Over the past year I’ve read numerous articles and research papers purporting the benefits of taking cold showers, and in particular their ability to raise testosterone in men. As many of you have probably read or heard through word of mouth, testosterone levels in men are dropping significantly with each passing decade, and the effects are devastating; slowed healing, less muscle, and lowered libido are just a few of the ailments associated with decreased testosterone, and I imagine that the list will continue to grow as more studies are conducted.
So the question is, would a shot at increased testosterone really be enough to convince a person to freeze their ass off each morning in the shower? For me it wasn’t. It took a particular chapter in Tim Ferriss’ The Four Hour Body to convince me to try them out. Perhaps you’ve heard of the book, and perhaps you’ve realized that what he says is sometimes sensationalist. I felt the same way, and instead decided to try cold showers for myself and see what all the fuss was about.
Below I’m going to explain the supposed benefits of cold showers, as well as my own observations after having taken them each morning for a while now. It’s also worth noting that I start my showers at a warm temperature, and keep it that way for roughly two minutes. This gives me at least a sliver of something to look forward to in the morning. After that, I step back from the water, dial the temperature down to “fucking cold” and step back in, starting with my face as I become accustomed to the cold. I then rinse like normal, and ask myself why I decided to get in the habit of torturing myself.
Benefits Of Cold Showers
- Some researchers believe that cold showers can stave off depression. If you live in a dark and depressing place like Vancouver, the benefit of this should be immediately obvious to you. It’s rare for me to feel down or depressed anyway, because I’m such a cheery fellow, but I imagine that if I were depressed, a cold shower would fix me right up. You’ll be too busy crying over the cold to worry about your sorry excuse for a life.
- Cold showers have the potential to help you lose fat, especially when you expose the back of the neck to short bouts of the icy water. Tim Ferriss describes this at length in this AskMen interview. Personally, I’m already slender, but if I ever manage to get obese, this could be useful.
- Increased testosterone and libido. Yes, and yes. Since I started taking cold showers, I feel at least moderately stronger. I also feel like jacking off more, which I obviously don’t do, because god doesn’t like it.
- Improved immunity. The jury is still out on this one, but I certainly feel healthier overall. I generally catch a cold if someone so much as looks at me the wrong way, so if I continue being cold-less, I’ll call this a victory.
- Wakes you the fuck up. Honestly, the second you get slammed with blast after blast of cold water, you’ll be wide awake. If you’re a coffee drinker, go ahead and throw the stuff out. I promise you’ll never need it again, and you’ll save yourself money in the process.
- Increased fertility. I suppose some people would call this a benefit. Honestly, though, why would you want to create a baby? They cry and do all sorts of annoying stuff.
- Healthier skin and hair. Though I haven’t noticed any improvements to my lucious locks, I have noticed improvements to my skin – especially on my back. I’ve realized that warm or hot showers really dry my skin out. After switching to cold showers, my skin feels much softer in general.
Improvements to health are always important, especially as we get older, but I think that it’s also important that we recognize other non-health benefits as well, such as the fact that taking a cold shower automatically makes you a badass. I don’t know how the Board of Badasses (BoB) can tell, but they seem to know the second you start taking them. It must be the same way that Santa knows if you’re naughty or nice. Perhaps they’re in league with each other… hmm.
Consider giving cold showers a try for two weeks, and I promise you’ll begin to enjoy them – in a sick and twisted sort of way. If any of you have questions regarding aspects I didn’t mention in enough depth, or neglected completely, let me know in the comments below.
(Photo: sethdickens)
I am sick at the moment, but I will give it a try after. (I’ve heard that hot, steamy showers are best for a sore throat)
Let me know what you think. The first time may be a bit startling to you. 🙂
Hey Chad,
Thanks for this post. Im gonna try this out for sure.
I’ll let you know how it went.. I did read the 4-hour body, but I sometimes believe that Tim is a Crazy MoFo, so perhaps thats why I did not try it out yet.
What I did found out to work really great with these ideas is to start a 30-day challenge. I did that to get in shape, learn the Salsa and now it should work for the cold showers.
Thanks again
Hey Reggie,
You’re welcome. I agree that many of the suggestions Tim Ferriss talks about seem… well, nuts. Cold showers are simply something that I had read about on previous occasions, and finally decided to try out.
Hey Chad,
I am the kind of guy that takes hot showers even on hot days, so you know that cold showers suck BIG time for me.
I have been doing an experiment with this and have accomplished around 10+ days of cold showers.
They still suck as much as the first day but it takes a lot less stress to jump in than in the beginning.
Needless to say, I have been sky rocketing my productivity and I do feel a lot more energized than before.
But I’m curious if you keep doing them? I don’t know if I can freeze my ass for life, I don’t even remember what a hot shower feels like.
Sergio
Hey Sergio,
90% of the time, yes. Aside from a break of a few days, I’ve managed to stick with it pretty well. I’ve really come to enjoy it in a sick and twisted sort of way, and the benefits seem well worth it to me. If you’re able, I would definitely consider sticking with it. As I mentioned in the article, I don’t have the water freezing the *whole* time, so if you miss a bit of warm or hot water, feel free to use a bit at the start of the shower to wash yourself before switching to cold for the remainder.
Great post. Cold showers are of such a great benefit to general health. Also, the testosterone comments and the fertility comments are hilarious.
Hi there,
I really don’t know about this. I read a few articles just now, supporting cold showers and then I ran into this one.
https://artofmanliness.com/2010/01/18/the-james-bond-shower-a-shot-of-cold-water-for-health-and-vitality/
In the comments section a supposed Physician dismisses the whole thing as fiction and then some woman posts lots of academic references that it’s all good.
Subjectively speaking cold showers make you feel great in summer and really nice in the morning to wake up and feel fresh. The whole “becoming a hardy man” thing is, I guess a matter of your body getting all numb from the cold – just like you become if you stay too long outside on a freezing winterday.
An interesting thing I was wondering about was with regards to excessive bodyheat. – This Chinese doctor says I get acne because “my liver is too hot” which results in heat escaping to the skin and causing acne.
Fiction or not, I dunno. People in the past didn’t have access to heated water, it was all from rivers, seas etc – so I guess it shouldn’t hurt to be in naturally cool water.
Nature surely thought of our ability to deal with cold water as opposed to hot which isn’t commonly available unless you live next to some hot spring.
Hey Hasnain,
I’ve read varying opinions as well, and really, I can only speak from my own personal experience. When it comes right down to it, the main benefit for me is that after a cold shower, I feel like I can handle anything else that the day throws at me. If there are added health benefits (and many believe there are), then that’s also great.
I have been hearing about this and I figure, fuck, I fought in the war, I can take it…..So tomorrow morning, time to freeze my ass off. Ill report back in a month and let you know how its working.
I still do this every morning and still love it. Don’t need a cup of coffee, that’s for sure.