You probably think of cold showers as something you have to suffer through only when the hot water is on the fritz. Most people the warmth and comfort of a hot shower when given the choice. But if you have the stomach to face a cold shower, then they can actually have a lot of benefits. Let’s look at some of the benefits of each to help you decide if you should be adding cold showers to your daily routine.

The benefits of hot showers

Let’s start with the obvious – warm or hot showers feel nice! They’re comforting and relaxing, and it feels good to warm ourselves up in the shower on a cold day. But what about the physical benefits? Well, hot showers are relaxing for your muscles, too. This means they can help to relieve tension, stiffness, and pain in your joints and muscles.

The relaxation effects have more benefits when it comes to sleep. Taking a hot shower in the evening, a couple of hours before bed, can help to relax you so that it’s easier to fall asleep. The steam from hot showers is also thought to help with congestion, like when you have a cold or allergies.

But showers that are too hot and for too long can have some adverse effects too, like drying out your skin and scalp and causing irritation.

The benefits of cold showers

While hot showers could help you sleep at night, a cold shower is a great way to shock yourself awake in the morning, helping you feel more alert even before your cup of coffee. Cold water can also be better for your skin and hair than hot water.

Cold water helps to increase circulation deeper in your body because it causes the surface blood vessels to constrict. This can have a number of benefits, such as improving cardiovascular health and aiding with muscle recovery after a workout. This is why you see elite athletes taking ice baths after training.

As you can see, there can be lots of reasons to choose to take a cold shower for the benefits it can offer you. If you’re not ready to brave a full cold shower yet, then start with a warm shower and then turn down the temperature for a minute or two at the end to get some of the benefits of both. You might get used to it after a while.

And if you’re not taking cold showers by choice but because you’re having problems with your water heater, then contact Brandon Plumbing for repair, maintenance, and installation around Lewisville, Clemmons, and Winston Salem, NC.