The natural urge to just take off your gym clothes and rush into the shower to get rid of all that sweat and stink sure is appealing. But showers after exercise aren’t only for washing away sweat; these also kick-start recovery after a workout. Dive into this comprehensive guide to explore how a hot or cold shower after workout can help you minimize the recovery time, ensuring that you are not so sore the next day. Let’s begin exploring!
Should You Take a Hot or Cold Shower After Workout?
Before diving into the details, let us clarify one thing. There is minimal research on the effectiveness of hot or cold shower after workouts. However, hot and cold showers have multiple other benefits that can be weighed down to choose between them based on your preferences!
Aside from the above, some studies support cold showers, specifically cold-water immersion, for speedy recovery post workouts. But again, these studies aren’t supported by scientific evidence. However, you can find your best-preferred choice by experimenting with what I have explored and researched in my journey. So, without further ado, let’s jump onto the perks of hot and cold shower after workouts!
Benefits of Cold Showers
Are you into getting a cold shower after a workout but are confused if it’s worth it? Let’s clarify the confusion and explore the science-backed benefits of cold showers or ice baths!
Improve Blood Circulation
Cold showers tend to improve the overall blood circulation. When you get into a cold shower, the blood circulation in your body’s surface gets constricted, leading to improved circulation in your deeper tissues for maintaining ideal body temperature. That said, you may consider a cold shower’s impact opposite to that of a hot shower, as cold showers reduce inflammation and can prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Delays DOMS
DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) after workouts, triggers muscle aches and pain. According to studies, cold showers reduce DOMS and boost recovery after workouts. This is mainly done by reducing blood flow, increasing circulation after exposure, and boosting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. Moreover, cold showers also have regenerative properties vital for relaxing and recovering.
Boost Weight Loss
When exposed to cold showers, some fat cells in our bodies, like brown fat, tend to burn fat to produce heat and maintain ideal body temperature. This fat-burning helps boost weight loss, mainly in your neck and shoulder region, as the brown fat cells are mainly found there.
Promote Relaxation
Cold showers promote optimal relaxation by cooling you down after an intense workout. This benefit is truly helpful if you go out for workouts in gyms. These showers also help make you feel more alert, perfect for going after the morning workouts.
Mental Toughness
I’ve personally found that cold showers offer psychological benefits by boosting my mood, increasing alertness, and fostering mental resilience. The shock of cold water triggers the release of endorphins, promoting feelings of well-being and reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Embracing discomfort in the form of cold showers also cultivates discipline and determination, contributing to a stronger mindset to overcome life’s challenges!
Cons of Cold Showers
Cold showers are not always worth it; there are some scenarios when you choose hot. For instance, if you are already feeling cold, getting into a cold shower will make your body even colder and increase the time required for warming back up. Moreover, cold showers aren’t good for fevers, too, as these are hard on the immune system.
Benefits of Hot Shower
You have now explored the impact of cold showers on your overall health. Let’s now take a look at the perks that make hot showers after workouts tempting choices!
Ease Muscle Pain and Tension
Exposure to hot showers dilutes your blood vessels, increasing blood circulation. This means more nutrient-rich blood will reach your muscles, boosting recovery and relieving stiff joints and sore muscles. Aside from the hot showers after a workout, you can also rely on heat therapy before exercise to improve flexibility and increase your range of motion. This will lead to better performance in the workouts and reduced tension afterward.
Relax, Relax!
According to research, hot showers promote both mental and physical relaxation. Exposure to hot water and steam after a tiring workout helps you unwind and sleep tight, as taking a hot shower 90 minutes before your bedtime improves sleep quality. So, where cold showers are your way to go after morning workouts, hot ones are your way to go after the evening ones. This is what I personally do.
Burn Calories
Just as your body struggles to warm up during cold showers, it tends to cool down to the ideal temperature during hot showers. This helps in burning calories, and to your surprise, studies support that an hour-long hot shower can contribute to burning 130 calories – a quicker and easier way to lose weight. However, remember that longer hot showers increase the risk of heat stroke or burns. And is also not very environmentally conscious!
Relief of Cold or Cough
Hot showers have been considered a natural remedy to relieve colds or coughs for a long time. The heat and steam rising from the water assist in loosening up phlegm, opening airways, and clearing out the nasal cavity for smooth breathing. Moreover, hot showers help open up clogged pores and clean the trapped dirt and oil.
Cons of Hot Shower
Hot showers can irritate your skin, drying it out and worsening skin conditions like eczema. Moreover, these can increase blood pressure, posing a threat to those already dealing with hypertension or cardiovascular diseases. Lastly, hot showers trigger your mast cells to secrete their pigments, leaving you itching afterward.
Wrapping It Up!
Both hot and cold showers have pros and cons based on scientific research, but the perks for boosting muscle recovery aren’t clear. So, it’s up to you whether you want to enjoy the benefits of a hot or cold shower after workout based on your preferences. In a nutshell, if you are someone suffering from hypertension, cardiovascular issues, or skin conditions, get cold showers. Conversely, if you feel cold, fever, or cough, you must stock to cold showers.
If you are thinking of starting a cold shower routine, take things slowly at first and build up over time. To begin, at the end of your shower (I suggest you go with mornings to kick start your day!) turn the tap all the way to cold and step into it for as long as you can. Start with just 10 seconds, then 15 seconds the next day. It’s hard at first, however over a few weeks consistency you will become more comfortable and be able stay in the cold shower for longer.
Oh and one last thing, if you want to start a cold shower routine, start it in summer!