Cold Showers vs Hot Showers

Everybody has a preferred temperature of shower they like. Majority of people like hot showers in the morning as they are perfect and help you to feel relaxed and energized. Did you know that cold showers can wake you up faster and have health benefits for your body?

Whether you like cold showers or hot showers, each of them have specific benefits and advantages which make them popular and effective.

Let’s start with hot showers. Hot showers are great for people who feel tired or have trouble sleeping and relaxing. They ease your stress, calm your muscles, and relax your body. Hot showers are recommended for muscle relaxation before going to sleep because they activate the parasympathetic nervous system which makes us tired.

Some other benefits of hot showers are-

• Natural remedy against cold or cough- The heat from the shower can soothe your body and fight cold, flu, or cough like symptoms. The steam opens your airways and clears out your nasal passages.
• They can clean out trapped oil and dirt from your skin, thus opening up your pores. Hot showers are effective at exfoliating the dirt and grime in your skin and prepare your skin to imbibe lotions, creams, and serums effectively post-shower.
• They soothe tired muscles.

Hot showers also have certain disadvantages such as-

• They can worsen sensitive skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea, or cause flare-ups.
• They dry out and irritate your skin. Long exposure to hot water causes damage to the keratin cells which are found on the outermost layer of the skin. It becomes difficult to lock in moisture. So your hot shower during the winter season is in fact drying your skin further.
• They can cause itchiness and rashes.
• They can increase blood pressure.

Now, lets see what’s so great about cold showers-

• They can calm sensitive skin- Cold showers have relaxing flow of cold water which can calm irritated or sensitive skin and reduce itchiness.
• They can increase circulation- When cold water hits your body and external limbs, it constricts circulation on the surface of your body. This causes blood in your deeper tissues to circulate at faster rates to maintain body temperature.
• Cold water can reduce muscle soreness. The regenerative and therapeutic properties of cold water make it ideal to relax and repair your body after a tough workout.
• They can help your skin to glow- Cold water doesn’t dry out your skin or hair. It tightens and constricts your blood flow which gives your skin a healthier glow. Your hair will become stronger and healthier if you take cold showers as it doesn’t strip your hair of natural oils.

Like hot showers, cold showers have certain disadvantages too-

• For colder temperatures, cold showers may be a bad idea as it can make it difficult for your body to warm back up.
• If you are sick or weak, cold showers can be too hard on your immune system.

So, now that we know all the pros and cons, which is better? Ideally speaking lukewarm showers are best as they combine the benefits of cold and hot showers, without any disadvantages. Immediately apply lotion or moisturizer after taking a bath. You can also take a contrast shower where you get the water as cold as possible and stand in it for one minute. When the minute is up, you change the water to as hot as possible and stay there for another minute. Alternate between one minute each of cold and hot for three to five cycles.