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The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- conception 9y agoBut not a reduction in how many days people felt ill. I wonder if this speaks more to self-help style "leaders take a cold shower in the morning to get their day started" jump-start to your day than to any health consequences.
- Zarath 9y agoAs someone who has taken cold showers. I can say that there are definitely physiological changes resulting from cold showers. The hard part is forcing yourself to step into freezing cold water while knowing that relief is just at the turn of a dial.
- xupybd 9y agoI'm interested, can you please elaborate on the changes you noticed?
- dboreham 9y ago"shrinkage" ?
- kenning 9y agoIt doesn't necessarily have an impact on health but it reliably creates an intense response: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_reflex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_reflex ctrl+f "cold"
- stevenwoo 9y agoCold showers have been a part of some exercise/health regimens for a while. https://www.outsideonline.com/2086911/iceman-cometh https://www.outsideonline.com/2086911/iceman-cometh
- tsomctl 9y agoI get in while it's hot, and then turn it to cold.
- 5580 9y agoI agree. The attitude of foregoing comfort up front for the greater reward of a cold shower (in my opinion). Delayed gratification. It requires me to immediately face harsh conditions until I adjust to the cold and then it is awesome.
- SubiculumCode 9y agoGiven that it is a clinical trial with random assignment, and assuming that compliance was not a major issue, I think we can assume this is not about pre-existing tendencies toward self-help leadership styles. However, I suppose there could be something to what you are saying, as in 'look the part, be the part.' If I were to speculate I'd suppose that exposure to the hot and cold elements expands the sensory experience, and expanded sensory experiences often stimulate the brain and its capacity to adapt.
- watwut 9y agoI took cold showers in the evening. First few months, sicknesses just felt less bad. After about five months, I stopped to need sick days. I also need less warm cloth normally now, basically my body reacts less badly to cold. I needed frequent sick days back then when I started (it was long term bad health state).
- zzxxkk123 9y agoI used to do this every morning... just take a normal hot shower, then at the end crank it full cold and endure until normalized. It's a free high, great way to start a day. I presumed endorphins are being released. Now I prefer to run a bunch of miles and immediately jump into the (cold) ocean while still all hot and amped up from the run. The water doesn't even seem cold, it's great. Normally people wear wet-suits in the ocean here.
- oihssovhusvoh 9y agoalso how I shower...best combination
- spicymaki 9y agoI do the same. It is like a great reward for a good run!
- wutbrodo 9y ago> Now I prefer to run a bunch of miles and immediately jump into the (cold) ocean while still all hot and amped up from the run. The water doesn't even seem cold, it's great. Normally people wear wet-suits in the ocean here. This sounds great, but what about the trip home? I usually run to the ocean and I sometimes feel cold on my way back just from the sweat.
- thesmallestcat 9y agoCould that induce a heart attack? Like drinking a glass of ice water after mowing the lawn in hot weather.
- ellyagg 9y agoYep. It's a stressor, which is the point. Strenuous exercise is also a well-known cause of heart attacks, but you should definitely strenuously exercise if at all possible.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- itchyouch 9y agoDr. Rhonda Patrick goes over cold therapy (along with hot therapy) numerous times in her nutrition/health/biology/epidemiological research. cryo usually is -180 degrees F for 2 minutes. But a similar effect can be achieved with ~40 F (IIRC) exposure for ~4-6 hours. I think she has mentioned similar effects for immersion in cold water for several minutes as well. The benefits of cold shock are basically: * increase norepinephrine up to 5 fold which provides a ton of focus/attention. * induces biogenesis of mitochondria, thus increases endurance. * that biogensis turns white fat brown as fat cells grow mitochondria to generate heat to stay warm Looks like she has a report on it here: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/?sendme=cold-stress https://www.foundmyfitness.com/?sendme=cold-stress You can also listen to it in bits and pieces in various videos she has posted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-J8w2ay94 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-J8w2ay94
- sliverstorm 9y ago40F with or without clothes? 4-6 hours without clothes and Im pretty sure you're looking at fairly severe hypothermia.
- letlambda 9y agoIn 40F water for 4-6 hours and you're looking at a severe case of death.
- gricardo99 9y agoNo kidding. Must mean 4-6 minutes.
- sliverstorm 9y agoI figured that was air, like "cryo". Later: similar effects for immersion in cold water for several minutes as well
- itchyouch 9y ago40F outdoors with clothes. Ice baths are several minutes. The faster the thermotransfer, the shorter the cold shock period, obviously...
