When you are craving a shower, you want it hot and you want to crank the heat up as much as you can. There is nothing more soothing than taking a hot shower in the middle of a stressful time, first thing in the morning, or late at night. And the idea of taking a cold shower does not sound appealing during times of stress when you need comfort the most. However, don’t shun the idea of taking cold showers either. That is because evidence shows that they are good for you and serve a purpose. Yes, you will want to break down and take that cold shower because you will feel much better after taking it even though the idea may be dreadful when you get in. Let’s talk about why cold showers, as well as hot showers, are good for you.
Why Are Cold Showers Good For You?
There are several benefits to taking cold showers. It can help calm an itch caused by skin conditions. The cold water will satisfy the itch and kick it out. Additionally, you may want to take a cold shower first thing in the morning after waking up because it will help you wake up as there is a shock associated with the cold shower. The shock will increase oxygen intake, heart rate, and alertness, as well as your circulation.
Also, if you do an intense workout, you will want to take a cold shower because it can help your muscles repair tissue cells and relax. That is why you will feel so much better after taking a cold shower after doing an intense workout. And if you are trying to lose weight aside from working out, cold showers alone will help with weight loss as they can help boost your metabolism. If you are exposed to cold, brown fat will generate heat which will burn excess fat. Those fat cells are in the neck and shoulder area.
Finally, you will want to take a cold shower to give your skin and hair a healthy glow. The cold water not only helps to keep the important oils in your skin and hair intact, but it helps to constrict blood flow which will provide your skin with a healthy glow. It also strengthens and closes your hair cuticles. Therefore, you can lose weight, have lovely hair, and have healthy skin, and taking a cold shower a day can make you look and feel good.
However, you do not want to take a cold shower if you are already cold and can increase the time it will take for your body to warm up. You also don’t want to take them when you are sick because that will be harder for your immune system. In those cases, you will want to stick to warm showers.
Why Do Warm Or Hot Showers Have Their Place
Even though cold showers are good for you unless you are cold or sick, you don’t want to shun hot showers either. Taking a warm or hot shower is great at night to help you relax and it helps to relax your muscles. Additionally, hot or warm showers can help reduce acne, but the issue is that it can strip away sebum which is why cold showers restore sebum. Also, if you are sick, you will want to take warm or hot showers as it is good for providing respiratory relief. It can open airways, clear nasal passages, and loosen mucus.
So what is the ideal thing to do? Take a cold shower first thing in the morning or after a workout. But if you are sick, cold, or agitated at night, then stick to warm or hot showers!
