Current:Home > BackI took a cold shower every day for a year. Here's what happened.-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
I took a cold shower every day for a year. Here's what happened.
View Date:2024-12-24 10:58:09
The cold water hits my face, then my body, like ... well, cold water. Abrupt. Icy. Chilling. Shocking. Then, somehow, soothing?
Nearly every day for the past year, I took a one-minute cold shower after my morning hot shower. I got the idea after editing a piece from a USA TODAY medical contributor: "Multiple research studies show that cold exposure is a 'good stressor' that floods our brains and bodies with adrenaline and dopamine, increasing our energy and focus and elevating our mood," wrote Dr. Michael Daignault. The recommendation is generally for a cold plunge pool, but he said a shower would work, too.
But was this a good idea? The truth is its health benefits are up for debate, like many health and wellness trends. But my habit probably isn't doing any harm, either.
'Lean into' the cold shower
Adrenaline and dopamine to start my day? Sure, I thought. Maybe I'd relax more. Breathe deeper. I'm a journalist (and a human), after all, so stress comes with the gig. "Instead of fighting our body’s natural reflex to breathe like this, lean into it and focus on quality breathing," wrote Daignault. "Over time, aim for progressively colder water and a longer time. One to three minutes daily is ideal."
Lean into it I did, no matter the temperature outside nor the location. In Washington, D.C., in Portugal, in New Jersey, in California, what have you. Some mornings I turned the water cooler than others. Some mornings I probably rushed that one minute. Either way, I breathed, deeply and slowly and felt my heart rate decrescendo like a piece of music.
Was this actually working, even if I wasn't exactly adhering to perfect guidance? Or was it all in my head?
How long should I take cold showers for each week?
Likely a mix of both. Potential health benefits go beyond aiding energy and focus; it could even boost your metabolism and curb inflammation. Groups like adventurous athletes might be more inclined to take a freezing dip in the first place, in hopes of healing injuries.
I'm not quite at that level, but I've been working out more. Strength training, running a few miles twice a week and taking high intensity interval training classes. Health benefits have evidently cropped up for me elsewhere (though, like many, I could certainly improve my diet), so who's to say exactly what I've been getting out of the cold showers in this regard?
Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford Medicine, Andrew Huberman, suggests 11 minutes per week over two to four sessions should do the trick.
"For deliberate cold exposure, *it doesn’t matter how you get cold as long as it’s uncomfortable but safe* (temp varies by person)," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in 2021. "Most studies were done with submersion in water to the neck, limbs, feet & hands in. Showers & layer shedding fine too but not much science there."
Former "Biggest Loser" trainer Jillian Michaels points to the same 11-minute recommendation, but that "the cold shower's better than nothing." Also remember to not heat up again: "The key is to let your body reheat itself," she told me just before the new year. "That's where a large amount of the benefits come from with regard to metabolism."
Hmm:The Rock takes a cold shower every day. Should you? Here's what experts say.
My cold shower plan for 2024
This year I plan on sticking with my cold shower routine. If anything, it makes me take stock of myself in a given moment. I stop thinking about what I have to accomplish that day. Stop worrying about what's going to happen next week. Stop stressing about what the next month will hold.
I focus on the here and now, because when ice injects itself into your veins, that's all you can do. Pause. Slow. Breathe.
Here's to a 2024 full of deep breaths for everyone. We're going to need it.
Noted:Why Epsom salt is a good home remedy this ER doctor says
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Rita Ora Says Liam Payne “Left Such a Mark on This World” in Emotional Tribute
- Step Inside Pregnant Jessie James Decker’s Nature-Themed Nursery for Baby No. 4
- Ohio restricts health care for transgender kids, bans transgender girls from school sports
- Milwaukee Bucks to hire Doc Rivers as coach, replacing the fired Adrian Griffin
- Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
- How genocide officially became a crime, and why South Africa is accusing Israel of committing it
- Vermont wants to fix income inequality by raising taxes on the rich
- 6-legged dog abandoned at grocery successfully undergoes surgery to remove extra limbs
- Patricia Heaton criticizes media, 'extremists' she says 'fear-mongered' in 2024 election
- The Mexican National Team's all-time leading goal scorer, Chicharito, returns to Chivas
Ranking
- Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR
- Olympian Maricet Espinosa González Dead at 34
- Wisconsin mom gives birth to baby boy in snowy McDonald’s parking lot. See his sweet nickname.
- Families of those killed in the 2002 Bali bombings testify at hearing for Guantanamo detainees
- Study finds Wisconsin voters approved a record number of school referenda
- Hillary Clinton reacts to Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig Oscars snub: You're both so much more than Kenough
- His spacecraft sprung a leak. Then this NASA astronaut accidentally broke a record
- Michigan Gov. Whitmer calls for increased investments in education in State of the State address
Recommendation
-
Man is 'not dead anymore' after long battle with IRS, which mistakenly labeled him deceased
-
Robitussin cough syrup sold nationwide recalled due to contamination
-
Nick Dunlap turns pro after becoming first amateur to win PGA Tour event in 33 years
-
Advocates Celebrate a Legal Win Against US Navy’s Staggering Pollution in the Potomac River. A Lack of Effective Regulation Could Dampen the Spirit
-
Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
-
Doomsday clock time for 2024 remains at 90 seconds to midnight. Here's what that means.
-
For 1 in 3 Americans, credit card debt outweighs emergency savings, report shows
-
Turkey’s central bank hikes key interest rate again to 45% to battle inflation