- bksenior 9y agoI skimmed the cover page. If you shower at night are the advantages tracked to be local to only that moment or does it have a prolonged general benefit?
- johnsimer 9y agoSometimes i do cold showers at night, instead of the morning, and I still feel like I get the same benefits. interestingly enough cold showers in the morning wake me up, and cold showers at night relax me. Not exactly how it works, but it does.
- JumpCrisscross 9y ago“The total amount of days a participant felt ill (including symptoms of cold and flu)” responded but “the total number of days of absence from their work due to sickness“ which the study’s designers view as “the most objective indirect parameter indicative of illness severity” did not.
- jdc0589 9y ago> but “the total number of days of absence from their work due to sickness“ which the study’s designers view as “the most objective indirect parameter indicative of illness severity” did not. ahahahahahahah. that's rich.
- blazespin 9y agoAgreed. People take sick days for reasons other than getting sick.
- phaemon 9y agoThat is the complete opposite of the study's findings. The number of days they felt ill did not change, but they had fewer days absent.
- JumpCrisscross 9y agoYou are totally correct. My sincerest apologies!
- flor1s 9y agoI feel like the benefits you obtain through cold showers disappear after a while as you get used to them. That's similar to the benefits I felt of meditation.
- UncleEntity 9y agoIDK, I have yet to get used to cold showers during the last two winters. Still too lazy to get my gas turned back on in 2.5 years so it isn't all that bad I guess...but during the deep Arizona winter when the temperature drops to around 50 those showers aren't even a little fun.
- itchyouch 9y agoThere is a brown fat adaptation beyond shivering that does happen.
- Scea91 9y ago> deep Arizona winter when the temperature drops to around 50 I wonder, is this sarcasm or do you really consider 50 F as deep winter in Arizona? I get it that you are used to much higher temperatures but still... Right now we have around 40 F in Prague and it is not even a winter yet. Cold showers are still fine right now.
- simplyluke 9y agoCold/heat exposure are great, cold water immersion in particular. I've observed positive effects on my physical recovery. But I have not seen a comment here warning that cold water immersion is absolutely not something you should try for the first several times alone, even in very shallow water (IE a bathtub). The risk of entering shock/going unconscious and drowning is non-trivial.
- sytelus 9y agoTLDR; 3000 participants study that asked them to do cold showers for 30-90 seconds each day for 1 month. Main difference shown was ~30% reduction in sick days they took. On a side note, has anyone here tried wim hof method?
- nazgulnarsil 9y agoinducing hypoxia will make you euphoric but is generally a bad idea for much the same reason that huffing paint thinner is a bad idea.
- jimmydddd 9y agoCautionary note. Don't practice Wim Hof method while in a pool or tub. Tim Ferriss opens a podcast on hof with a warning about a friend who passed out practicing hof method while in a pool and almost drowned.
- slap_shot 9y agoIs it possible that that people who are more willing to tolerate pain and uncomfortable situations are less likely to take sicks days, even when sick? I've trie the wim hof method. It's a pretty incredible feeling but I'm afraid of collapsing and knocking myself out.
- Geojim 9y agoI think a better control group would have been a group who had to bash their thumb with a hammer or something....
- abalone 9y agoNo because this was not a self-selected group. It was people with no regular history of cold showering. My money’s on placebo effect here.
- SilasX 9y agoRight but people would be excluded from the study if they found the cold showers too grueling and wanted out.
- dangjc 9y agoI did this for a while. It’s good for increasing your brown fat.
- portlander12345 9y agoCan someone tell me if their study design compensates for bias introduced by not everyone completing the study? It looks like only about 70% completed it.
- fnordian_slip 9y ago79% if I understood it correctly, but you raise a valid point.
- arkaic 9y agoI can offer my anecdotal experience. Been shutting off the hot water at the end of my morning showers and enduring the cold for a few minutes for the past 3 years. I have noticed that I get fewer colds. And with the colds I do get, their symptoms are lighter, and they go away much quicker, often gone in a day or two. And I haven't caught anything real bad, like a flu, since.
- jacobolus 9y agoCompeting anecdote: I once dunked for a few minutes into a very cold bath at a Budapest bathhouse, and the next few days suffered one of the worst flus I’ve ever had. Keep doing whatever works for you, but I don’t think either of these provide especially convincing general evidence. (Note I’m not blaming the cold bath; for all I know I would have had identical symptoms either way.)
- Scea91 9y agoI don't even think your anecdote is competing. I think it is a common wisdom that you should allow your body to adjust to cold gradually.
