Cold Shower Benefits: Ancient Rituals and Modern Health Boosts

I started taking cold showers only a few days ago and I'm already addicted!! I used to LOVE a hot shower- but I will never go back. In just a few short days, I've noticed a drastic energy boost, better overall mood/spirits and improved skin and muscle tone. I feel like I'm able to concentrate better at work and my energy seems to last all day. I start out lukewarm and gradually turn colder - until the last few minutes are as cold as I can stand. It gets a little longer each day!! I take one in the morning and am finding that I'm now craving a second one at night. Only question is - why shouldn't women take cold showers during menstration? Is this harmful?

But we are not talking about some situations that are life threatening. Just routine, daily activities that can avoid Tylenol, Advil and depressants etc. Are we going to compare post-heart surgery medicines or anethestics for surgery to Tylenol avoiding medicines and other over the counter medicines that can be easily avoided...not prescribed for cures but symptoms? Let's be serious again!

Cold showers have been working wonderfully for me. No longer do I feel sluggish in the morning. It gives me energy throughout the day and makes my body feel (and look) HEALTHY! I'd recommend them for anyone. It does take a little while to get used to it, but be brave and do it. One thing I like to do while being under the ice cold for a couple minutes is turn the knob to warm for a few seconds.

WARNING - This might make you giggle uncontrollably for a few seconds and feel semi-orgasmic! After doing cold showers, I don't get rashes, my hair and skin looks healthy and I feel energetic. Have fun with your cold showers, it really does change you for the better.

I find taking cold showers hard (painful), but I discovered something that significantly helps: Bring a few ice cubes in a glass with you to the shower and keep an ice cube in your mouth as you shower. Take another when it melts.

ive been taking cold showers for about 2-3 weeks now and its really good, i feel better and everything, but since ive started taking cold showers my hair has been more curly. i just wanted to know if this is because of the cold showers or maybe something else.

my water heater blew up during end of Jan, my landlord was away so i forced myself to take cold showers till he is back. every shower was freezingly cold at first and i shivered a lot, but once i endured pass the initial stage my body started to generate heat and i felt better, my whole body flushed after the showers and i felt warm!!

i like the challenge of it when the icy water first gush down to my skin, it is thrilling, and i found myself become healthier as i haven't catched a single cold since Jan, i have more cold tolerance i can go jogging in the cold shirtless and go to college with just one layer of shirt in the dread cold feb and march !!

when my landlord came back i didn't say a word about the spoilt heater, and continued with my cold showers, he noticed it somehow when the electricity bills dropoed, and was so surprise on how i went through the winter months, he fixed it for me but i just switched it off till now as i'm totally addicted to my cold showers !! can't wait for another winter to come !! going to challenge myself again !! something that i want to do when i'm still young and strong..

I been doing for more then 10 years, happy all the time, never ever sick!

I have been taking cold showers every day now for almost three months, and I recently got the results of my latest blood and urine lab tests from my doctor. Blood sugar and cholesterol were markedly lower than the tests showed just prior to starting the cold shower regimen, with no appreciable changes in diet or physical exercise. My blood pressure was lower, and my pulse rate at rest has decreased from 72 to 54, which I find amazing. I am not in "great" shape physically, and I can only attribute these changes to the cold showers. This might actually be the 'fountain of youth'.

Dear Earth Clinic,

Thank you for this excellent forum on cold water therapy. I had an anxiety which seemed to 'come from nowhere'. Cold baths work on this much better than cold showers. Also swimming in the sea or lakes. There is a tradition of doing this in Russia and also northern China: but in modern times people think it is madness. In this time of credit crunch (2009) this is a practice which everyone can afford.

I have a question to people on this forum: what about time? I do it for 1-4 minutes, 2 times a day, before and after sleeping, every day, as my uncle showed me, like the brushing of the teeth. (The washing with warm water and soap I do before or after this: it seems not to matter which.) It seems that a longer time is not beneficial at all. So I am interested to know other people's ideas about timing.

