Having grown up in the greater Chicagoland area, I find cooler temperatures to feel quite refreshing. My favorite part of winter has always been braving the bitter gusts of wind while walking my dog. So, it only makes sense that I defend another unpopular opinion: Cold showers are the best. Whether I am exhausted, stressed from my studies or just bored, this habit is a great way to switch up a typical day.
My close friends and immediate family would enthusiastically disagree without any hesitation. After incorporating just a few frigid showers into my weekly routine, I noticed significant improvements throughout different areas of my life.
As a driven STEM student, I was personally motivated to further understand the science-based facts behind why cold showers are beneficial. I am sure some of us are familiar with the post-workout ice bath made popular by social media, although in a college setting these tubs are not an ordinary thing to come across. In my opinion, taking a cold shower is so much more accessible for the vast majority of students.
Central New York’s below-freezing, dry winter climate is certainly less than ideal for attaining glowing skin. However, contrary to popular belief, a cold shower is the best skin remedy. A blog post by skincare brand Aveeno highlights that consistent, quick cold showers promote more mindful water usage while maintaining the natural oils in our hair and skin. Although long, hot showers feel especially rejuvenating in the colder seasons, these tend to strip away components our skin needs to feel moisturized and replenished on a day-to-day basis. Don’t get me wrong, I still take warm showers, but just like building any new habit, adjusting to the initial challenges of cold showers requires more than a few tries.
According to Healthline, cold showers can be utilized for various benefits. These include mitigating symptoms of depression, lessening mental fog, increasing blood circulation and helping with muscle soreness and inflammation. A “cold” shower is classified as a temperature well below that of the human body. At first, it almost feels like swimming in Antarctica, but the swift shock of chilliness, explained by the Healthline article, sends “electrical impulses to your brain,” which release endorphins — the feel-good hormones in our bodies. Another article from CNN parallels this concept by pointing out the increase of other major neurotransmitters from cold showering, such as dopamine and norepinephrine. Higher levels of these kinds of chemicals can assist in lessening pain from muscle soreness.
In my own life, a cold shower every day has been a step towards building long-term mental discipline. Discipline is a skill all students can benefit from, inside and outside the academic setting. I have found cold showers to substantially decrease my stress during the academic months, a time when anxiety is at its highest for most students. One study in particular examined the showering traits of U.S. adults, finding that a mere 2% of Americans prefer a cold shower. To put it plainly, cold showers are quite the opposite of popular.
Upon delving into its pros, perhaps you will find yourself turning down that faucet to a lower temperature. Think about how it will change your life in a small way. There is no need to wait for the shower to warm up or deal with the inconvenience of steam covering the mirror. Moreover, friends and floormates might silently thank you for substantially cutting down on your shower time, awarding them with more minutes of hot water. Cold showers save precious time and energy while leveling up your confidence and mental well-being. Now, who is the real winner?
As wintertime has been in full swing for over a month, most people favor boiling showers. You may even find yourself shoving aside the idea of stepping outside into these subzero temperatures. However, I think cold showers are way too underrated and an essential hygienic step. It’s healthy to give challenges like this a chance.
The demands of coursework, extracurricular activities, athletics and friendships — along with taking care of mental health — are all major challenges that my peers are already expected to balance in college. Turning the faucet to its coldest possible setting builds even more resilience, and this action is far from intolerable. Though hard to get used to, a cold shower is an easy mental test to try out. More people could lean into and even embrace it in their lives. If nothing else, a cold shower guarantees one thing: you’ll never linger long enough to run up the water bill.