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In recent years, cold showers have often been celebrated as very virtuous from a therapeutic point of view and some consider them almost like a medicine in its own right. Even medical laboratories are getting in on the action! On the Laboratoires Phytoceutics website, we can read that it increases energy, improves mental health, soothes the muscles after exercise and helps to better manage stress. A discourse which is becoming generalized in certain spheres, but which still deserves a closer look.
Virtues on immunity contested
It's a belief that circulates quite widely: the shower cold would improve the immune system. However, the scientific evidence is quite meager on this subject and struggles to corroborate this hypothesis.
This study published in the journal Biochema Medica in 2011 still observed a clear increase in platelets and white and red blood cellsin 15 individuals after swimming in cold water. We can read that “ cold stress combined with swimming activity caused an obvious physiological response on hematopoiesis”.
Hematopoiesis is the process of formation, development and maturation of blood cells in the body. The latter is a key element in strengthening the immune system indirectly since it increases the production of white blood cells, which help the body to defend itself against infections or diseases.
However, there is a whole world between a < em>cold shower and a swim in cold water! The results of this study cannot be transposed as easily.
Another study from 2017, published in the journal Plos One nevertheless indicates that the cold shower would have benefits on productivity at work . Of the sample tested, people who had the courage to take a cold shower in the morning before going to work (for 20, 60 or 90 seconds for three months) were less absent from their workstation. 29% compared to others.
To summarize: it is difficult to draw clear conclusions on any positive impact of cold showers on immunity. Individual variabilities are too great and the results of the few existing studies on this subject remain difficult to extrapolate.
Benefits confirmed and myths debunked
If doubt remains about immunity, the positive effect of cold shower on blood circulation is however quite well documented. When the body comes into contact with cold water, the diameter of the blood vessels decreases (vasoconstriction) and then increases again (vasodilation). This phenomenon tends to improve blood circulation in the long term.
Regarding the impact of the cold shower on the mental health, this is not the magic wand! If cold stimulates the production of endorphins (which helps improve mood while reducing stress), the phenomenon can be completely annihilated if you are intolerant to cold.
Good news for athletes: a cold shower is excellent for relieving muscle pain. On the other hand, it does not promote muscle recovery. That is to say that it absolutely does not help the repair and reconstruction of muscle fibers which become damaged following physical effort. It can even be the opposite!
In the end, the cold shower n’is nothing ;#8217;a panacea! If it has some proven benefits, some that are attributed to it are either misunderstood or overvalued. There are not enough scientific studies to draw conclusions and answering the initial question is ultimately not that simple.
- Cold showers are often attributed with multiple health benefits.
- According to available studies, its positive effect on immunity is not not fully proven.
- On the other hand, we know that it promotes blood circulation and reduces muscle pain after sport.
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