Another question: I work sometimes in Arabia where it is very hot in the Summer times. There is no problem to make a bath of water, but it is not very cold. So do people know of any device/machine which can be put in a bath to make the water cold? Putting ice from the fridge is OK but this method needs a lot of ice.

Kind regards,

Igor.

I am 52 and have been swimming in cold water all my life, and always enjoyed how the cold water made me feel afterwards. I only recently started taking cold showers, and I wish I had started years ago. I had been taking Prozac and other anti-depressant medications for eleven years and desperately wanted to get off them, but the withdrawal symptoms would hit like a nightmare. The cold showers have enabled me to get off these drugs cold turkey. I keep the water ice cold for at least five minutes, then switch to warm and finally hot. I aso discovered that targeting the armpits is absolutely essential.

Cold Water -- It's really amazing how it feels to take a cold water bath in the mornings. I have had this acne problem for a long time and taking cold water bath has helped me a lot.

I tried the cold shower therapy first thing this morning. God it was great, once the initial shock was over, i got out of the shower and was tingling all over. I feel great today, i had little sleep last night and was groggy and felt horrible. thank you, i'm going to be trying this again tomorrow. The worst thing about it was different parts get hit by the water, so just as you thing your getting used to it, BAM an un showered bit gets hit by freezing water. At least the bathroom felt really warm when i got out

Read about it on this site. Have been taking cold showers for several months now. Having well water its very cold even in the summer. If i stick my head into the stream of water first the initial shock is not bad at all. Then it just feels super you feel so refreshed and awake. Seem to be very good for the skin and have not had a cold since . I look Forward to it now.

Well, I have this bronchial thing going on, and being a teacher, I cannot afford to be sick. Tonight I decided to take a cold shower, and this is big for me. I HATE COLD WATER! I always take very hot showers, and tonight I thought, I cannot break the congestion. Well, I gritted my teeth, and ran under the shower. I came out of the shower, and the phlegm started to come up big time. No explanation, but I hate to say it, it felt good, and I do feel refreshed! I think I will do the same tomorrow!

That's it! I am totally hooked on ice cold showers! I have often thought about doing it over the years but always put it off. Now I'm thinking , why did I wait so long?

Bottom line...total rush, energy that lasts all day, sense of well being, physical and mental stimulation, heightened awareness, heightened senses such as smell, hearing and taste, positive outlook, strong immune system ( no more colds or allergies), great stress reducer.. .it keeps me an all round happy, healthy and fun loving guy. I would recommend it to anybody.

After my morning cold shower I am totally invigorated and I actually want to jump in again during mid day for an added boost.

Cold water shower is simply amazing. I tried it today after reading the comments here. First few minutes I was shivering to death. I actually thought of turning the hot water. But I then after few minutes my body temperature got well adjusted to the cold water. It felt so good. I went in with a headache and came out so fresh and renewed. Thanks!

After the death of two very close friends and a lot of stress, I ended up with stress induced psoriasis all over my head, neck and shoulder. I tried EVERYTHING OTC and nothing worked so finally, I gave up, and started saving money to go to the doctor. I came across the cold water therapy on this site and although I did not intend to use it to treat this issue, it sure cured it. I started taking cold water showers in the hottest months here in Virginia. Immediately I noticed the increase in energy and my hair is SUPER SOFT even after months of harsh psoriasis shampoos that had my hair turning to straw. Call me crazy, but it seems my shower doesn't get as grimy as it did before when I was using hot water. My complexion has improved, and there is an obvious difference in my pores. Basically, I have nothing bad to say about cold showers. After 2 months of them, I can't even STAND a hot shower now.

I was reading all the wonderful things about cold showers so I had to try it. It isn't the greatest feeling in the world at all, especially living in not-so-hot climate. Once you get out of the shower, you feel like you have unlimited energy and feel absolutely great. I actually had a hangover today, took a cold shower and felt a lot better after and my head ache was gone also and I'm at work feeling great.