Showering: Dermatologist recommends ways to keep skin healthy
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Unless you live in a hot climate, cold showers are probably a hellish prospect. What’s more, plunging into cold water can have negative health effects. As Dr Mosley explained in an episode of his podcast, Just One Thing – with Michael Mosley, the first time you jump into cold water it will “trigger a stress response”.
“You will start hyperventilating, your heart rate will shoot up and your body will be flooded with adrenaline,” warned Dr Mosely.
As he pointed out, being exposed to lots of stress is not generally a good thing but when introduced gradually, having a cold shower can confer health benefits.
“Gradually, over time, you will adapt and your stress response will fall, becoming more muted,” he explained.
“And, it’s thought, by exposing our bodies to small amounts of stress in a controlled way like this, we get benefits.”
What the research says
Several studies have suggested that cold water swimming has a wide variety of health benefits, suggesting the same could be true for cold showering.
“When cold water swimming is practiced by experienced people with good health in a regular, graded and adjusted mode, it appears to bring health benefits,” a review into the subject concluded.
According to the review, changes in haematological and endocrine function are some of the benefits observed in research.
Haematology involves the diagnosis and treatment of patients who have disorders of the blood and bone marrow.
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The endocrine system is a series of glands that produce and secrete hormones that the body uses for a wide range of functions, such as respiration.
What’s more, studies have noted “fewer upper respiratory tract infections, amelioration of mood disorders and general well-being” following cold water swimming, the review reported.
Several studies have also described a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular risk factors.
Cold water swimming appears to have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors such as lipid profile.
A lipid profile measures the level of specific lipids (organic compounds) in the blood, such as cholesterol.
What’s more, cold water swimming may hinder the development of type 2 diabetes and improve management of the condition.
Cold water swimming seems to have a positive effect on insulin metabolism, although the effect appears to be sex-specific.
In a field study, 30 cold water swimmers were examined for six months with regard to body composition and insulin sensitivity.
The chilled water swimmers were overweight compared to a control group and had a higher percentage of body fat with differences between the sexes.
For female swimmers with lower body fat percentage, there was an increased insulin sensitivity as well as a reduction in insulin secretion and resistance.
Insulin resistance is the primary driver of type 2 diabetes.
Improving insulin sensitivity can therefore reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes developing.
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