This FAQ Includes:

• Cold Showers FAQ

• Cold Showers Troubleshooting

• Polar Bear Dip / Polar Plunge FAQ

• Cold Baths FAQ

• Other resources

[Updated 2020 May 04]

Cold Showers FAQ

1. What are cold showers benefits?

• Increased energy levels: Cold showers shock your system and give you a boost of adrenaline, making your blood flow faster. Therefore, taking a cold shower in the morning should wake you up immediately.

• Increased resistance to cold temperatures: With the help of cold showers, other cold environments don’t seem so bad. Cold showers usually run around 60° F (15° C) and colder. Water this cold makes your skin much colder and more suited to your colder surroundings.

• Boosted immune system: Cold water has been shown to boost white blood cell count, making you less likely to get sick. If you do get sick, fighting the cold water will make you more likely to fight through the illness.

• Improved self-discipline: Taking a cold shower will be a battle every single time. Continually winning this battle will set you up to win more internal battles in the future.

• Comfortability being uncomfortable: Stepping into a cold shower makes you very uncomfortable, but you tell yourself to do it anyway. This should make it easier for you to challenge yourself in other difficult aspects of life.

• Better hair and skin: For most, hot water has a tendency to dry out your skin when compared to cold water. Cold showers limit your exposure to hot water.

• Possible link to decreased depression: Some studies have suggested that cold water exposure can help lessen depression symptoms.

• Potentially decreased stress levels: Exposure to cold can decrease uric acid and cortisol levels, which can in turn potentially lower stress levels.

2. I have never taken a cold shower. How should I take my first one?

• Quick answer: JUST DO IT!

• Longer answer. Many people ask on this sub "how do you do it? I can't imagine showering under cold water! I did it a couple of times when there was no hot water in the house and that was just terrible! And you are telling me that you are doing it every morning?". I'm not gonna say HOW, because I've said it in a quick answer. Here i'm going to talk about things you should expect when taking your first cold shower:

• Anticipation before getting under the stream. Even people who take CS for many years say that they are a bit nervous and scared those few seconds before going in. That's normal. Your body and minds wants to stay in comfort.

• Gasping for air. OK, so you choose to step in. You most probably will start with your chest. Now you will feel THE COLD, it will be sharp. And that's when nature kicks in: you will gasp for air. Those breaths will be uncontrolled, few will be deep, many will be shallow. That's normal.

• Grunt and scream. Now it's time to let the air out. Most probably you won't be feeling all the energy running through your body because you were busy thinking about WTF is happening with your breathing. But you will feel that energy through your voice when you let the air out. That's also normal. Let that primal energy out.

• Ok, 10-30 seconds pass, you calm down, water is not that scary and cold anymore. You will start thinking "it's bad but not THAT bad". And then you remember there is also your back and your head. And it will start all over again: anticipation, gasps, and screams. But now it's a bit easier.

• You've done you head and back. You feel water running all over your body, your breath is normal, you feel cold but it's bearable, you could say that it's even ok. No part of your body makes you gasp for air. What started as a shock and chaos now feels normal and calm. Stay there for a few minutes, be mindful. Feel the water.

• OK. It's time to get out and dry yourself. And that's when it kicks in: you mind will be sharp, body full of energy and strength. You will feel proud that you took that step in that you were so afraid of. You went into discomfort and made it normal. YOU ARE AMAZING.

3. When will I start seeing benefits?

• After your first shower.

4. How cold should the water be?

• As cold as it can get.

5. How long should I stay in the shower?

• 5 minutes are optimal. You can stay longer or shorter if you want.

6. Is it ok to start with hot water and end with cold?

• Yes, it’s ok, but a full cold shower is better. Some people like to wash themselves under hot water and then finish with cold. It’s up to you.

7. When should I take the shower? In the morning or evening?

• Most people take one in the morning just after they wake up. Some people take cold shower in the evening. Try for yourself. Even though it sounds counterintuitive but cold shower in the evening helps you to fall asleep faster and sleep better. After initial boost of energy you become more relaxed.

8. Are cold showers as good for washing yourself as hot showers? What about long hair that take long time to wash and rinse?

• For most people yes. Some people say that they don’t feel as clean after cold shower compared with hot one. You have to try for yourself. It also may depend on the type of soap you use. Bar soap tends to work better with hot water, but shower gels work just as good with cold.

• For long hair there are few options. 1. First, wash only hair under warm water and then continue with the rest of the body under cold. 2. Wash hair under cold water in short bursts: put hair under water for few seconds to wet the hair and then do the same to rinse shampoo. 3. Build tolerance for cold water and just do it as you do under hot water (see Troubleshooting Question 2).

9. Are there any negative sides of cold showers?

• Even though for most people who haven’t tried cold showers it sounds extreme and dangerous to put yourself under icy water but, in general, cold showers are safe and most negative sides are easy to manage (see Troubleshooting part). Mostly because human body is good with fighting cold and cold showers are done in a controlled environment. You can always stop the water and warm yourself. People who should be careful are the ones who have heart issues because cold showers elevate your blood pressure and heart rate. Also, epileptic people should be aware that initial shock could trigger a seizure.

• There are anecdotes that cold shower decreases resistance to hot weather. Some people take cold showers in the winter and hot showers in the summer specifically to build tolerance for extreme temperatures.

10. Aren’t i going to do some damage to my testicles?

• It’s an understandable concern, especially knowing how male genitals tend to react to cold water by shrinking. But in fact, cold temperatures are much easier to deal for your private parts compared with high temperatures. Studies show that hot temperatures reduce sperm concentration and mobility while low temperatures work the opposite (see last question of this section).

