Many people take their daily shower for granted and don’t give much thought about improving it. Showering has become a time of daydreaming with little thought to the benefits (or consequences) of this now mindless act. Many people damage their nerves, skin and hair by taking overly hot showers for too long each day. This may lead
you to wonder are cold showers good for you? The answer is yes but you have to follow a few guidelines or else the cold water can be damaging and unpleasant.
Benefits of Cold/Cool Showers
Colder and cool showers are scientifically better for daily use than hot. The most important benefit is the result cold water has on your nerves. America and other high pressure countries have the worst nerve problems in the world; this leads to depression and anxiety.
The average day is filled with stress it takes a toll on your nerves. People with bad nerves get angry, nervous and worry much more than people with stronger nerves.
People with these strong nerves are much more calm and enjoy better mood. They are more confident and it takes higher levels of anxiety to rattle them.
Now hot showers aren’t the cause for the nerve problem in America; our entire lifestyle is the cause of that. But hot showers certainly aren’t helping.
A cold shower, especially in the morning, does wonders for your nerves. It sets the tone for your entire day and gives you such a clear mind. After this type of shower you will find it so difficult to get “hot blooded.”
Also, hot showers weaken the roots of your hair. When you go to dry your hair off with your towel you can break these roots. This can lead to premature hair loss and dryness.
Lastly, cold water keeps your skin soft and toned.
How to do It
An important thing to realize is cold water can damage your nerves if you do it incorrectly. The first thing to keep in mind is to never take a cold shower when you are already cold.
If you are coming in from a cold winter day and need to shower immediately make sure to make it hot or pretty warm. Besides being damaging to your nerves, taking a cold shower when already cold would just be uncomfortable and painful.
The goal is to have the cold water feel pleasant and relaxing; and when done right it will be more so than a hot shower.
The best way to warm up properly is to exercise before hand. It doesn’t need to be anything long or crazy but enough to make your body warm and loose. Here’s a perfect one for that take which cares of every health need you have.
Another way to warm up is to start your shower off hot and to finish it up cold. This is known as a Scottish shower and the fictional character James Bond takes them in the original stories. Also, the hotness opens the pores of the skin and coldness closes them.
Lastly, you can dab the back of your neck and and wrists and other sensitive areas with cold water before hopping in. This way your body prepares for the coldness.
Gradually Decrease Temperature
This is something very important to keep in mind if you’ve only been taking hot showers for your life. You shouldn’t go straight to cold. Remember the goal is to have these showers be comfortable and pleasant. So week by week just slowly decrease the temperature.
There will be a day when the cold water will hit your skin and you won’t shutter. Your nerves and skin will grow to the point it feels refreshing; like walking into an air conditioned room on a hot summer day.
You will grow to love this feeling.
Don’t Say Goodbye to Hot Showers
Hot water still has its place in your life and has its own benefits. The problem with high temp showers is they are abused by doing them too regularly and too long; shot nerves and lack of energy results.
But hot water has a very relaxing quality which is beneficial.
A good plan is to pepper in hot showers here and there at night. Always try and start your day off with cold water and exercise (or at least the Scottish shower). But if you get home from a stressful day of work and want to take a hot shower to relax than that is perfectly fine.
Just make sure it isn’t a thirty minute zone out session. Keep it to under seven minutes and make sure not to use soap and shampoo twice in a day. This can cause damage to skin and hair; especially if they are loaded with chemicals.
The Importance of Water
Before I go I’d like to remind you of the importance of clean water. One of the biggest achievements in human history is learning to apply water properly. It’s right up there with fire and the wheel.
Without water to clean ourselves we would be much more susceptible disease and sickness. The long life span developed countries enjoy wouldn’t exist without being able to clean our bodies of dangerous bacteria. Without these long life spans and healthy bodies we wouldn’t accomplish a fraction of what we’ve accomplished today; without health there’s nothing.
So many people in the world die just from the lack of clean water to drink and clean themselves.
The point of this is to remind you not to take this daily shower for granted. Don’t waste those precious moments everyday damaging your nerves and not getting the full benefits you could. Always remember civilization and human evolution has and will depend on the proper application of water.