What a Cold Shower Can Do for Your Mind, Body and Soul
Cold water therapy is a health practice handed down to us from the ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian civilisations. Hippocrates discovered that having a cold shower / bath provides several health benefits and would treat various types of disorders. The Sikhs, also knew that cold water bathing would provide benefits for the mind, body and soul. People who practice cold water therapy, known as cryotherapy report many gains. Although it’s an extremely difficult thing to do at first, especially if you live in a frigid climate, they report the physical, mental and spiritual benefits are worth the few minutes of unpleasantness. The following are some of the amazing things a cold shower / ice bath can do for your whole body.
Increases energy and alertness
Delving into cold water will certainly help to wake you up in the mornings. It increases your alertness because coldness increases your levels of the hormone norepinephrine. This actually allows you to stay attentive and be able to focus immensely. Having a cold shower to wake you up is useful if you are trying to wean yourself off a coffee addiction. It even increases your cognitive abilities. We can all do with help of that sort.
Improves immune system
Exposure to very cool temperatures increases the number of white cells in your blood. These are responsible for keeping you free of disease-causing infections. This is thought to be caused by an increase in metabolism due to the body’s efforts to stay warm.
Lose weight
When cold, your body has to produce more energy to warm you. The energy production will activate “brown fat” that speeds up metabolism and burns more calories. Brown fat burns energy instead of storing it in the fat cells.
Increases will-power
The challenge of doing something difficult will without a doubt increase your will-power. You will have the pleasure of knowing you have done something hard that not everyone would even dare to do. People who regularly partake in ‘cold therapy’ report that they build the will that helps them in turn to develop other qualities. Self-control or self-discipline is a handy quality to attain in life. We are not born with a certain amount of will-power, but it can be increased by exercising, just as with physical exercise.
Improves blood circulation
When you are cold, blood will move to your internal organs, hands and the feet to keep warm. This increased and more efficient blood circulation will also improve the flow of oxygen, hormones and nutrients the body needs.
Reduces inflammation
Cold therapy makes your body feel better in the long and short term by decreasing inflammation and pain caused by arthritis, other pain-causing chronic conditions or even a rigorous workout. It is of particular help for rheumatoid arthritis and gout sufferers as it drastically reduces uric acid levels which cause these two conditions.
Increases testosterone levels
Studies have shown that cold showers / baths result in higher testosterone levels in men, which in turn increase sperm count and fertility. So if you’re trying to get pregnant, get your man in an ice bath pronto.
Increases happiness
Although the thought of taking a cold shower is not the most appealing of ideas, the chill will boost the happy hormones, serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. They work by reducing stress and anxiety, therefore helping you to sleep better and enjoy an overall feeling of well-being.
Improves your tolerance
Cold therapy has been known to increase your tolerance to discomfort. In turn, helping you not to expect everything to be 100% perfect in the world. People have found that an increase in patience helps them to be grateful for what they have, and to accept life’s changes more easily.
When beginning a cold therapy regime, start slowly. Start in the shower with warm water and slowly turn off the hot. Then, after a couple of cold shower, step it up and go for the ice bath. This will give your body time to adjust to the cold shower without causing shock.
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