Background information
I did it! Healthy habits put to the test
by Anna Sandner
Cold showers – the «I did it!» health hack I couldn’t manage
22.5.2025
Translation: Katherine Martin
Although I started this «I did it!» week a long time ago, I still haven’t finished it. Why? Because there’s just too much of a mental barrier to overcome.
Over two months ago, the Community gave me a new suggestion for a health hack to try out:
Hi Anna, I often read that cold showers really help make you feel better. The positive effects last for several hours. Might be worth a try :) Cheers
«Oh, an easily doable challenge?» I thought, «Great. Sign me up!» In hindsight, I now know that was a totally naive assessment. Because as things stand, I’ve failed miserably at this challenge. Why? Well, there’s a psychological hurdle I just can’t seem to get over. Having made countless attempts, spent what felt like hours in the shower and been simply unable to bring myself to turn on the cold water, I guess I have to conclude that taking a cold shower isn’t all that easy. At least not for me.
So what should I do about it? Yep, you’ve got it! Get myself off the hook by desperately searching for reasons why cold showers are totally not healthy and actually kinda harmful anyway. The results of that search, however, have been devastating. You see, the information I’ve found doesn’t really give me an excuse to ditch this «I did it!» week once and for all. Although studies on cold showers are rather thin on the ground, you can’t dismiss the evidence of their positive effects out of hand.
The many benefits of taking a cold shower in the morning
Stimulates blood flow: the cold causes blood vessels in your extremities to constrict, directing blood to your vital organs. This stimulates your circulation, bringing better blood flow to your organs.
Strengthens the immune system: having cold showers regularly can boost your immune system. Studies have shown that people who regularly have cold showers (and hot-to-cold showers) are less susceptible to colds.
Wakes you up: the sudden cold acts like a natural alarm clock, allowing you to quickly shake off your tiredness and feel fresher and more focused.
Improves mental strength: you need to push yourself to have a cold shower – especially in the morning. If you regularly face up to that small challenge, you’ll strengthen your willpower and perseverance.
Alright, great. I want all that, but when it comes to the final point, I fall at the first hurdle. As we’ve established, stepping into a cold shower requires willpower. After all these weeks of fruitless attempts, nobody knows that better than I do…
Can’t I find any cons to cold showers to get me out of this?
There must be some disadvantages to cold showers, right? I continue my search, this time with the question, «What are the disadvantages of cold showers for a healthy, physically fit woman?» The main warning I come across relates, unsurprisingly, to cold-induced shock. That, however, usually applies to ice baths – and I’m not willing to go that far anyway. Either way, it’s advisable to slowly build up to the cold so that your cardiovascular system doesn’t get overwhelmed. Which is all well and good, but it’s not a strong enough argument to avoid cold showers altogether.
The fact that cold showers may increase blood pressure doesn’t help me either. Though potentially problematic for people with high blood pressure, it’s not an issue for me. Fortunately, my blood pressure’s completely fine.
As for the sudden spike in cortisol (stress hormone) triggered by the shock of the cold? I can’t use that as a counter-argument either. It’s only harmful for people with chronic stress. If your stress levels are normal, the rise in cortisol activates your body – another point for the «pros» list. It’d certainly be considered a benefit for the likes of me.
So, what’s left for me to do? Talk about the thinness of the studies available and how differently they can be interpreted? Sure, that’d be an option. But I won’t. Instead, I want to see the effects of cold showers for myself. I want to form my own impressions, aside from all the studies, experts and reports on people’s personal experiences. How will my body react to the cold? What will the impact on my mental health be? Whatever happens, having a cold shower in the morning will certainly wake me up.
Summer should get me back on track
There’s nothing for it. I’ll have to give it another go. This time, however, I want at least one helper on my side: summer. That’ll be the game changer. No doubt about it. At least, I hope so… I mean, it should be much easier to take a cold shower in the morning after a night of feeling too hot. Especially if I haven’t got out of bed shivering. I’ll need a better strategy than just struggling to push myself, shower head in hand.
Source: NoemiEscribano
My ultimate cold shower plan
I want to make things easier for myself next time. Here’s how:
- I’ll gradually turn down the water temperature. As I’m standing in the shower, I’ll slowly flip the switch to cold, step by step. When I shower the next day, I’ll start off at a slightly colder temperature than the day before. With a little patience, I might morph into a cold-shower enthusiast without too much effort.
- I’ll only expose myself to tiny doses of cold water. In other words, I’ll only turn the water to cold for a few seconds, then immediately switch back to hot. This’ll make it easier to face the cold; it’ll almost be over before I even notice the drop in temperature. It’ll also bring me halfway to a hot-to-cold shower (a cleverer option than just a cold shower anyway).
- I’ll ease the shock of the cold by doing deep, controlled breathing. Focusing on my breath should distract me from the cold water too.
- If none of this helps, I could try putting on some uplifting music or distracting myself with an interesting podcast. The whole time, I’ll repeat the benefits of my cold shower mission to myself under my breath.
With this advice in my back pocket, I’ve regained a little optimism. Once the weather’s warm enough, I’ll give cold showers another go.
Do you have any other tips on how I can make the transition to cold or hot-to-cold showers easier? Let me know in the comments!
If you want to give me the chance to save my reputation as a hardy trier, you can read about my successful «I did it!» weeks here:
Header image: Yaroslav Shuraev/Pexels
Anna Sandner
Senior Editor
Anna.Sandner@galaxus.deScience editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always outside - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.
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