More than half of people in Germany shower every day. Although from a medical point of view two to three showers per week are sufficient, many people prefer to stand under the shower more often.
Which shower temperature you choose not only affects your personal well-being, but also your health.
Taking a warm shower: These are the benefits for the body
Taking a warm shower has various positive effects on the body – if you don’t turn the temperature too high. The shower water should never be more than 43 degrees.
A warm shower helps reduce stress
After a stressful day, a warm shower is really good and helps to reduce stress. Higher water temperatures cause the vessels to expand – this relaxes the muscles.
In the evening, the shower temperature can therefore be slightly higher. However, be careful if you are under constant stress: if you constantly take hot showers, this can damage your skin.
Warm showers can relieve cold symptoms
A warm shower creates a lot of water vapor, which can have a positive effect on colds. The reason: The steam helps loosen mucus in the nose and sinuses.
That’s why if you have a cold, it’s better to take a slightly warmer shower for your physical well-being. Because when you are sick, cold puts additional strain on your already weakened immune system.
Does a warm shower really help you fall asleep?
If you have trouble falling asleep, you should try taking a warm shower before bed. This causes the body temperature to drop and the sleep messenger melatonin is released, which ensures inner peace and a restful slumber.
Cold shower: These are the benefits for the body
When faced with the idea of having to take a cold shower in the morning, most people would probably rather run away as quickly as possible. There are many good arguments for a cold shower.
The only important thing is never to suddenly shower with cold water, but rather to let your body get used to the water temperature slowly. Otherwise cold shock could occur.
Beauty booster for skin and hair
If you have dry skin and straw-like hair, the shower temperature could be the cause – along with other factors such as the choice of care products and your daily styling routine. When you use warm water, the skin’s protective layer of fat comes off, which means it dries out more quickly. People who are prone to neurodermatitis or dry skin in particular should take cold showers.
The hair also benefits from the cool water: the hair follicles are strengthened, making the hair look stronger and healthier.
Lose weight with a cold shower
If you want to lose weight, you should take a cold shower: This activates the brown fat cells, which – in contrast to white fat, which causes the extra kilos on your hips – do not store calories, but burn them.
Normally brown fat is not particularly active in our bodies, but cold showers get the cells going.
Taking a cold shower to get you fit?
Many believe that cold showers are good for the immune system. However, this widespread assumption has not yet been scientifically proven.
Cold can lighten your mood
The fact that cold showers have an antidepressant effect was already explained by scientists in the specialist magazine ‘North American Journal of Medical Sciences’ in 2014. By increasing the release of beta-endorphins and norepinephrine, a cold shower strengthens mental health.
So if you often suffer from depressive moods, you could relieve your symptoms with daily cold showers over a long period of time (several weeks). However, this method does not represent an alternative to treatment.
The cold shower is an enemy of germs
Hot water dries out the skin – making you a target for bacteria. Cold showers, on the other hand, do not have the effect of attracting germs. Especially if you already have dry skin, you should take a cold shower.
This is the effect that contrast showers have on your health
A mixture of warm and cold in one shower: alternating showers are a bit difficult at the beginning. Once you get used to it, you can do a lot of good for your body.
Alternating showers make you happy
The greater the temperature differences when showering, the more intense the feelings of happiness are perceived. That’s why it makes sense to start the day with a contrast shower more often.
A possible explanation for the feeling of happiness: Because the lymphatic system can work better, more toxins are removed from the body.
If you want to get rid of sore muscles, you should use contrast showers
Alternating showers relieve the muscles, which can work wonders after a workout: Similar to compression stockings, the narrowing of the blood vessels through alternating showers can lead to a slight reduction in the pain of sore muscles.
Good for the immune system
The effect that many attribute to cold showers can actually only be demonstrated with contrast showers: they strengthen the immune system. The blood vessels are, so to speak, trained by the cold-warm alternating shower, which toughens them up.
Can lower blood pressure
Another advantage of contrast showers: the circulation is regulated. Exercising the blood vessels lowers blood pressure slightly. That’s why this shower method is ideal for anyone who struggles with circulatory problems.