5 Ways Cold Showers can Improve Your Health

We all have our morning rituals to prepare ourselves for the coming day and for many of us that includes taking a steamy, hot shower. I know that I personally include that step in my morning process. As it turns out, that hot shower may not be the best idea to get you up and moving in the morning. There is a lot of research that supports the notion that our morning showers should be a cold one, as crazy as that sounds. I know, the idea of ditching that morning cup of coffee for an ice cold shower sounds absolutely crazy for some people. Trust me, it sounded insane to me at first too but there are serious health benefits from cold showers:

Immune System Booster:

Research has shown that people that take cold showers have stronger immune systems. This was shown in their higher white blood cell counts as well as higher concentrations of plasma, T helper cells, and lymphocytes.

Increased Metabolism:

Cold water naturally boosts our metabolisms because it makes our body burn more calories to try to keep us warm. There is a point of diminishing return though because cold water also makes our bodies naturally want to store more fat. So keep the cold showers short -which shouldn’t be too hard.
Read: Scientists Conclude: Sweather Weather is Better

Improves Circulation:

This one is kind of self-explanatory. The shock of jumping into a cold shower releases adrenaline which increases your blood flow to your skin to try to keep you warm. This improved circulation also sends more blood to our organs, which is always a good thing.

Improves Breathing:

Jumping into a cold shower helps you regulate your breathing, and not just from the initial gasp or even mild scream that you emit when you first get in. Once the initial shock wears off, and your circulation is working overtime, taking deep breaths helps you to calm your body down a bit. It’s actually very relaxing.
Read: Seven simple things happy, healthy people do every morning.

Mood Enhancer:

Cold showers have been shown to make our brains emit chemicals like noradrenaline, which is associated with improving mood disorders like depression. Besides, how great are you going to feel when that water finally gets turned off, and you are wide awake and refreshed.

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