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In late 2020 I committed to only taking cold showers. I note several upsides after nearly three years of this: - easier to forego caffeine, as cold water in th
by meristohm 3y ago
In late 2020 I committed to only taking cold showers. I note several upsides after nearly three years of this:
- easier to forego caffeine, as cold water in the morning leaves me wide awake
- easier to use less water, in part because it's so easy to get out of the shower into a warmer environment
- mental health benefits, including increased confidence dealing with things I don't want to do but which are my adult duties- cold showers have helped me grow up
- my skin is healthier; I'm no longer soaping and heating away my natural oils (I only use soap if I'm actually dirty, though of course I still soap my hands throughout the day for food prep, etc), and maybe the constriction helps with lymph flow? Dunno about that, but my skin feels good these days, except my arms and hands, which get a lot of sun (and so I've been using sunscreen more often, moisturizing with olive & coconut oils, wearing long sleeves, staying in the shade, and spending more outside time in the morning and evening).
Massage is great, too, from oneself and/or another person; take some time moisturizing and applying different levels of pressure- an aunt said lymphatic massage is a light touch, not felt in the muscles. I don't take all her advice, mind, but it does feel good to be kind to my skin.
Edit to add: oh and pat down to dry off, rather than rubbing with a towel, so as not to remove oil. On the other hand, is it helpful to speed exfoliation? Maybe only if there's flaking dry skin, which needs more intensive care anyway? My understanding is that our skin sloughs off naturally and generally doesn't need extra help, depending on the individual.
- networkchad 3y ago[dead]
- galleywest200 3y ago- easier to use less water, in part because it's so easy to get out of the shower into a warmer environment In the peak of summer temperatures (especially this year), this is not exactly true.
- lotsofpulp 3y agoI assume the vast majority of HN readers live in climate controlled residences where the temperature inside the residence and bathroom is more than the temperature of cold water, even in peak summer.
- epage 3y agoLiving in Texas, my cold showers during the summer feel amazing after a run ... for how cold they can actually get. I can stand in them indefinitely.
- r00fus 3y agoAfter 1hr+ of intense biking, I am in the same boat - body is so heated from the ride (often in the morning when it's cold so my extremities are quite cold) that hot water feels scalding, cold water feels really nice.
- vosper 3y agoDid you consider a hot-then-cold shower? After listening to a Huberman Lab episode on deliberate cold exposure I've started doing 2-3 minutes of cold at the end of my hot shower. Obviously it doesn't save on energy, but I definitely get the "wide awake" feeling you describe. And I get to enjoy a nice hot shower, too :) Here's a write-up on deliberate cold exposure by Dr Huberman for anyone interested: https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-use-of-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance/ https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-use-of-cold-exposure...
- mayormcmatt 3y agoThis sounds like a helpful way to ease into the practice and I'll give it a go in my next several showers, certainly. Thanks!
- gochi 3y agoBeen doing this for years now. Thought it's what everyone did until I found out some people actually spend a lot of money to buy a container specifically to throw themselves into after filling it with cold water. I prefer the gradual method, pushing the dial colder and colder as opposed to a quick instant cold shower. Still provides the benefits, but I can challenge myself on the days I want to by pushing just a bit colder.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Izikiel43 3y agoHot tub in the gym then cold pool ftw
- xattt 3y agoWhen I bathed as a kid, my parents would run the cold tap just before getting out and encouraged me to put my feet in it to boost my immune system. I don’t think they were too serious about it, but it was fun to do.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- nojs 3y agoHa, but have you seen the skin of Wim Hof? I love the guy but I wouldn’t say his face is particularly youthful
- ambicapter 3y agoI mean, he's 64. No part of him is "youthful" except his attitude.
- reverius42 3y agoThat’s only a little bit older than Paul Rudd.
- tharkun__ 3y agoI made the coconut oil mistake once. It's oil. Must be good, right? Especially the extra virgin, no? It does not moisturize at all. It dries out the skin something fierce. If you also use olive oil you might just be masking the bad side of the coconut oil.
- persimmiu 3y agoI have experienced similar benefits. Some people even joked that I had a face lift, as I took that shower right before meeting them. I started taking cold showers when the war between Russia and Ukraine made the bills go up and I could not afford to pay so much anymore. The first three days were awful to say the least. The water is freezing cold even in the summer because I think it comes from deep underground. I dreaded getting into the shower, but I had no choice. I either had to stay clean or in debt. So I went in and groaned like a monkey, cursing in between shallow breaths for a few minutes, but it became less unbearable after a while. I felt a headache, some dizziness and a general malaise afterwards. But once I got out of the shower, I stayed cool for three to four hours, actually feeling better than before. From the fourth day on, it got easier and easier. At first, I could take a cold shower quietly with mild discomfort but later on, I could just get in right away without minding the temperature. Now I enjoy it so much that it has become an addiction and not a nightmare. It took more or less a week to get to that point.