I’ve been a huge fan of contrast (hot and cold) water therapy for years. I started taking cold showers as a teenager because I’d read that it could improve your circulation. This is something I used to struggle with a lot – cold hands and feet in Winter, difficulty keeping warm. Improved circulation is one of the top cold water benefits, so I tried it and although it was really uncomfortable, I persisted.
It didn’t take long to start noticing the perks. My skin was more toned and healthy looking, my energy levels were generally higher. I could find relief from swollen legs and feet in Summer, and my body seemed better adapted to handling temperature changes.
I’ve done it on and off throughout the years and I can definitely feel the difference when I’m doing it regularly and when I’m not. It’s such a powerful and simple technique to improve your quality of life and your health. I’m excited to share with you!
What is cold water therapy
Water therapy (hydrotherapy) in general has a long history in medicine. It goes back thousands of years to Ancient Greek and Roman times and it was revived with enthusiasm during the 19th Century, when they noticed that water seemed to have an influence on the skin’s nerve endings.
Hydrotherapy (both hot and cold) has been the subject of several decades’ worth of study at this point and has accumulated very exciting scientifically proven benefits for the body. But the cold water benefits definitely “excites” people the most (for good reason) – you’ve probably heard of Wim “the iceman” Hof. If you haven’t, check him out!
Hydrotherapy in general refers to water applied in all temperatures, from ice cold to hot, and by different means: showers, baths (complete or partial), compresses, wraps, and of course taken internally (that’s both ends, there…).
Let’s just say that the subject is worth at least several blog posts, and even a very hefty manual or two.
For the purposes of this blog post however, I will only be focusing on the major (most studied) cold water benefits and how they can have such an impact on quality of life.
Below are eight of the most exciting cold water benefits that science has decided to study and has managed to confirm.
9 (Amazing!) COLD WATER BENEFITS
1 – It improves blood circulation and lymph drainage
This is particularly effective in the case of water contrast therapy, meaning hot-to-cold water contrast.
The hot water will produce a rush of blood flow from the inner organs to the skin, constricting the large organ blood vessels and dilating (expanding) the smaller skin vessels.
Switching to cold water will reverse that process, driving the blood back to the inner organs, constricting the skin vessels and dilating the inner organ vessels.
The body does this in an attempt to maintain the appropriate core temperature and protect the vital organs.
This dilation-constriction creates a type of pumping motion that wakes up the vascular system – both blood and lymph.
Since your lymph is what carries the damaged cells and foreign particles collected in your body for disposal, it’s vital to maintain its proper movement and drainage.
The lymph vascular system, unlike the blood vascular system, doesn’t have a pump to keep it moving. We need to stimulate it by exercise, physical movement, massage, or things like cold water exposure.
2 – It improves hair and skin health
The cold water benefits to the skin are due to the stimulation of blood circulation in the body, which will help nourish the cells. The increase in heart rate will help oxygenate that blood. Both will improve the tone and health of the skin, and stimulate the hair follicles.
When it comes to skin, warm water makes it easier to remove dirt and excess oil from the pores (skin and scalp), by opening them.
Cold water, on the other hand, will close and constrict the pores, improving the tone and helping to lock in moisture.
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3 – It reduces pain and inflammation, improving recovery time
Cold water baths seems to be especially effective at this, when compared to ice packs, ice massages and even whole body cryotherapy.
This works mainly due to the tightening effect on the blood vessels that is caused by applied cold, which decreases cell metabolism, reducing inflammation.
Most studies report this benefit using temperatures between 5 and 13ºC (41 to 55ºF), for periods of 10 to 24 minutes.
Winter swimmers, who regularly expose themselves to often-times ice-cold temperatures, benefits from overall reduction in pain from conditions like fibromyalgia, rheumatism, and asthma.
Cold or icy water is very well-known for producing a type of stress-induced analgesia (relief from pain).
4 – It improves mood and helps fight depression
This is one of the most exciting cold water benefits for me. I remember someone on Reddit saying something about cold water showers “ripping you from depression like the hand of God”…it’s a good simile, I think.
Research suggests that the anti-depressive effect of cold water exposure might be because of the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the surge in electrical impulses to the brain, caused by the cold receptors in the skin.
