Netherlands asked 3,018 people to turn their showers to 90 seconds of cold for 30 days in a row, followed by two months of showering cold at their own discretion. By the end of the study, 29% of the people reported fewer sickness absences from work.
Cold therapy is a perfect example of mind and body working together to accept what is and feel the power of not fighting it, but working with it for your good. Over time, the cold shower isn’t such a shock to your body. You get accustomed to the invigorating sensation and look forward to it.
One cold therapy participant in France exclaimed, “It’s like a wave of energy and you feel you can conquer life, that you have so much potential. It allows you to get high on your own supply.”
Wim Hof goes on to say that cold exposure lowers perceived stress, helps you sleep more soundly, and instantly turns your frown upside down. Now that sounds like something worth looking into for better mental health.
– by Karen Munson
Karen M. Munson – Escalante
Karen is an associate editor at The Byway. She is fascinated and fulfilled by all things involved with writing. After graduating from BYU, she taught English at Escalante High School for three years. She pursues opportunities to write and support others in their writing. Karen has published three books with four more scheduled to be released in 2024. She and Reed are the parents of ten children and the grandparents of 35 grandchildren.
Karen is the author of two columns in The Byway, A New Twist on Mental Health and Lyle’s Corner.