Why is a cold shower useful?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Cold water improves circulation, promotes endorphin production, and increases your productivity. If, of course, you can stand a cold shower.

Chris Gayomeli, author of the Fast Company portal, did an experiment on himself.

7:30. Frosty March morning. I stand in a cramped bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and stare resolutely at my reflection. The shower is on, as always at this time. But one detail changes the whole usual order: not at all gentle streams of warm water pour into the bath. My goal this morning is to jump into a cold shower. And the point.

But as soon as I touch the water with my fingertips, the ghost of determination melts like a snowflake in the palm of my hand. I grab the handle of the hot water tap and turn it all the way, like the last coward. The bathroom mirror is fogging up. This is great, damn it!

The origins of my failed experiment can be traced back to an accidentally spotted article in New York magazine, where they talked about cryotherapy for wealthy people: Spend three minutes in a room while cold nitrogen does its job, and get well with extremely cold temperatures! Treatment is to burn calories, kickstart the immune system, and kick-start the flow of mood-boosting endorphins, just like it does. An excellent remedy for seasonal blues.

But while I'm not a millionaire and I don't live in an apartment overlooking Central Park, I decided to look for more affordable ways to reap the same harvest of beneficial effects. The Internet has brought me to a wonderful and harsh world of invigorating souls.

Health is improved by cold water, the temperature of which you can tolerate.

Katharine Hepburn has preached about the benefits of cold all her life. The brave walrus divers who dive into the icy water in winter also claim that this is how they are charged with adrenaline to feel refreshed and refreshed. (Although doctors warn that winter swimming is dangerous for people with heart disease.) Orthodox Christians are known for baptismal bathing in ice water to cleanse the soul.

Professional athletes like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James take ice baths to relieve irritation and soothe aching muscles after exercise. (And even post experiments on social media.) Ned Brophy-Williams, an Australian sports scientist and author of several studies on cold water therapy, explained that immersion in cold water redirects blood flow “from peripheral vessels to deep vessels, while reducing inflammation. increases and improves venous return (the amount of blood returned to the heart)."

In fact, improved venous return means that metabolic waste and metabolic waste generated during exercise is quickly eliminated from the body, while nutrients will recharge fatigued muscles. In other words, you will be cleansed. An ice bath is ideal, though. Eight minutes in a cold shower - alternating with a warm shower - is better than nothing. There is even evidence that cold water stimulates the formation of healthy brown fat cells, which are stored in the upper half of the body and helps burn lipids - fat that stores excess calories and is deposited on the belly and waist line.

But since I can't start my morning with a hundred jumps and squats, I thought the cold water would help my productivity, or at least lift my spirits. In 2007, molecular biologist Nikolai Shevchuk published, in which he argued that a cold shower can treat symptoms of depression, and with regular use, it shows better results than pharmacological antidepressants.“The mechanism that explains the inspirational effect of cold water immersion is perhaps by stimulating dopamine energy metabolism in the mesolimbic and neurogastric pathways,” Shevchuk told Neuroscience podcast. "Dopamine pathways govern our emotions, and many studies have shown a link between these brain regions and depression."

In unscientific terms, cold water fills the brain regions responsible for mood with hormones of happiness.

Independent studies show that "walruses" "significantly reduce feelings of tension and fatigue, improve mood and memory."

I was interested in the methodology used by the scientist. In his study - and Shevchuk admits the sample was statistically small - participants started out with a warm shower. (Here's my mistake: I should have done the same.) Over the course of five minutes, the water temperature gradually decreased until it reached 20 ° C. This temperature appears to be very low on contact with the skin. Participants stood in a cold shower for two to three minutes. It's like taking a spring dip in the Pacific Ocean near California's Orange County or in the Baltic Sea in early summer. It should be noted that temperatures below 16 ° C cause hypothermia!

Armed with this new knowledge, I decided to give cold water a second chance. The next time I turned on the tap with less hot water than usual and jumped under the shower. Over the course of several minutes, he slowly decreased the temperature until the body became indignant. Breathing quickened. My heart pounded harder. I started dancing to keep warm. But when I concentrated and slowed down my breathing, it became easier to tolerate the cold water. It was like getting used to swimming in an unheated pool: doable and not so scary.

When I dried off, I immediately felt ready for action. My heart was still beating faster, and that morning I felt an excitement that I can no longer get from coffee. I was full of enthusiasm, although it was a slushy New York winter outside the window. I even smiled at my colleagues!

Did I accept the desired effect as valid? Of course. But the best I can say to support the experimental results is that I have been taking a cold shower ever since.