I subject myself twice a day to ten shivering minutes of the coldest water my shower can squirt. Let me explain why I would do such a crazy thing and show you how you can too.

Why

You might notice this post is tagged under both Fitness and Productivity. That’s because cold showers bring not only physical benefits, but mental benefits too.

Mental Alertness

You’ll feel this one immediately. The moment those icy droplets hit my skin, I’m on. Wakes you up in a good way, full of energy. Even if you didn’t sleep enough, you will be be ready for the day!

Fat-Melting

Fat comes in two types, Brown and White. White Adipose Tissue is what you traditionally think of as “fat”, while BAT is full of mitochondria, giving it a darker color. These mitochondria can burn the white fat for energy, and cold temperatures activate BAT.

Also, think about thermodynamics. Calories are a measure of heat. If you’re cold, you need to spend energy to warm up. Your body does this through a combination of shivering and mitochondrial activity.

Ideas

The shower is already a great place for coming up with ideas. Everybody knows that. But with the extra energy and alertness of the cold shower, your brain will be working on overdrive!

Motivation

Imagine starting your day by doing something uncomfortable and triumphing over it. You’ll naturally turn that win into motivation for the next win, and it will snowball your day to victory.

Immune System

Controlled (hormetic) stress, like a cold shower, activates our immune systems to fight off disease.

Sleep

This is a big one. Since incorporating the cold showers into my bedtime ritual, I have been sleeping like a baby. I normally struggle with falling asleep consistently, so this has been a miracle. By dropping your body’s core temperature, you signal that it’s time to sleep.

Cardiovascular

Your heart has to work hard to pump warm blood to your cold skin, which means you are getting a cardiovascular workout by just standing there! This can be an effective replacement for or addition to your regular workout.

Mood

No matter how I’m feeling before the shower, by the end of the shower I’m on Cloud Nine. With all the extra motivation and alertness, and your body pumping out serotonin, you will experience a natural high. This can even alleviate or eliminate depression.

Pain & Recovery

It should be no surprise that cold showers help your muscles with physical recovery. It’s common for athletes to use ice packs after a strenuous workout. If you have any injuries, this will also help with your pain by reducing inflammation.

Addiction

Cold showers can actually help break addiction. By replacing the bad stimulus with a positive one and improving your quality of life, you can break out of a destructive cycle.

Cold Adaptation

Not surprisingly, your body gets used to stressors and adapts. You will be more prepared to handle winter weather or a chilly pool.

How

Now that you’re convinced of the benefits and can’t wait to start your own cold shower practice, I’ll explain what the typical timeline looks like and give you advice on how to execute as painlessly as possible.

Typical Experience

Minute 0: “Oh wow, this is really cold! How am I possibly going to stay in here?”

Minute 3: “This isn’t so bad, I could stay in here for a while.”

Minute 5: Mind is wandering, forgotten that you’re even in the shower.

Minute 8: Powerful natural high. Huge dopamine rush kicks in.

Minute 10: Timer rings. You wish you could stay in the cold for longer. You wistfully turn off the water, grab your towel, and look forward to the next cold shower.

Tips & Tricks

• Use a timer. You want to make sure you’re in for ten minutes, no more, no less. Set a reliable timer. I like to use the Apple Watch (in Waterproof Mode) so I can check the time if I need to.
• Do something warm beforehand. I like to both workout and sit in the sauna before my morning shower, but just one will suffice. If neither of these are possible, then start with a couple minutes of warm water, as below.
• Avoid sensitive areas. This includes the top of your head, your hands and feet, and your chest. The chest is very sensitive, especially for females, so keep all water on your back and don’t let and drip on the front.
• Keep your head warm. Your head determines the temperature you feel, so if it’s cold, you’re going to be miserable. I like to start with warm water and focus it on my hair and neck. Once the cold starts, make sure you keep it to your neck and below.
• Face away from the water. Your chest and upper back have the most BAT, so these are the spots you want to target. As mentioned above, the chest won’t be sustainable, as you will feel much colder, so keep the water on your lower neck/upper back.
• Keep the water off your feet. Similar to your head and chest, if your feet are cold you will not be happy. Your natural inclination will be to walk forward, but this is actually the worst strategy possible. Doing so will cause you to lean back, creating a natural angle for the water to run down your back and fall forward to your feet. Instead, aim the shower higher (parallel to the ground) and walk closer to it. You can even try to arch the other direction, sending your butt closer to the wall. This will keep all runoff far away from your sensitive feet.
• Don’t resist the cold. Yes, it will be cold, and it will be uncomfortable when you get in. That’s the point. Don’t try to be cute and gradually turn it from warm to cold. You’ll never make it there. Bite the bullet and turn it cold all at once when you start the timer. You’ll find to your surprise that you’ll acclimate faster than you expect, and then it will be time to turn it even colder.
• Shivering. Shivering is muscular contraction, meaning you are burning calories, which is good. You might shiver a bit in the first few minutes, but I always hit a point halfway through when my skin itself is as cold as the water and I’m no longer shivering.
• Breathe deeply. If you need to take your mind off the cold when you first get in, breathe deeply. Cold showers can be a meditative practice, so focus on your breath and before you know it you’ll be daydreaming and have forgotten all about the shower.
• Don’t move. The more you move, the more the cold water will hit new places on your body that weren’t exposed before. Find your ideal spot and settle into it. You should only have to move to make it colder or check the time.
• Don’t lather. It seems like it would make sense to use shampoo and soap, since you’re already in the shower, but be warned that this is a trap. Rinsing off will require you to move around quite a bit, which as explained above will make you feel very cold. If I need to clean myself, I shampoo and rinse in warm water before I start the cold. The last thing you want is shampoo in your eyes in the middle of the cold exposure. It’s okay to leave soap on the rest of your body, and then quickly rinse off at the very end, because you’ll get out immediately.
• Press your fingers together. If the cold is really getting to you, try pressing the tips of your fingers together in front of you. This muscular stimulation will draw your body’s attention away from the cold nerves, and will allow you to break through the difficult part.
• Listen to music. I don’t personally do this, as I prefer to focus on my thoughts, but there’s nothing wrong with listening to your favorite tracks. You probably have a phone or other music-playing device anyway for your timer, so this will give you a diversion and a way to gauge approximately how many minutes have passed.
• Wear socks in bed. Even if you follow these tips, your feet will be pretty cold by the end of the ten minutes. After the nighttime session, try wearing socks in bed to keep yourself comfortable when you sleep. If they feel constricting, feel free to keep them loose and half-off so that you can easily kick them off of necessary.