Contrast showering and its many benefits

Contrast showering is the alternation between hot and cold water temperatures during a shower. Research has shown that contrast showers can be highly beneficial for people looking to give their mind or body some extra attention or improvements.

 

Our bodies react differently to hot and cold water temperatures. Exposure to heat causes our blood vessels to dilate or widen, increasing blood flow throughout the entire body. This reaction activates the sweat glands, which in turn push out waste and toxins from the body tissue via the skin.

 

In contrast, exposure to cold temperatures causes the arteries to constrict or tighten, reducing blood flow and redirecting or pulling it largely to vital organs to keep them warm.

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The push/pull effect of contrast showering helps improve the body’s overall blood flow along with several other benefits such as:

• Stress relief

• Improved skin & hair quality

• Increased energy

• Increased fertility

 

In addition to these benefits, contrast showers have long been used by athletes to help accelerate muscle recovery or provide relief from muscle soreness.

Furthermore, researchers from the Netherlands have found evidence that routine contrast showers coupled with exercise helped boost immune function by increasing the production of disease-fighting white blood cells. (Cold Showers Lead to Fewer Sick Days, Harvard Business Review, 2018)

“The combination of hot-to-cold showers and regular physical activity resulted in an expected 54% reduction of sickness absence compared to people who don’t do either.”
Source: PLOS One, 2016The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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