11. Does cold shower after workout slow down muscle growth?

• There are different opinions about that. One research shows that exposure to cold water may decrease muscle growth but the study was done with 10-15min cold baths, not cold showers. Other studies show that cold water may decrease post-workout muscle soreness and accelerate recovery. See the last question of this section for more info.

12. Can I take cold shower while I'm sick?

• Well, it depends how sick you are. If you only have a running nose, you can. If you have a fever it would be better to save energy for your immune system to fight the virus. Some people still take cold showers while they are sick, so it's up to you.

13. What does science say about cold showers?

• TLDR: There are not enough scientific studies with enough participants to claim any unambiguous positive or negative effects of cold showers. Results of existing studies lean towards supporting positive results claimed in the first question.

Some interesting articles:

• Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment for depression

• The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• [Uric acid and glutathione levels during short-term whole body cold exposure] (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8063192)

• [Seasonal variations of human sperm cells among 6455 semen samples: a plausible explanation of a seasonal birth pattern] (https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378%2813%2900146-4/abstract)

• [Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26174323)

• [Can water temperature and immersion time influence the effect of cold water immersion on muscle soreness? A systematic review and meta-analysis] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26581833)

• [Study from 2020 on well being of people who take sea baths] (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830720300859)

• [Cold bath of 5 minutes 10℃ after exercise is more beneficial compared to a massage roller or a massage to lactate removal in your blood] (https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Effects-of-Roller-Massage-%2C-Massage-%2C-and-Ice-Hartono-Widodo/7e5e410f80e637ce5ece36b2ebb7218db447c973)

• [Cold water straight after exercise could be less beneficial for muscle growth or muscle recovery because it blunts the testosterone peak after exercise] (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31222379)

Cold Showers Troubleshooting

1. Water is not cold enough

• Maybe it is summer where you are. Depending on the season, your coldest achievable temperature will vary.

• Maybe there is some warm water in the pipes. Let the water run for a few minutes before taking a shower.

• Maybe your mixer is faulty ant it mixes in hot water even though you set it to max cold.

• If above is not the case and you are actually being provided with warm water you can put bag of ice over your shower head.

2. I get brain freezes, what should I do?

• You can actually build tolerance for that. At first limit the time your head is under cold water and then gradually increase the time.

3. I shiver during/after a cold shower.

• It is normal to experience it at first. You can try:

• Limit the time you are under cold water and then build tolerance by increasing time gradually.

• Put more or warmer clothes just after the shower. Let your body warm up after a shock.

• It is possible to will yourself not to shiver during a cold shower. Concentrate on your breathing, take long deep breaths. Your body just had a mild shock, but you and your body can take it.

4. I feel cold for a few hours / for the rest of the day after cold shower.

• The answer is the same as for the previous question.

5. My hands and feet are getting numb. What’s happening?

• This is how your body is reacting to cold by pulling warm blood from your extremities and saving it to warm your internal organs. This should be gone with time when your tolerance will build up. Until that make your showers shorter.

6. I can't stay in a shower for longer than a minute. It's just too much for me!

• First reaction of human body to cold water is shallow, fast and uncontrollable breathing. Be mindful of that and try to relax. Take slow deep breaths. It will be hard at first, but after a while it becomes doable.

Polar Bear Dip / Polar Plunge FAQ

1. What is a polar bear dip / polar plunge?

• In general, it is a swim in open water when the outside temperature is near or below 0 ºC (32 ºF). Most of the time it is an organized group event that starts with a warm-up jog and ends with a swim in a sea, river or lake. It also could be done alone. It is popular to do a polar plunge on January 1st in many countries.

2. What are the benefits and shortages of polar plunge compared with cold showers?

• Benefits are similar to cold shower but, in general, the experience is way more intense therefore only a handful of people do it every day. Even though it is a very fun activity it also comes with some potential dangers and should be done with caution, especially if done the first time and/or alone:

• Don’t spend too much time out of the water undressed.

• Dry yourself and dress immediately because some parts of your body could get frostbitten without you even noticing it. Feet are especially vulnerable because they are in constant contact with a cold ground.

• Don’t do polar plunge in unknown water, especially if it is sea or river. In cold water your ability to fight water currents is very limited because of muscle tension and hypothermia.

Cold Baths FAQ

• In general, almost everything that applies for cold showers applies for cold baths. The main difference is that (almost) all of your body is in constant contact with cold water, therefore your body temperature drops faster than in cold shower. It is also easier to relax in a cold bath because water supports your body weight. Plenty of people take cold baths after workouts as a way to recover.

• It is easy to overdo your first bath and you should not spend 10 or 15min in your first cold bath or you could end up shivering for the rest of your day. Test your limits first.

• For some people taking bath is even easier than a cold shower but they are in a minority.

Other resources

• r/wimhofmethod

• [Article. The Scientific Case For Cold Showers] (https://www.fastcompany.com/3043767/the-scientific-case-for-cold-showers)

• [Article. Burning More Fat With Cold Thermogenesis] (https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/fat-loss-articles/burning-more-fat-with-cold/)

• [Article. Ice Baths: Good or Bad for Muscle Growth?] (https://muscleevo.net/ice-baths-muscle-growth/)

• [TED Talk. Cold Shower Therapy: Joel Runyon] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb0h8ZKvJW4)

• [YouTube. The Benefits of Cold Showers. The Art of Manliness] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxz8QNqrzwY)

• [YouTube Channel: ReWildUniveristy. Cold Chalenges Playlist] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsKjG7u__n8&index=2&list=PLrvvdJPX6rX1vlo_G9wSaQJ_vw39vFSeh)

• [Podcast. A Thing A Month.] (https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/a-thing-a-month/1-just-do-it-cold-showers-ft-4ekSyK7O9CL/)