Cold Shower Therapy for Invigorates Mind and Body
Christie (Ontario, Canada) on 03/01/2004:
Although I have not been using cold showers to treat specific ailments, I have been finding that in spite of an incredibly limited amount of sleep lately (3-5 hrs a night), the cold showers in the mornings have helped to revive my senses, increase blood circulation, and increase clarity and concentration(I only wish I had the opportunity to take one in the afternoon!). I did not know that cold showers were advised against during menstruation but that explains my intense aversion to them at this time and I won't be trying to endure that experience again. I have used cold showers at the end of very warm showers for about ten years now fairly consistently, however, I have switched to only cold showers in the morning under the direction of my yoga teacher trainer, and have noted that I feel I am gaining more benefits from the cold as opposed to the hot-cold routine.
H (London) on 03/01/2004:
I recently discovered the wonders of hot-cold showers only 3 weeks ago, having read about it in a book about rejuvenation which highly recommend the practice. Despite being in my thirties I thought it's never too early to start preventative measures, and decided to try it out despite a great deal of aversion to the idea. Boy, am I glad I did. It's the single best thing I do every day for my health, energy, looks and state of mind. Nothing, and I mean nothing produces results like this almost instantaneously. After my shower I feel so happy, I'm almost dancing with joy, whatever state I was in before getting in.
My skin glows (I only realized this when people kept on complimenting me); and I feel full of beans and raring to go - the absolute opposite to how I normally feel in the mornings ! I'd always defined myself as "not a morning person". Well that's no longer true! I start with a hot shower whilst washing then switch to cold for 15 seconds then hot, and repeat twice. I don't think I could cope with getting into a cold shower during the winter, though I will try it out in summer.
Geoff (NSW Australia) on 03/01/2004:
I have been taking cold showers for 4 months and can't believe how good I feel when I get out. My friends & family have commented on how bizarre it is, but I just feel so much better. I appreciate knowing that I'm not the only one on this planet doing it.
John (Lacrosse, WI) on 03/01/2004:
In the summer of '81, while working at Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park, I was faced with what I thought was an unbearable situation. The hot water heater went out in the dorms. This meant, of course, that we had to take cold showers--and I mean COLD, since the water source was Swiftcurrent Lake, which couldn't have been more than 38 degrees.
Well, on my initial encounter with the hyperborean liquid, I turned eighteen shades of blue. But, oddly enough, I (and my coworkers in the dorm) got used to it; in fact, we grew to like it. It felt incredible to vigorously rub down after the shower, looking out at the snow-capped peaks through an open window. I felt like the Fates had suddenly whispered to me a great secret. A week later, when the hot water system was fixed, I kept up with the Spartan regimen, and have maintained the habit since.
