The link between medicine, healthcare and our business of shower spares and showers – may be in name only, but just like the red faced Doctor of Finance, on an aircraft called up to help a seriously ill passenger, we don’t think it should hold us back on looking at, and pretending to be an authority on the subject of cold showers. Whether it’s recommended by books, athletes, business gurus or wellness coaches – there’s a huge amount of press and positive attention given to taking cold showers.
A cold shower has been hailed the remedy to climate change, losing weight, boosting the immune system as well as slowing down the signs of ageing and even helping prevent depression. The novelist Ben Dolnick even reported in the New York Times that taking a cold shower altered his ‘entire disposition towards the outside world’ So is it really all it is cracked up to be, or simply unnecessary self-punishment? Below, we look at some of the reported benefits:
1. Losing weight
There are some sources which claim that taking a cold shower can help shift over 500 calories over the course of the day. In our opinion, this is widely ambitious. That’s more than a typical gym session! However, there are some truths in the claim that cold showers do burn fat. Making yourself cold, activates BAT (the fat that keeps us warm) so your BAT then begins to keep us warm, burning off fat. This however, is variable from person to person, and the impact it has is pretty small, so don’t think that a cold shower is a good substitute for the treadmill!
2. Sports Recovery
There’s very few things better after any form of strenuous activity than a nice, hot shower. There are however, many reasons why you should choose to have a cold shower, rather than a hot shower after your workout. Cold showers, which have been labelled by some as ‘recovery showers’ help lower your heart rate, as well as increase blood circulation, which in turns boosts recovery. Lactic acid is cleared quicker, which equals less damage and swelling.
3. Cold Showers boost the immune system
Studies have shown that immersion in cold water reduces both Uric Acid levels and increases levels of Glutathione. Glutathione is our body’s most powerful anti-oxidant, which keeps every other anti-oxidant in our bodies running at peak performance. The decrease in Uric Acid levels also are welcome. High levels of Uric Acid are associated with heart disease, fatty liver, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease, not a brilliant list!
4. Cold showers wake you up!
This one is a lot simpler than the other reasons to take a cold shower, and as part of my scientifically brilliant research into this topic – I got a cold shower this morning. I can fully report, that it does indeed wake you up, like nothing else. I often stumble from my bed into a lovely hot shower on a morning, and I have to admit – I sometimes leave the shower ready to climb back into bed, where the cold shower really did set me up for the day.
Hot & Cold Showers at the Shower Doctor
It seems like opinion is fully split on cold shower, however the arguments that cold showers are good for us, both physically and mentally is clear to see. I don’t think it’s enough to be truly lifesaving, but if a cold shower at 6am helps you get the most out of your morning, then that makes a pretty big impact. At the Shower Doctor, we don’t really care if you want to take a hot, or a cold shower. All we care about is providing you with the very best possible shower for your budget, achieved by negotiating excellent discounts on shower spares and new showers, from the world’s leading manufacturers.