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Key Points

• It would help to take a cold shower for at least 30 seconds per day to experience benefits.
• If you want to acclimate to a cold shower, first dip your face in cold water and then progress to cold showers 15 seconds per day.
• It is a good idea to get permission from a healthcare provider before taking cold showers.
• Benefits of a cold shower include:
  • Increased ability to burn brown fat.
  • Good for ACNE treatment
  • Improved circulation and immunity.
  • Releases endorphins to help with depression.
• The benefits of a cold shower are enhanced after you have a sauna treatment.

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Do you realize the benefits of a cold shower?

Has your hot water heater ever gone out, and you had to take a cold shower? Even though it was probably uncomfortable not having hot water, you were perhaps healing your body with the cold water and not even realizing it. In this article, I will talk about some of the benefits of taking a cold shower. After reading this post, you may change your whole approach and want to take a cold shower. Okay, so before I give you the juicy benefits of a cold shower, I will first answer some common questions related to this protocol.

How long should my cold shower be to get benefits?

It would help if you aimed to have your cold shower be anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds. However, that being said, there was a study done by PLoS One, which showed that there was no difference between the people who took a cold shower for 30, 60, or 90 seconds. The study led them to conclude that cold water triggers the body’s immune system regardless of duration¹.

So, I would aim to have your cold shower for at least 30 seconds to get the benefit. I usually like to start with a cold shower and then will make the water warm. I can tell you that the contrast in temperatures is very exhilarating!

How can I acclimate to a cold shower?

Before you can experience cold shower everyday benefits, it is essential to know how to acclimate to a cold shower. I understand that most people will not be able to jump in a cold shower and be happy! More times than not, you will have to acclimate to a shower like this.

You can begin to get used to cold water, aka cold thermogenesis, by filling a small sink with water. Measure the water temperature, so it stays between 50 to 55 degrees. Before you start, make sure to remove makeup if you have any and eat a high-fat meal( cold showers are best when following a keto diet anyway). When you are ready, dunk your face in the water and hold it there as long as you can, gradually extending the duration until you are forced to remove your head from the water to take a breath².

After you can start placing your face in the sink, start integrating cold showers into your daily regimen. If you want, you could start by doing a cold shower for about 15 seconds and then adding about 10 seconds every day. It is up to you how fast you want to acclimate to a cold shower. If you wanted to take 2-3 cold showers a week and then increase them by once a week, do that. You know your body the best, so do not get into doing it too fast if you’re not ready!

Should I get permission from a healthcare provider before taking cold showers?

Before starting and experiencing everyday cold shower benefits, getting clearance from a healthcare provider is essential. This blessing from your provider is crucial because some conditions may contraindicate the use of a cold shower. For example, a cold shower protocol is contraindicated if you have heart conditions³. This example is one of the conditions, but there could be others, so it is always important to ask a healthcare provider before doing them. Overall, it is essential to always ask a provider for clearance in just about anything you do if you aren’t sure.

 

What are the benefits of a cold shower?

Alright, now I am excited to give you some of the everyday cold shower benefits. The benefits that I listed are the ones that I am most fond of and have found beneficial in my life. Every person is different; it is crucial to remember that you may experience benefits that someone else may not and vice versa. Overall, I have found that benefits tend to be enhanced in conjunction with sauna therapy. I will explain more below.

Increased ability to burn body fat

When you take a cold shower, you are undergoing cold thermogenesis. A cold shower or putting cold stress on the body stimulates very beneficial biological adaptations. This cold stress helps your body burn fat as its primary fuel because regular cold exposure increases your stores of brown fat- a particular type of fat that is far more effectively used for energy than the more prevalent white fat⁴.

Mitochondrial uncoupling

So how does cold thermogenesis or cold showers burn brown fat? Well, it all boils down to our mitochondria. It turns out that cold exposure can also cause metabolic upregulation, and the production of heat is not just burning fat but also skeletal muscle⁵. Your mitochondria are also known as little powerhouses. Once they get activated, then they burn fat for fuel! I am amazed at how these tiny organelles work. If you want to expedite your fat-burning, I would suggest combining intermittent fasting, keto, and cold showers. Talk about a mitochondrial powerhouse!!

Good for treating ACNE

If you are suffering from acne, you may want to consider a cold shower to help. So how does a cold shower help? Cold showers help acne by reducing oiliness, tightening your pores, reducing stress, and improving your immune system⁶. I immediately was hooked when I first learned how a cold shower could help with acne treatment. Even though I am in my 30s, I still get that occasional break out here and there. So frustrating! It almost makes me feel like I am still a teenager.

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However, ever since I’ve started taking cold showers after my sauna treatment, I’ve noticed significant improvements in acne. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to treat acne naturally without taking conventional medication!

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Improves circulation and immunity

If you have poor circulation, then consider cold shower everyday benefits! So, above, I had mentioned that cold showers could be used to speed up your metabolic rate and lose fat. Well, it turns out that this increased mitochondrial activity can help activate your immune system, which will help release virus-fighting white blood cells that will help you get sick less frequently. Also, cold showers will help increase your overall blood circulation, thus helping you avoid hypertension and the hardening of arteries⁷.

Releases endorphins and can help with depression

Did you realize that one of the everyday cold shower benefits is helping with depression symptoms? Yes! When you are exposed to cold, your brain increases the production of norepinephrine and dopamine, which are both involved in focus and attention. These neurotransmitters also improve mood and alleviate pain, partly because they lower inflammation⁸.

So if you are feeling blue, put on a little cold water and jump on in! Afterward, chances are you will feel a lot better. Another thing I like to do is swim in a local river that is cold. We live in the Appalachian Mountains, so all the rivers here are cold, even in the summertime. If I am looking to feel revitalized, I will go for a little swim in the river. I must tell you that it is not always easy going in, but after the swim, I always feel great.

Supercharge your mitochondria with sauna therapy followed by a cold shower

So, if you want to turn your mitochondria up a few notches, I would use a sauna and then take a cold shower. If you’ve never owned a sauna before, then I would highly look into purchasing one. Ever since I’ve gotten mine, it has helped me with chronic fatigue, reduced acne breakouts, and more. If you want to learn more about sauna benefits, I would look at Sauna Therapy Health Benefits [7 healing perks]. This article explains the 7 healing benefits that a sauna can provide for healing your body.

Whenever I use my sauna, I always go straight to shower afterward to wash off the sweat. I almost always start my shower by using cold water for at least 30 seconds or more if I can stand it. So not only did I increase the efficiency of my mitochondria with the sauna, but I am giving it an extra boost by following up with a cold shower. Talk about energizing!

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I am so glad that you found me here at HKG. I am here to help you institute life changes today. Please sign up for my email list here, and get updates! I will send you a newsletter every week, and it will be about chakras, fasting, holistic living, and the keto diet. I am more than happy to give you information on these topics.

 

Namaste!

[toggle title = “References”]
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5025014/¹

MERCOLA, D. R. J. O. S. E. P. H. (2018). Fat For Fuel: a revolutionary diet to combat cancer, boost brain power, and increase your … energy. Place of publication not identified: HAY House UK LTD^2,4,8

https://feastingonjoy.com/hot-cold-contrast-shower-therapy-benefits/³

Burning More Fat With Cold (bengreenfieldfitness.com)⁵

Do Cold Showers Help Acne? (The Truth Revealed) (vitalizedfuture.com)⁶

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/surprising-benefits-cold-showers.html⁷
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