Ending your shower with cold water: for some, it's invigorating, while for others, it's an unpleasant experience. Research shows that a cold shower has various health benefits, but there are still people who need to be cautious.
The benefits of cold showers:
- Skin and Hair: Cold showers help close pores and reduce sebum production, leading to healthier skin and shinier hair.
- Blood Circulation: Cold water can constrict blood vessels and improve blood circulation. This can reduce inflammation, speed up muscle recovery after exercise, and alleviate symptoms of varicose veins.
- Alertness: Cold showers wake up your body. The cold water gives you a boost and improves your alertness, making it a perfect way to start the day!
- Fat Burning: Exposure to cold can increase the activity of brown fat, leading to increased fat burning and weight loss. This is because brown fat burns calories to generate heat and regulate body temperature.
Overall, cold showers are healthy for you. However, for people with heart conditions, this can be dangerous because cold showers put extra stress on the heart and can worsen existing conditions such as chest pain or arrhythmias. Therefore, it is advisable to discuss this with your doctor first. The same applies to an ice bath.
The benefits of an ice bath:
An ice bath can offer numerous health benefits. It can improve breathing, mental resilience, and self-control, and reduce fatigue. However, caution is also needed for people with heart conditions due to the shock reaction that ice-cold water can cause, including increased heart rate and the risk of hypothermia. Therefore, it is essential to always discuss this with your doctor, and if you want to try it, always do so under supervision, especially the first time.