The Top 10 benefits of cold showers is a topic discussed by many but pushed to the forefront by Wim Hof. Wim Hof is an extreme athlete and motivational speaker from the Netherlands known for his ability to withstand extreme low temperatures. Some of his amazing feats include previously holding the Guinness World Record for swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice. He is known for climbing mountains in freezing temperatures wearing only shorts, among many other amazing feats.
Wim is the creator of ‘The Wim Hof Method’ which combines being exposed to the cold, breathing techniques and meditation. He attributes practicing this method, which includes cold showers, to his success.
“A cold shower a day keeps the doctor away” is one of The Ice Man’s most famous quotes and the subject of today’s article. Wim and many others believe taking regular cold showers for as little as 30 seconds each day can offer a range of health benefits, many of which have been studied and are backed by solid scientific evidence. Here at The Indian Connection we are fascinated by practices that can help your health and wellbeing, which is why we only stock the finest, Incense, Essential Oils, Yoga Wear and more.
When we started researching cold showers it became clear to us just how powerful cold immersion was and we felt compelled to share the benefits with you. So here are the top 10 benefits of taking a cold shower and why you should consider the practice as part of your daily routine.
Taking a cold shower boosts your immune system in a number of ways. It stimulates the production of monocytes and lymphocytes which are white blood cells that fight off pathogens. Cold showers also promote an increase of T-cells and T suppressor cells. Studies have also shown that those who take a cold shower are 30% less likely to take time off work for sickness than those in a control group.
Taking cold showers has been show to increase metabolism, energy and brown fat which in tern help you to lose weight. The key to these benefits is through the increase in brown fat which produces the boost in energy and increase in metabolic rate. The brown fat also triggers a loss of ‘normal’ white fat which is a big driver in weight loss. Brown fat is very effective at burning calories.
Studies have shown cold water therapy from cold showers lowers fasting glucose, insulin levels and insulin sensitivity, it can also improve dietary fatty acid handling. These processes also help with weight loss.
Taking regular cold showers improves your mood, alertness, focus and decreases depression and anxiety. The mechanism is through the hormone noradrenaline which is boosted when you take a cold shower. That spike in noradrenaline, triggered by cold showers will improve your overall mood. If this is repeated each day your wellbeing will be greatly improved over time.
Cold water exposure reduces inflammation in the body. Reducing inflammation can help with many different conditions including auto-immune disease, tendentious, arthritis and help with muscular problems. One of the reasons this happens because it causes your blood vessels to constrict and reduces blood flow in areas that are inflamed.
Cold showers stimulate a process in your body called Autophagy. When your body is in a state of autophagy it begins recycling old and damaged cell parts, namely proteins.
The cells in our body are constantly changing and evolving, and sometimes components within them can become worn out or defective. This can lead to what is known as cellular litter, which can prevent the cell from functioning optimally. Thankfully, autophagy is our body’s way of ‘clearing out the junk’ and recycling these components so they can be reused.
Another key benefit is increasing the body’s antioxidant network. This helps to reduce DNA damage and lowers the risk to many chronic diseases including cancer.
Cold showers are beneficial for your brain because they help you to grow new neurons. Lowering the body’s temperature is also beneficial to your sleep. Another benefit for brain health is that a cold shower can also increase oxygen levels in your brain which will give you an energy boost.
Cold therapy is used by pro and amateur athletes the world over to help them recover quicker from workouts and injury. The process works in the same ways as reducing inflammation. Cold showers reduce the blood flow to the injured or sore muscles helping them to reset and recover faster.
We have already mentioned that a cold shower will provide you with an energy boost and raise your mood. The good news is a cold shower will also reduce stress by lowering your cortisol levels.
We hope you enjoyed our look at cold showers. If you have any questions please contact us at hello@theindianconnection.co.uk.
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