This Happens When You Take a Cold Shower

There’s a hot trend among social media users: the taking of selfies. Ice cold showers. Celebrities Miranda Kerr, Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Bell and other A-listers have all touted the benefits of embracing frigid water temperatures—and it’s catching on in health circles, too.

We spoke with an expert about cold plunges and cold showers. Alex TrevattDr. Michael J. Smith, MD, works as a clinical lead at Avon Aesthetics  and runs the medical education company MedistudentsAccording to him, “a big fan of cold showers” He began recommending them to patients in an effort to improve their well being.

Take a look at the following to see what happens to your body after taking a cold shower for a month. You can then decide whether or not to do it.

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Trevatt says that taking frequent cold showers can boost circulation. “Cold water immersion has been shown to constrict blood vessels and then dilate them, leading to improved circulation,” He says it. Best Life.

The Cleveland Clinic experts say that this happens because of the cold water. Circulatory system into overdrive.” Your body reacts to the icy water by constricting blood vessels and pumping blood to vital organs.

“This process stimulates blood flow, which—on the whole—is a good thing for your overall health,” They write. The Clinic does mention that there may be more comfortable and better ways to increase circulation. For example, a 10-minute stroll.

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If you are interested in Inflammation can cause severe pain. Trevatt suggests that regular cold showers can help reduce swelling. “Cold water exposure has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, improving overall health and alleviating certain conditions such as arthritis,” He says.

For this exact reason, some athletes take cold plunges after intense workouts. “There have been a couple of studies showing that there may be some decreased soreness after people were immersed in cold water for about 10 minutes versus those who did not do any cold therapy,” Tracy L. ZaslowCedars Sinai is told by Dr., an orthopedic surgeon. “When you’re in cold water, your blood vessels constrict so there’s less blood flow to the area, then there’s less swelling and inflammation leading to less pain.”

Experts say cold showers can boost your immune system. “Cold water exposure has been shown to increase the production of white blood cells, which help to boost the immune system and fight off illness,” Trevatt explained.

A study from 2016 was published in the medical journals. PLoS One We investigated the effects of cold showers. Absences due to illness from work. They recruited 3,018 participants, aged between 18 and 65, and asked them to take either a hot to cold shower for 30, 60, 90, or 90 seconds. Or, they could be assigned to the control group. “A negative binomial regression model showed a 29 percent reduction in sickness absence for (hot-to-) cold shower regimen compared to the control group,” They came to an agreement.

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The most obvious benefit of cold showers are the Mental stimulation you may experience. Experts suggest that you can expect to pay more attention and feel happier. “Cold water exposure has been shown to release endorphins, which are natural painkillers and mood-enhancers,” Trevatt.

Experts warn that cold showers or cold plunges can cause serious injury to your body. It’s best not to do this until you have discussed the risks with your doctor. It is best to take your time if you decide that you want to do it.

“If You are a rel=”noopener noreferrer external” href=”https://www.health.com/cold-plunging-safety-6950787″ target=”_blank”>trying it for the first time, take your time and acclimatize, slowly reduce the temperature over days or weeks,” Lee HillDr. Michael Y., exercise physiologist at the Research Institute for the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, tells Health. “Don’t shock your body into doing it full on for the first time.”

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