The activation of the sympathetic nervous system increases blood concentrations of beta-endorphins, reducing pain and enhancing pleasure, and noradrenaline.
The noradrenaline, in turn, increases the heart rate, constricts blood vessels, and increases blood pressure – great for depression.
People who regularly engage in Winter swimming experience an improvement in general wellbeing and energy levels.
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5 – It increases energy levels
As mentioned above, regular short-term cold exposure will help your overall mood and energy over the long run.
But even just a short cold water shower will activate the central nervous system to release noradrenaline, giving you a boost in energy that’s better than coffee! Though granted, significantly less likely you’ll “enjoy”!
For this reason, you’re better off not taking your cold showers or dips in the evening or before bed – it’s too stimulating and it will probably mess with your sleep pattern.
Related Content: How to Get Deeper Sleep
6 – Increases metabolism, activates brown fat, promotes weight loss
Exposure to cold triggers certain reactions in all mammals to both minimize the loss of heat and increase internal heat production.
Our skin’s blood vessels tighten, as the blood rushes to protect the internal organs, and we tend to huddle more in order to retain more heat.
On the other hand, we will also shiver and produce more brown fat in an attempt to generate more heat from the inside, to maintain our core temperature.
Now, this brown fat is different to the white fat that we generally recognize as bad. I’ve written a whole blog post about brown fat specifically, if you’re interested in reading more in-depth about it.
Basically, all fat will provide insulation for our organs and help us keep warm, but white fat is stored in larger droplets and too much of it is associated to a higher risk of disease.
However, brown fat is stored in smaller droplets and is rich in mitochondria – it’s considered a “good” fat that creates heat and burns calories.
We are all born with some amount of brown fat ,but we’re able to create more in certain conditions, like cold exposure.
That means both by water AND atmosphere, so even just turning down the temperature in your house, or going for walks with less protective clothing, so that your body is forced to work a bit harder to keep warm.
Regular cold exposure will help your body turn more white fat into brown, decreasing your larger white fat stores, burning more calories in the process, and increasing your overall metabolic rate. Excellent news for weight loss.
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7 – It boosts the immune system
This is also one of the “classic” cold water benefits. Regular, short-term cold exposure also has proven immune-stimulating effects, boosting white blood cells in the body.
It is also directly linked to a lower frequency of respiratory infections.
Related content: How To Boost Your Immune System Naturally & Holistically
8 – It boost metabolic water production & ‘feeds’ the mitochondria
I have a whole blog post on metabolic water production, if you want to read about it in more detail (it’s fucking beautiful!). But basically, metabolic water is an internal gel-like water our mitochondria produce, in the process of energy production (ATP).
It’s biologically pure, beautifully structured and free from toxins. It’s also called coherent water, or EZ (exclusion zone) water, because it has the ability to charge separate, i.e. separating positive and negative charges like a battery.
It’s responsible for maintaining the essential negative charge of the mitochondria, which acts as a protective ‘force field’. This, in turn, keeps the mitochondria running optimally – regulating essential biological processes, like immunity, metabolism, circadian rhythm, cell development, etc.
This metabolic water actually also acts as a whole body antioxidant pile, ‘donating’ (negatively charged) electrons where needed, helping to maintain a healthy cellular redox.
9 – It improves mental endurance
This one comes down to exercising your will power on a daily basis, every time you willingly expose yourself to cold water.
It’s not pleasant and, if you think about it too much, you’d rather not, but you choose to anyway.
Every time you make that decision, you reinforce that delayed gratification “muscle” that allows you to experience some momentary unpleasantness, in order to achieve a greater benefit down the line.
We could all use some more of that!
When NOT to take cold water showers
As you can see, the cold water benefits are varied. Daily cold water therapy is excellent preventative medicine for every single healthy human being.
However, certain situations or conditions are contraindicated or might need a more adapted approach.
1 – Heart conditions
People with an existing heart condition should not shock their systems with the typical water contrast therapy without medical supervision. The sudden temperature shifts might be too overwhelming to an already weakened heart.
Remember the adaptive effort the circulatory system goes through in order to regulate your internal temperature, in response to the temperature change.