- jacobolus 9y agoThe “common wisdom” being investigated in this study and discussed in this thread was whether short and “shocking” cold showers would improve health. The top-level commenter claims that transitioning directly from a hot shower to a few minutes of cold shower at the end has made him less susceptible to respiratory viral infections. I agree that there are often several directly contradictory pieces of “common wisdom” floating around about health topics. That’s one of the chief difficulties with folk advice in general.
- all_blue_chucks 9y agoPeople who take cold showers are just as sick, but call off work less? Maybe it's because the misery from the cold water masks the misery from the illness?
- amiheines 9y agoOr maybe it masks the misery of going to work? ;)
- anjc 9y ago"Can't wait to get to work. Anywhere is better than this cold shower". Plausible...
- dwg 9y agoAs someone who has been using cold water at the end of my showers for a while now, it doesn't feel miserable at all. It's rather refreshing.
- thomastjeffery 9y agoIt may also help clear out the sinuses, or make them feel less sensitive. Hot water can dry you out. Cold water may help counteract that.
- SmirkingRevenge 9y agoMy guess would be that it exercises your will and discipline, more than anything else. Basically, maybe it toughens you up mentally a bit.
- spodek 9y agoJoel Runyon's Cold Shower Therapy is an awesome introduction, at least for certain types, which includes me. https://impossiblehq.com/cold-shower-therapy https://impossiblehq.com/cold-shower-therapy I've taken cold showers regularly for years. One of the best things I've done for myself -- creating discipline, self awareness, etc. at zero cost in money or time.
- nhumrich 9y agoThis concept is about 100% cold shower, whereas the article is about 1min of cold at the end of a hot shower. Do you think there is a difference on effectiveness? I would think the extreme of hot-to-cold would be more affective, and after 60 seconds, your bodys already adapted.
- spodek 9y agoI recommend finding out for yourself by trying each and seeing the results. It will cost you nothing in time or money. I guarantee you will learn more about yourself than you would imagine and develop skills applicable throughout life. I recommend against not trying and finding out through experience. I've found the results amazing, despite costing nothing. Since I've made cold showers a regular habit -- http://joshuaspodek.com/js_blogseries/cold-showers-rock http://joshuaspodek.com/js_blogseries/cold-showers-rock -- I'd love to hear your results.
- shadykiller 9y agoI take cold shower just for the wakefulness. Always beats the morning coffee for me.
- chewz 9y agoI loved cold showers since beeing teenager. Always liked cold. Not used hot water sometimes for weeks in winter. In December me and friends regularly swim in Baltic Sea when it’s 0C outside (hot sauna and generous servings of vodka surely help). But I have read that hot shower in morning significantly lowers cortisol levels so I start the day with hot shower now, when available. Also since a few years I am living in SE Asia and hot showers taken few times a day open pores in skin and allow it breath better in this climate.
- NHQ 9y agoCold showering isn't a health regimen; it's a beauty secret.
- cyberferret 9y agoWe did this in our entire house for about 6 months once when our water heater broke and we couldn't afford to get it fixed quickly. UPSIDES: We nearly halved our water bill as all of us (kids and parents) took far shorter showers because it was so cold. This also meant we had to clean the shower much less often. I would also be more awake and alert in the morning after a cold rinse. DOWNSIDES: I noticed I was getting more headaches and stiff necks, then I realised that the hot showers were helping me to de-tension and relax my shoulder and neck muscles which have become tight due to my long work hours writing code at a keyboard. Didn't notice any up or down occurrences of sickness in the rest of the family. Overall, I am glad we have hot water back now. At least I have a choice which way to go.
- the_economist 9y agoI've been taking cold showers for 3-4 months, but recently had to quit because I hurt my neck so badly in the shower.
- secura 9y agoCan you elaborate this? Did the cold water hurt your neck? Or did you hurt neck due to a related/unrelated accident in the shower?
- dogma1138 9y agoMost likely it didn’t hurt the neck directly but rather did not provide the normal tension reducing benefit that hot water does. On top of that your muscles do spasm a bit when you are cold which could possibly build more pressure which over a period of days/weeks would result in pretty bad stiffness.
- the_economist 9y agoI think I had a slightly stiff neck after 9 hours of sleeping, then jumping into the cold water made me jerk unnaturally, giving me neck spasms.
- blunte 9y ago
- codezero 9y agoIn general I am very concerned about what is considered cold. Is this just unheated? Depending on the time of year the relative temperature of unheated has a broad range where I live. I’d be a lot more comfortable if this set a tight bound on the water temp. If it did and I missed it sorry.
