Cold showers: not always fun, but definitely healthy
Taking a cold shower isn’t a nice prospect to wake up to, for a lot of people. Despite cold showers not always being fun (especially in the beginning), the pros seem to outweigh the cons. Having a cold shower is pretty healthy: it reinforces your immune system, helps the circulation of blood and even betters your happiness! It’s not just wild guesses, scientific research has proven the benefits of cold showers.
Research among employees of a company has proven to lower sick leave by 29%, within the group of cold showering employees. We’ll go deeper into the reason why cold showering is as healthy as we claim down below.
1. It improves your immune system
When your body comes into contact with cold water, multiple reactions occur. Your body starts making extra white blood cells and immediately increases your metabolic rate. The white blood cells help the attack on harmful pathogens. This is an automatic reaction of the body to protect you from the cold you’re experiencing. By having a cold shower on a daily basis (15 seconds, really cold), you can boost your immune system easily and be better protected against a lot of disease-causing agents.
2. Stimulates the circulation of blood
One of the reactions of the body when exposed to cold, is narrowing blood vessels. When your body warms back up, your blood vessels eventually open up widely. This stimulates the circulation of blood and, in turn, pumps a lot of oxygen to your organs and brains. Are you feeling energetic and sharp after a cold shower? You should be.
3. Production of brown fat
Another interesting reaction of the body when exposed to cold, that’s gotten a lot of scientific attention lately, is the production of brown fats. These special fat cells, primarily found around the neck and spine, function as little space heaters for the body. Unlike white fat cells, brown fat cells can not store energy. Brown fat cells can however produce energy, by using the white fat cells as ‘fuel’. When experiencing cold, the body stimulates the creation of brown fat cells. The more of those cells there are, the more white fat cells you need to fuel these ‘brown-fat-heaters’. So indirectly, cold showers help burn ‘bad fats’ and lose a little extra weight.
4. Cold showers make you happy
You might think differently during your cold shower, but afterwards the effect should really help your happiness overall. This is caused by the production of endorphins due to the exposure to cold. And as you might know, endorphins carry the nickname of the happiness hormone. The hormone has a proven effect to counteract any stress hormones, causing you to feel happy and stress free at the start of your day. Seems like a great way to start off!
Want to start your day off even more healthy and happily? Then take a Jake Shake after your cold shower. Our shakes contain all the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally. All quick and easy in one meal. Want to try Jake? Click here.
