Taking a cold shower: that's how good it is for your health

Taking cold showers regularly is good for your health for many reasons. We explain how you benefit from cold showers and how it affects your body.

That’s why cold showers are so healthy

Immune system: A Dutch study was able to confirm that cold showers strengthen the immune system: Among the subjects there were around 30 percent fewer sick notes than the control group. The reason for this is that the cold stimulus mobilizes the white blood cells (leukocytes). These fight invading bacteria and viruses in the body.
Brown adipose tissue: This particular type of adipose tissue is found primarily in infants. In exceptional cases, it can still be present in adults. The regular cold shock activates the so-called brown adipose tissue in the body. Unlike the white adipose tissue, this does not accumulate as love handles, but actually burns excess fat and thus helps you lose weight. This is because brown adipose tissue contains many mitochondria, in which glucose and fatty acids are converted into heat. This is how the body protects itself from freezing.
Inflammation: When the body is exposed to cold, it releases adrenaline. This has a vasoconstrictive effect and inhibits inflammatory factors.
Depression: A study from the University of Virginia has shown that cold showers can be helpful for depressive symptoms. Exposing yourself to the cold activates, among other things, the nerve areas in the brain that are responsible for sympathy and feelings of happiness.

Blood circulation: When it’s cold, our blood vessels contract, while they relax and become elastic again when warmed up afterwards. This is how you train the vessels in a similar way to muscles in sports. As a result, oxygen and nutrients are better transported in the body and varicose veins are prevented.
Skin and hair: While hot water dries out the skin, cold water tightens the upper layers of the skin and closes the pores. Hair tends to look stronger and healthier after a cold shower as the hair follicles are straightened.
Sore muscles: You can prevent sore muscles by taking a cold shower after exercising. A Finnish study also showed that cold water even helps with existing sore muscles. In the study, however, the participants went into 10 – 15 degree cold water for 24 minutes.
Mental clarity: In addition, a cold shower also has an invigorating and refreshing effect on the mind. You get an instant burst of energy and the cold shock catapults you into the present moment. That’s why the cold shower is also ideal for waking you up in the morning.
Strengthen the will: In order to take a cold shower, you have to overcome the well-known weaker self. You leave your comfort zone and strengthen your will.

In general, you should consider a few points before you dare to take an ice-cold shower:

To get used to the cold shower, you can first take a (luke)warm shower and then turn the temperature of the water down bit by bit.
Let the cold water run over your extremities first, and only then over your torso and head. The back and neck area is particularly sensitive to cold.
Especially if the change from warm to cold takes place too quickly, this can lead to circulatory problems in exceptional cases. If you get dizzy, sit or lie on the floor.
To begin with, you should only take a cold shower for 30 to 60 seconds. If you are used to the cold showers, you can extend the time to several minutes.

Our colleague tried it out for a long time: Taking a cold shower as a self-test: It was so difficult for me and that’s what made the difference