By Dan Teano
Lifestyle Editor
The best things in life are free—sort of. Although positive emotional states such as happiness, peace, and love aren’t purchasable commodities, they are often the end result of some temporary struggle.
For a little over a year, I’ve been taking only cold showers. I know that sounds like self-induced torture (and it sometimes feels like it), but the rewards make the suffering worth every second.
To be clear, when I say “cold,” I actually mean cold. How cold is cold? You know that bone-chilling spritz of water that drops from the showerhead when you first turn the knob? That’s the temperature I withstand two times a day for five minutes.
But why should anyone trade the comforts of a hot, steaming shower with a miserable, freezing one? It’s the same reason we force ourselves to eat vegetables—because outstanding, long term health benefits usually comes at the price of extreme, short-term dissatisfaction.
After taking cold showers for over a year now, I’ve observed and enjoyed several physical, emotional, and mental benefits. Here are the biggest I’ve seen.
1. Increased energy. Although this might seem obvious, a cold shower will wake you up faster and better than any alarm clock ever could. To endure the low temperature of the water, you instinctively breathe faster and deeper, allowing oxygen to circulate throughout your entire body. This heavy panting, along with the initial temperature shock, will give you an unmatched jolt of energy that will sustain through your day. I’ve now taken hundreds of cold showers and not once have I felt tired or groggy after leaving the shower room.
2. Sharpened focus. This benefit may seem bogus, but it is easy to notice right away. After you take a cold shower, you will be able to complete whatever you need to be doing without your mind wandering off about who posted what on Instagram.
Throughout our day, our minds are on overdrive. No matter what we’re doing, our brains are seldom entirely focused on the task before us. For instance, when we eat, we might be thinking about who’s watching us or what’s good for dessert; or, when we’re in class, we might be estimating whether or not we have enough money to go to the bar later. However, when you take a cold shower, it is almost impossible to think anything other than “this water is freaking cold.” And so, for three to five minutes, your mind is entirely focused on the water splashing off your goose-bumped skin.
When the shower is over, your mind will be relaxed, but it will be intensely focused as well.
3. Softer hair. While there are numerous mental and emotional benefits to cold showers, there are also physical ones too. The most noticeable one I’ve seen is softer hair.
When I used to take hot showers, I went extensive lengths to get my tough, knotty hair feeling silky smooth. I bought expensive conditioners, hair oils, and followed a strict cleaning regimen—apply shampoo every three days and conditioner every night. Despite all the money and effort I spent, my hair would either feel dry or greasy from the Argan oil I’d generously lather on. Now, though, I don’t use any hair oils. Since cold water strengthens your hair, while hot water thins it, my hair is remarkably softer, fuller, and more fun to play with.
While cold showers feel like the “Polar Plunge,” the numerous mental, emotional, and physical health benefits override the temporary agony of standing under freezing cold water. Of course, this is not to say that hot showers are bad. You can take long, hot showers and still be a functional human being. However, the benefits of cold showers are too lengthy and profound to pass up.
Even if you don’t want to make the switch from hot to cold immediately, you could start or end your showers with one to two minutes of running cold water. Again, the point of a cold shower is not to aimlessly punish yourself—in fact, you’ll eventually prefer it. The purpose is to discover and give yourself the many physical, mental, and emotional rewards.
In the end, most health benefits require some sacrifice—you can’t have something for nothing. But an entire day of increased energy, sharpened focus, and softer hair makes five minutes of feeling cold seem trivial.