I took a cold shower every day for a year. Here's what happened.
The cold water hits my face, then my body, like ... well, cold water. Abrupt. Icy. Chilling. Shocking. Then, somehow, soothing?
Nearly every day for the past year, I took a one-minute cold shower after my morning hot shower. I got the idea after editing a piece from a USA TODAY medical contributor: "Multiple research studies show that cold exposure is a 'good stressor' that floods our brains and bodies with adrenaline and dopamine, increasing our energy and focus and elevating our mood," wrote Dr. Michael Daignault. The recommendation is generally for a cold plunge pool, but he said a shower would work, too.
But was this a good idea? The truth is its health benefits are up for debate, like many health and wellness trends. But my habit probably isn't doing any harm, either.
'Lean into' the cold shower
Adrenaline and dopamine to start my day? Sure, I thought. Maybe I'd relax more. Breathe deeper. I'm a journalist (and a human), after all, so stress comes with the gig. "Instead of fighting our body’s natural reflex to breathe like this, lean into it and focus on quality breathing," wrote Daignault. "Over time, aim for progressively colder water and a longer time. One to three minutes daily is ideal."
Lean into it I did, no matter the temperature outside nor the location. In Washington, D.C., in Portugal, in New Jersey, in California, what have you. Some mornings I turned the water cooler than others. Some mornings I probably rushed that one minute. Either way, I breathed, deeply and slowly and felt my heart rate decrescendo like a piece of music.
Was this actually working, even if I wasn't exactly adhering to perfect guidance? Or was it all in my head?
How long should I take cold showers for each week?
Likely a mix of both. Potential health benefits go beyond aiding energy and focus; it could even boost your metabolism and curb inflammation. Groups like adventurous athletes might be more inclined to take a freezing dip in the first place, in hopes of healing injuries.
I'm not quite at that level, but I've been working out more. Strength training, running a few miles twice a week and taking high intensity interval training classes. Health benefits have evidently cropped up for me elsewhere (though, like many, I could certainly improve my diet), so who's to say exactly what I've been getting out of the cold showers in this regard?
Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford Medicine, Andrew Huberman, suggests 11 minutes per week over two to four sessions should do the trick.
"For deliberate cold exposure, *it doesn’t matter how you get cold as long as it’s uncomfortable but safe* (temp varies by person)," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in 2021. "Most studies were done with submersion in water to the neck, limbs, feet & hands in. Showers & layer shedding fine too but not much science there."
Former "Biggest Loser" trainer Jillian Michaels points to the same 11-minute recommendation, but that "the cold shower's better than nothing." Also remember to not heat up again: "The key is to let your body reheat itself," she told me just before the new year. "That's where a large amount of the benefits come from with regard to metabolism."
Hmm:The Rock takes a cold shower every day. Should you? Here's what experts say.
My cold shower plan for 2024
This year I plan on sticking with my cold shower routine. If anything, it makes me take stock of myself in a given moment. I stop thinking about what I have to accomplish that day. Stop worrying about what's going to happen next week. Stop stressing about what the next month will hold.
I focus on the here and now, because when ice injects itself into your veins, that's all you can do. Pause. Slow. Breathe.
Here's to a 2024 full of deep breaths for everyone. We're going to need it.
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