- hellofunk 9y ago> Twenty serious adverse events were reported, that were all considered unrelated to the intervention. Including one death.
- mythrwy 9y agoShowering in cold water also might keep the skin pores closed causing less absorption of whatever may be in the municipal water (fluoride, traces of pesticides, hormones from birth control etc).
- collyw 9y agoYou are going to be drinking that water anyway, no?
- kromem 9y agoBecause of the study design, there's no control group that would account for placebo. The placebo effect in several meta-analyses (Beecher, Haas) showed an effect in studies of around 30%. Coincidentally, people participating in this study felt less sick when talking a hot-cold shower by ~30%. Without being able to discount placebo, I am highly suspect of the results of this study.
- isolli 9y agoIf participants did not know in advance they would be evaluated on the number of sick days they take, surely the placebo effect is minimal?
- aktenlage 9y agoSo, how would you make people believe they took a cold shower without it actually happening? :-)
- aisofteng 9y agoAnd what exactly would the placebo be? This isn't taking pills, it's taking showers.
- BLanen 9y agoThe problem with researching this is that the patient can't be blind to what treatment they're getting.
- isolli 9y agoBut she can be blind to what the expected outcome is.
- twobyfour 9y agoThis is not for everyone. I can do this and enjoy it in summer but not winter. I have poor circulation and am always cold as it is. In winter, the water comes out of our pipes at whatever ground temperature is - typically just a couple degrees above freezing. Tried it once for a week, and was stepping out of the shower nearly hypothermic and shivering violently. Immediately came down with a massive head and chest cold that required my first course of antibiotics in nearly a decade, followed by a tension related muscle injury that's still plaguing me three years later. Never again.
- jack_pp 9y agoTry the wim hof method
- twobyfour 9y agoNo.
- meesterdude 9y agoI laughed at this - and totally understand where you're coming from. However. For me, I have known people who weather the cold very well - unlike you and I. They'll go for a swim in a cold lake and enjoy it. Generally, I hate the cold. Even a mild cold is NOPE. My hands especially, get cold very easily. But this is what I saw when I looked up the method: > If you are new to cold exposure, just end your warm shower with 15 - 30 seconds with cold water only. Begin with your feet and then follow with your legs, your stomach, shoulders, neck, and back. An initial shock, shivering and hyperventilation is normal. Try to remain calm and breathe easily. Close your eyes and really try to embrace the cold. Don't pour the cold water over the head if you are not known with cold exposure. If you feel any strong physical uncomfortableness, like heavy shivering, numbness or pain, get your body warm again as soon as possible. Cold exposure works like weight lifting, you get stronger over time. There are little muscles around your veins that contract when they get into contact with the cold. After some time (only 1-2 weeks according to Wim) these become stronger, making your veins healthier and reducing the force that your heart has to use to pump blood around your body. You can increase exposure over time. At one point the cold will feel just as comfortable as wearing your favorite pajamas and you can skip the warm shower completely. Notice how you feel amazing after a cold shower and sluggish after a warm one. When I first heard about this guy years ago, i picked up the yoga side of it and deemed it BS. But this kind of gradual conditioning he proposes, and not going overboard with it, makes me think maybe I could try it. In theory, we should feature some adaptive qualities to better weather the cold. I'd sure love to find mine.
- DoubleGlazing 9y agoI had to cold shower for a January fortnight when we had issues with our gas boiler. One thing I noticed was that it got me alert much sooner in the morning. Typically I would get up at 7:00am, shower, eat and then head off to work to start at 9:00am, but my brain wouldn't really be in gear till about 9:30am. With cold showering the brain was in gear far sooner. I felt more willing to get out and get stuff done. Maybe that earlier alertness helps cancel out a desire to pull a sickie? That being said, the extra alertness wasn't worth the sheer torture of a cold shower.
- yason 9y agoI wouldn't want to get alert quickly in the morning. I much enjoy the pleasant and unique slowness of the mornings and I wish to wake up slow, get up slow, and enjoy my breakfast slow and let the energy gradually rush back into my body for the day ahead. Looking from my perspective, a cold shower in the morning sounds like one of the worst ways to make your life more miserable. But on the other hand cold water seems to be otherwise beneficial. For example, winter swimming is generally recognised to aid in numerous ways, both physiologically and mentally. I sometimes dip into the cold pool (4-6 C) for a minute at the swimming hall and it feels great afterwards. But that's at a time when I'm up and moving already. Doing that in the morning would be just as punishing than a cold shower.
