the period seems way to short to get any comparable results. should've tried at least three months
The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
41–50 of 188 posts
Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#42I've been taking cold showers exclusively for 11 years now. It doesn't get much easier but you'll get addicted to the great feeling after. It's similar to running or exercise, it sucks to do but you do it anyway because the benefits far outweigh the temporary discomfort. The trick for me was to never use warm shower again and never compromise ... only coldest water available counts. First thing in the morning. It mak…
I would be interested in reading more about your experience with cold showers. If you posted on a blog or something about this please let me know.
You could also … try and take a cold shower
Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#43The study explicitly says no reduced days of illness, just fewer days off. Means people were going in sick or worked harder?
So there are no actual results on health in the short time they studied.
Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
How do you deal with summers when the water temperature goes up? Do you notice that the benefits are less then?
Related, may I ask in what climatic area are you living? Where I live it gets so cold in the winter that I almost can't even wash my hands with cold water. On the other side I feel like in the summer I could take on such a habit. Maybe a solution would be to warm it just slightly in the winter.
Hands are also the hardest part of the body to cold-shock, all those little bones and large surface area. People who routinely go into ice baths often keep their hands above the water so they can stay in longer.
Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#45I've been taking cold showers exclusively for 11 years now. It doesn't get much easier but you'll get addicted to the great feeling after. It's similar to running or exercise, it sucks to do but you do it anyway because the benefits far outweigh the temporary discomfort. The trick for me was to never use warm shower again and never compromise ... only coldest water available counts. First thing in the morning. It mak…
I feel heart palputations just reading this..
You sir, are a person with more will power than .. Well anyone.
Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#46I've been taking cold showers exclusively for 11 years now. It doesn't get much easier but you'll get addicted to the great feeling after. It's similar to running or exercise, it sucks to do but you do it anyway because the benefits far outweigh the temporary discomfort. The trick for me was to never use warm shower again and never compromise ... only coldest water available counts. First thing in the morning. It mak…
How cold is cold for you normally? Our water is about four degrees celcius never mind what season it is. It just hurts, never really managed to stay more than a few seconds.
Some people around here are hacking a hole in the ice and swimming for a while...
Edit: Seems the test assumed 10-12 degrees average temperature in Netherlands.
Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#47Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
My bigger problem is too short time span of the experiment: “The intervention period was 30 consecutive days from January 1st-30th 2015. During the following 60 days January 31st-March 31st 2015 participants of all three intervention groups were instructed to shower as preferred.”
And the time of year - I think absence (for any reason) is lower in January anyway as a lot of people have just come back from a week or two off.
We also don't know, but can highly suspect that the subjects in the cold shower group knew or could guess, what was wanted from them in this study. See, Prison Experiment by Zimbardo for the most extreme example, but people will behave in the way they "should" when you tell them the reason of your study.
The fact that the illness days didn't decline makes this study less viable. I'd like to see a followup, but it's hard to imagine a solid base to keep the participants in the dark. It should also be much longer than 30 days.
Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#49https://hbr.org/2018/03/cold-showers-lead-to-fewer-sick-days The link is an interview with the study author, and excerpts are below. This is the first high-level evidence showing that cold showers can benefit your health. People who took them for at least 30 seconds for one month called in sick 29% less than our control group — and 54% less if they also engaged in regular physical exercise. Participants who took the…
That doesn't sound healthy at all. If the only difference is that they went to work sick, then I see little benefit. Except to the disease of course, it get spread around more effectively.
I'd imagine the symptoms were also reduced. Cold showers reduce inflammation, so I'd imagine people who practice them would feel less miserable once the 'fight it off' portion of the infection is over.
Re: The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work (2016)
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
The takeaway I get is that it increases perseverance. So basically, "doing something physically unpleasant every day increases ability to push through/withstand other physically unpleasant events" is my big takeaway. Seems pretty straightforward. Not necessarily novel, especially when you add in the exercise portion. I think there's some value to pushing yourself harder than the minimum to be comfortable and survive.…
There are some parallels to Stoic philosophy there. Ancient stoics would exercise regularly but state the health effect as a secondary benefit, the primary benefit being the virtuous exercise of discipline.
Anyone who had to do military draft will confirm it. Even after 9-12 months of mandatory service you don't come back buffed like a body builder - but the daily exercise and regime puts you in a different state of mind.