Many immediately shook their heads at the thought of having to wash their bodies with cold water. A cold shower can be a healthy way for you to start the day. Not only that, but cold showers also have various health benefits that you never realized before.

Health benefits of a cold shower

1. Increase alertness

A cold shower even before the rooster crows is probably the last thing many people want. However, taking deep breaths when we are startled by the cold opens our breathing and increases the intake of oxygen throughout the body. This condition ultimately helps increase the heart rate and improves blood flow thereby keeping us warm. This then gives us an energy kick to get started.

2. Smooth hair and skin

Taking a cold shower is one of the natural ways to keep your hair and skin healthy. Hot water strips the natural oils and dries the skin. Meanwhile, cold water tightens the hair cuticles and skin by temporarily constricting blood vessels while the body reacts to changes in temperature. Tightening cuticles and skin pores will prevent dirt and other harmful elements from clogging the pores of the skin and scalp.

Cold showers can also make hair look shinier, stronger, and healthier by flattening hair follicles and increasing their ability to grip the scalp.

3. Improve immunity and blood circulation

The shock we feel from the first splash of cold water can trigger the heart to pump blood more efficiently throughout the body. This can then improve health conditions including skin and liver health. Smoother blood circulation after a cold shower can also lower blood pressure, wash away plaque that has built up in blood vessels, and encourage a better immune system.

4. Lose weight

Cold showers can help your weight loss program in unexpected ways. The human body contains two types of fat, white fat, and brown fat. White fat is the build-up of fat around the waist, belly, and neck that occurs when we consume more calories than our bodies need to function, and we don't burn white fat for energy.

While brown fat is a good fat that we use to generate heat to keep our bodies warm, and is burned when we are exposed to extreme cold. So, a cold shower can increase the metabolism of brown fat.

5. Accelerate the recovery of muscle aches and aches

Cold showers are especially effective in reducing muscle soreness whose symptoms appear late, such as a few days after you hit the gym. Coldwater has regenerative properties that can help soothe sore muscles after a tiring workout session.

6. Relieve stress

Allowing the body to cool off without further ado can help promote an increase in the body's tolerance for stress, both physically and mentally. There is also an increase in glutathione, the antioxidant that keeps all other antioxidants at optimal levels. After observing 10 able-bodied people who swam regularly in cold water during the winter, researchers reported the body's adjustment to repeated oxidative stress. This indicates an increased body resistance to attack sources of stress.

Source: Hellosehat.com