Hot showers vs cold showers: These are the health benefits of cold showers, also called cryotherapy

Health benefits of cold showers: Make sure to keep the temperature below 15 degree celsius and keep your shower duration between 30 second to three minutes. You may even begin with a hot shower and end it with a cold splash (Image: Canva)

The health benefits of taking cold showers, also called cyrotherapy, will surprise you. Many studies have confirmed why you should take a cold water bath: it boosts your immunity, increases blood circulation, relieves sore muscles, and even helps you fight symptoms of depression. A cold shower uses exposure to cool temperatures to aid many body ailments.

Who doesn’t love to soak in a nice, warm bath or take a steamy hot shower after a long tiring day? Even though hot showers would win the poll any given day, it is the cold ones that might actually do you greater good. All those viral polar bear plunges and iced bucket challenges on social media weren’t there for no reason, after all.

Studies show that if you lower the water temperature a bit, you can enjoy many physical and mental health benefits. Cryotherapy is the technical umbrella term that includes cold showers, sprays, ice packs, cool-air body champers, and full-body immersion in iced cold water. This therapy refers to the exposure of the body's tissues to cold temperature for therapeutic reasons.

It is especially recommended to use cold therapy in response to athletic endeavours — whether you work out daily or go for long jogs every evening. Make sure to keep the temperature below 15 degree celsius and keep your shower duration between 30 second to three minutes. You may even begin with a hot shower and end it with a cold splash.

While cold showers are not the primary treatment for any conditions and conclusive research about cryotherapy is still limited, they have proven to be beneficial in more ways than one:

Studies show that cold therapy and being exposed to cold temperatures in general increases metabolism (Image: Canva)

Improves blood circulation

After a cold shower, your body goes straight into survival mode, focussing on maintaining its core temperature. This process stimulates your body to increase the blood flow circulation, delivering freshly oxygenated blood to areas that need recovery or rejuvenation. When you continue taking cold showers, your circulatory system becomes more efficient, over time, in moving blood through veins more quickly. This proves helpful in aiding problems like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Boosts immunity

Even a few minutes under cold running water after a hot shower protects you from circulating viruses and hence, from potential seasonal illnesses. This is because the shock of cold water stimulates leukocytes or the blood cells that fight off infections.

Relieves pain and soothes sore muscles

Water at cold temperature also helps in relieving localised pain and soothing sore muscles by tightening up your blood vessels and making your blood move to the body's core and vital organs. Once the body begins to reheat, the vessels expand again, bringing the oxygenated blood back to your tissues. As it flows back, inflammation is flushed out, pain is alleviated, and soreness in muscles is gradually decreased.

Helps losing weight  

Studies show that cold therapy and being exposed to cold temperatures in general increases metabolism. It also stimulates the generation of brown fat that produces energy by burning calories. When you are taking a cold shower, your body spends its energy in an effort to keep itself warm, resulting in calorie burn in small amounts, hence helping you in the process of weight loss.

Combats symptoms of depression

Although limited, research has also shown positive effects of cold therapy on symptoms of depression and anxiety. It helps in decreasing the impact of depression and lifting up the mood when anxious.