Hawaii has been extremely humid for the past couple of months, the worse I've ever experienced in my lifetime living here (I'm born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii). Besides loving the air conditioning, I like to take a cold or cool shower that gives me a refreshing feeling! Well, there are a number of benefits of cold showers as I learned from reading articles from medical websites.
For one, a cold shower is good to wake you up. When the cold water hits your skin, you get a bit of a shock that increases your heart rate and oxygen intake. You'll notice a greater alertness.
Second, after a workout, a cold shower will help relax and repair your muscles.
Third, our skin and hair gets a healthier glow because the cold water constricts and tightens our blood flow. Cold water tightens your cuticles and pores, which will prevent them from getting clogged. Cold water can tighten the pores in the skin and scalp too, preventing dirt from getting in.
Fourth, when we expose our body to cold water, some fat cells like Brown Fat can generate heat by burning fat, thus, we can lose some weight. Adults have small reserves of Brown Fat stored around the shoulders and neck.
Fifth, by taking a cold shower, you can help alleviate some of the symptoms of stress or depression as a result of the intense impact of cold receptors in the skin that send a great amount of electrical impulses from the peripheral nerve endings to the brain. You may feel an improvement in your mood. As an alternative to a cold shower, have a swim in the cool ocean, lake, or swimming pool on a nice sunny day or go on a hike and take a shower under a cold waterfall so you get an increase of happy chemicals from exercise, Vitamin D from the sun, and therapy from nature because your senses are being exposed to the lapping sounds of water, refreshing touch of the cool water, smells of the fresh air, and sight of the beautiful scenery.
As a note, medical professionals don't recommend exposing yourself to cold water when you're already feeling cold or undergoing an illness.
Whew it's hot in Hawaii, I'm ready for another cold shower!
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