- markinthesea 9y agoIt's interesting they only focus on the cold shower. I would have thought it would be short and barely give you enough time to get over the initial shock(cold shock response) - around a minute or so when the gag reflex hits and what would potentially drown you in open water. After that shock, things change. My personal experience is with swimming in the sea year round for 3 to 4 years. 2 to 3 times a week every week. I started in August to help acclimatise to the change in the temperature as it cooled. Temperature ranges from 18C in August to 4C in early March, give or take. The effects were great over all and I thought I was healthier for it. I understand the tightening of the muscle which some of the others mentioned as an experience. I got used to this and it seemed to relax me. I never really got the tight muscles thing except afterwards when I kind of wanted to tighten up. I would walk in at a reasonable pace. As others have said, with a meditative feeling. Once fully emerged and the shock had passed I could swim for a maximum of around 5 to 10 minutes at the coldest part of the year. Sometimes it was more a splash around for as long as I could stand it. I generally stopped and got out when my wrists started to cramp. I'm guessing the cold water would send the blood circulation internally away from the skin. It always felt the warmest in late September early October for some reason. The coldest place I ever swam was between two San Juan islands in August! Once out of the water I would feel warm and have a feeling of glowing. Drying off would be a pleasure despite the outside temperature. My overall demeanour would be very positive and up lifting. I've heard talk of endorphins or something along those lines being released in to the body. I never jumped in to a hot shower right after preferring to warm naturally and slowly. I felt warm for a good twenty minutes after getting out and being dressed fully whoever cold it was. The whole experience became slightly addictive which is why I did it so long. Work has now gotten in the way of that. There is a serious safety aspect to all this and it should be done with caution and understanding. This guy, Mario Vittone, was very informative on what's going on when trying to stay alive in cold water: http://mariovittone.com/2010/10/1-10-1/ http://mariovittone.com/2010/10/1-10-1/
- zimpenfish 9y agoAnother interesting look at cold water troubles - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/know-your-risk-of-cardiac-arrest-during-open-water-swimming/ https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/know-your-risk-of-cardiac...
- neilwilson 9y agoSo essentially a cold shower wakes you up. Who knew.
- vleroybrown 9y agoFor the past 2 months my family and I have been forced to take cold showers in Puerto Rico. I personally stoped showering for almost a month. I got so sticky it was unbearable so I finally showered again. The cold water was difficult to relax in.
- Fifer82 9y agoDoes anyone know why I prefer being cold more than others? I sleep with all the windows open and my other half has pyjamas, a double duvet and a hot water bottle. Like in December in Scotland. I also dislike wearing Jackets or Coats under any circumstances. I dislike hot drinks maybe apart from Soup. When people go on Holiday and basque in the sun saying it is perfect weather. My actual perfect weather (I believe I feel like they do when it happens) is for a low crisp negative temperature with no wind. For a long time I have wondered why I prefer this side of the fence and wonder if I have some weird lineage from the North.
- dvdplm 9y agoDo you have high blood pressure?
- Fifer82 9y agoNot sure. If I do I have always had it. I don't go the doctors often. How would I know?
- knicholes 9y agoHere where I live in Utah, they have blood pressure machines all over, like inside of Rite Aid or even grocery stores. You just sit down, push a button, and wait for your arm to be squeezed. Another option is to purchase a sphygmomanometer and test yourself.
- ambivalents 9y agoI don't have any genealogical insights (I am half Armenian, half a mix of western European), but I am the same way. I drink iced coffees year round. I wear the lightest thinnest jacket I can get away with in the winter. I sleep with a fan blasting. My best guess is it's a metabolic thing--I run a little warmer/faster than most (though I suppose that doesn't explain why). Edit: And to address the blood pressure comment, I have always had normal to low blood pressure, so I don't think it's that.
- gadders 9y agoI tell you what has an even bigger effect on the number of sick days you take - going self-employed. I've taken one day off sick in the 8 years I've been an IT contractor, and that was because I set fire to my legs (in too much pain after a dressing change to WFH).
- jasonasmk 9y ago"Twenty serious adverse events were reported, that were all considered unrelated to the intervention. One participant in the 90 seconds intervention group died unexpectedly of occult chronic pulmonary embolism at 56 days follow-up." OK
- starchild_3001 9y agoI took cold showers for a month. Really liked the effects! I ended up wearing shorts and tshirt year round (in northern california), whereas the old me would be wearing several layers of clothing > 6 months of the year. I was taking cold showers daily for 5 months.