I came across an article in late 2018 about people having and enjoying a cold shower and immediately thought, are they crazy! We’ve all watched people jump into a lake or river water in winter usually as a challenge or for charity and said “no way am I ever doing that!”
But, as I read more about cold and the possible benefit from having cold showers I was intrigued. A guy named Wim Hof (nicknamed the “IceMan”) kept coming up. This guy at first glace seems a bit crazy and yet he is able to do extraordinary things?
So I needed to know more and kept reading. There are people all over the world taking cold showers and not just once or twice a week, but every time they shower or can swim somewhere cold. Many of these people document months or years of their lives and are very honest and thoughtful in outlining what they perceive as beneficial from their cold therapy experience.
Not being one to sit on the sidelines if a practice seems helpful, I took up the challenge to know more. I had my first cold shower about 6 weeks ago and it was damn cold and not very pleasant. The next day I had another cold shower and thought, what am I doing, but did notice feeling quite awake and alert afterward. Day three was better in that I didn’t experience the shock to the cold water for as long and really felt good afterward. As the days progressed and I continued to have cold showers I realized that the initial adjustment to the cold sensation was changing. In about 5-10 seconds I was comfortable in the cold water and although the water hitting me was cold, I wasn’t cold, which is very similar to what people doing this were saying.
If you have every run the tap and put your hand under the water waiting for it to become a specific temperature you will have experienced the same thing I did in the shower. As your hand become used to the water you become unsure what the actual temperature is, needing to touch the water with your other hand to verify the water temperature. This idea of cold becoming tolerable is quite interesting!
As weeks pasted and more cold showers took place I noticed being outside in the cold winter air I felt warmer than it normally would have, just like in the shower. I felt alert and awake right after my shower and strangely wasn’t hustling to get warm (keep in mind that my showers would never be more than 3-5 minutes). One day after an extend time outdoors working and moving snow I thought I would treat myself to a hot shower and had a most interesting experience. The hot water actually seemed to reduce energy flow and I started to feel gross and groggy, as if the battery which is my energy was somehow shutting down.
For the record, I have since had a couple more warm showers (not hot) and have felt fine but certainly not as energized like from a cold shower.
So what is the deal with cold showers?
Although I have little data of my own to share, I can say that cold showers are not harmful. I can also say that if you dare to start having cold showers expect to feel very awake and clear headed (keeping in mind that brain fog will not be eliminated fully unless all obstacles that can cause this symptom are in check). You should also notice that your skin and hair feel cleaner and less blocked with junk (still unsure why?).
So, if you dare, TRY IT!
My suggestion is to get into a shower that you are accustomed to and over the first minute adjust the temperature colder, stopping at the point where it isn’t pleasant, then continuing to adjust colder, etc. Just play with the temperature until you can get into a lukewarm shower and turn it to 80-90% cold almost right away. Because it is winter in Canada just now, full cold is not my goal for now, work with that last 10% your own way. I finish my shower with a short 15-30 seconds burst at the very end of every shower.
Here are a few resource to read and help you understand possible benefits of cold showers.
Wim Hof (IceMan)
Have Fun Getting Cold!
Tom Kelly