http://gettingstronger.org/2010/03/cold-showers/

 

Does anybody else here take freezing cold showers on a daily basis? I read about them a couple months ago and have taken a 5-10 minute freezing cold shower every morning since then.

 

According to the various sources I've looked into, the basic perks of a cold shower are that it increases your blood circulation, boosts your immune system, boosts testosterone levels, and lifts depression. Considering I don't have any actual scientific measurement devices to track some of those things, the best I can do is track my own mood. I can say that cold showers make you feel ALIVE. It's very hard to have negative thoughts/worries while you're in thermal shock!

 

Some people take hot showers then slowly turn down the temperature till it's finally at its coldest point. I've had better results by simply starting out w/ the coldest setting. The first time I took the shower, it was brutal-- I yelped and laughed hysterically for a good 2 minutes while my body was trying to adapt. After about 5 minutes, though, the water finally felt very warm and it felt great. It's a very invigorating experience.

 

A "case study": a very close friend of mine has been struggling with suicidal thoughts off and on for the past several months. One day when he was at my apartment I made him take a freezing cold shower to see if it'd have the same mood-lifting effects on him as it does on me. The result? He felt happier than he had ever been in months and his suicidal thoughts were gone for the rest of the day-- another friend converted to cold showers.

 

I'm sure a lot of you guys can be skeptical on this, but at least be a proactive skeptic about this. You don't really have anything to lose by taking a 5-minute freezing cold shower and seeing how you feel afterwards... but you're not allowed to leave the shower until the water finally starts feeling warm ;)

 

Now, for all I know, the effects could all be a self-fulfilling prophecy. But hey, even if it is, does it even matter? Feeling good is feeling good, right? :D Now go take the plunge!

Unfortunately you can't test this with a placebo...

Yup, either try it or don't...

 

Perhaps "self-fulfilling prophecy" is a more fitting term.

I take pretty cold showers in the summer. But yeah, I'll try it tomorrow maybe.

I always take hot showers. Guess I'll try that next time then.

I took cold showers a while back but stopped in the winter because I felt like warming myself up with my showers.

 

I'm gonna go ahead and take an ice cold shower right now.

I take pretty cold showers in the summer. But yeah, I'll try it tomorrow maybe.

 

That reminds me...

 

If any of you wanna try it just for shits and giggles, it'll probably be harder to force yourself to do it in the morning till you've dispelled the fear of the cold water. I took my first one in the middle of the night when I didn't need a shower cuz I figured there was no way I'd be able to do it first thing in the morning haha

 

I also found it easier to stand beneath the shower head and turn the cold water on, rather than turn the cold water on before getting into the shower.

I remember a poster that posted frequently about cold showers. I always wanted to try them, but chicken out in the end.

I remember a poster that posted frequently about cold showers. I always wanted to try them, but chicken out in the end.

 

That's another reason why you feel good after taking one-- it's like overcoming a fear/challenge/obstacle every morning. It's a great way to start the day.

But...I love my hot showers :(

 

This explains why I feel better in the Summer though. I take showers that make ice look like steam in Summer

Summer is nice when your bed room isn't 2 degrees below zero. (Fahrenheit)

Nah. I start my showers out hot, and I increase the temperature continuously as I get used to it to keep it feeling hot the entire time (which is fun because this houses water heater is more than capable of inflicting burns if your not careful). It seems to work out for me. In the morning it gets me warmed up and nice and relaxed, and puts me in a mood to think about how I am going to tackle the day. If I shower at night, I can get it hot enough that it actually starts to make me drowsy, which gets me all relaxed and ready to go to sleep.

 

I also can't say I am a big fan of cold water in general. I live on a lake with abnormally cold water (its only a degree above the Atlantic ocean most of the time, which is to say 13-14C (55 to 57F in summer). I've never found swimming in it to be particularly refreshing, but rather it generally makes me really tense and gives me sinus headaches when I get out. Most of my time spent on the lake is diving or water skiing (as far as being in the water goes).

 

Not saying cold showers can't work for some people. Sounds like they do. But the thought of having one myself makes me want to spend the night in a sauna.

Cold showers help blood flow?

 

I thought cold constricts the capillaries, which in turn restricts the blood flow.

Cold showers help blood flow?

 

I thought cold constricts the capillaries, which in turn restricts the blood flow.

 

It causes the blood to move toward your organs to keep them warm apparently.

challenge accepted

A cold shower would cause you body to activate one of its survival mechanisms. The blood vessels in your arms and legs will become heavily constricted, which not only vastly reduces blood flow to your extremities, but also decreases the volume of blood present. This allows your body to pool extra blood in your torso (specifically it sends the blood to your internal organs) in an attempt to maintain core body temperature (your limbs can survive being cold for much longer than your internal organs). I'm not sure this would actually improve blood flow to any part of your body though. I suppose it might get a faster flow going for your core. It would also raise your blood pressure for bit I suspect, though that's not really a problem in the short term.

 

Interestingly, pulling blood out of the limbs is also one of 3 reflexes in mammals that is activated by being submerged in water (in particular, your face), and is the second one down in this list:

• Bradycardia, a slowing of the heart rate by up to 50% in humans.
  
• Peripheral vasoconstriction, the restriction of the blood flow to the extremities to increase the blood and oxygen supply to the vital organs, especially the brain
  
• Blood Shift, the shifting of blood to the thoracic cavity, the region of the chest between the diaphragm and the neck, to avoid the collapse of the lungs under higher pressure during deeper dives. <- This is why diving doesn't kill you
  

I'm sure they're fantastic but I'm quite happy with taking scalding hot showers. Maybe I'll try it though. I just find hot showers to be incredibly relaxing. Maybe I'll take a cold one in the morning and a hot one at night.

Also. [citation needed]

I live with 6 other guys. Sometimes in the winter if I sleep in, I have no choice but to take a freezing cold shower because there is no warm water left.

Heh, one of the advantages of living in a house where ALL the heating is water based (its a converted and expanded steam heating system), is that the house has a very robust capacity for heating water out of necessity. The furnace seems to do an excellent job as the water is hot enough to burn you (after a couple seconds of exposure), and its virtually instant all day every day, no matter if the washing machine is going with both showers on.

 

This would be opposed to my parents house where the water is a fair bit cooler, and you have to run the water for a minute or two to get hot.

 

Also, its not possible to freeze anyone in the shower by flushing a toilet here :shades:

Going to have to try this. Or maybe not, Psych final tomorrow... hmmm

I'll try this. I haven't really been doing much these last couple of weeks, like finding a job.

Kind of a gross thing to think about, but I heard that lower temperature showers are good for sperm count.

Kind of a gross thing to think about, but I heard that lower temperature showers are good for sperm count.

 

Yup-- heat kills sperm

 

Edit: hopping in the shower now, I'll post what i felt later