You don’t have to avoid cold showers altogether. You can try an adapted hot-to-cold water treatment, to be able to enjoy the cold water benefits to your health.
In this situation you would start out with warm water (whatever temperature you normally shower with) and gradually introduce cold water until it feels cold to you.
This way your heart will not be jolted into the effort of making a more sudden temperature adjustment, but you’ll still benefit from some of the cold water exposure in the long-run.
2 – Fever
In general, if a person is feeling cold, the last thing they should do is take a cold shower – it will make the situation worse.
In the case of a fever, making sure you’re well covered and kept sweating is the best thing.
Cold water exposure might only be advised if someone is burning up and it’s necessary to bring the body temperature down as quickly as possible, while medical help arrives.
Localized cold water compresses, however, are usually fine and can provide relief to areas that feel uncomfortably overheated, like the head.
3 – Before bed
Now, I won’t suggest switching from night to morning showers because, as a nighttime shower kind of gal myself, I personally believe the suggestion to be preposterous and sacrilegious. I can’t get into bed without a shower and the idea of showering in the morning just FEELS wrong!!
However, as mentioned earlier, cold water exposure jolts the body and causes it to release noradrenaline. This creates an energized state that’s just not conducive to sleep.
If you usually take your showers right before bed you might want to consider either moving it up by a few hours, or at least setting aside a medicinal cold water jolt just for the mornings. I prefer the first option myself!
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4 – After meals
The sudden blood flow exchange and blood vessel dilation and constriction during cold water showers means that the body becomes intensely occupied in regulating the body temperature.
That means that you should never expose your body to cold water (whether by shower or immersion) on a full stomach.
The rule of thumb is at least 30 minutes before and/or 2 hours after your meals. Otherwise your digestion might suffer and maybe even be caused to stop.
Undigested food is a major problem for your gut and therefore your general health.
How to do cold water therapy
You can enjoy all the cold water benefits mentioned above pretty much anywhere where you have access to clean water. So obviously either in nature, at home, or in gyms and spas.
Of course, the most convenient for the majority of simple mortals is to just jump into the shower.
- You can do short bursts, alternating between hot and cold water a few times throughout your shower, or you can shower with hot water and finish off with cold.
- If you have access to a gym or spa, by all means take advantage of the sauna and/or jacuzzi to give yourself a more luxurious experience. For me it’s definitely a treat, so I usually do one or two hours’ worth of treatment when I get a chance, alternating between the sauna and the cold showers. It’s stimulating and relaxing all at once!
- Of course, if you live near lakes or seas even better! A good swim will combine invigorating exercise with the cold water (and in case of the sea, with all kinds of beneficial minerals).
The point is there are no excuses here – this is one bio-hack you can incorporate whatever your budget!
Two important things to keep in mind
- The length of cold water exposure should increase gradually. See what you can handle at first and aim to lengthen that time, increasing a bit each time. Your body will adjust and adapt to the new “stressor” and gradually strengthen your body on all the points already mentioned earlier. You’ll get better at handling the cold.
- It is important to always finish water contrast therapy with cold water and not the other way around. Hot-to-cold water exposure produces the most complete reaction, as the circulatory system will experience the full gamut of changes, but cold water has the most benefits for the body.
Behind all the cold water benefits mentioned is the following concept – cold water is a type of “good” stress. It helps the body to adapt better to other stressors and become stronger in the long-run.
So by making sure your body doesn’t become too complacent and is forced to regularly make efforts, you are improving the overall functioning and long-term health of the system as a whole.
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I get really excited about stuff like cold water therapy, because it’s one of those simple little tricks that provides such exponential value and is so easy to incorporate into your daily routine.
It’s exactly the type of thing that got me hooked on a low waste, minimalist, natural hygiene lifestyle approach early on in life.
It costs nothing and yet the benefits of it are so massive and so exciting to see. You really notice a difference in your life and that’s the most exciting and inspiring part about making intentional lifestyle changes.
I really hope this list of cold water benefits inspires you to give it a shot and please let me know how you find it! Also, if you have previous experience with hydrotherapy, or cold therapy it would be great to know what benefits you’ve personally noticed.
All true
Great article, i will give it a try.
Thank you Keneth! 🙂
Great read
Thank you ^_^ Glad you liked it!