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Can Cold Showers Actually Change Your Life?
Many people swear that a cold shower every morning has the power to change your life, and improve your health- but can this be proved by science? Join us as Hank Green dives into the world of cold showers and discusses whether these claims hold water.
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Sources:
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https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2007/03/5541/hot-tubs-hurt-fertility-ucsf-study-shows
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17993252
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nikolai_Shevchuk/publication/5854059_Adapted_cold_shower_as_a_potential_treatment_for_depression/links/59dfa3c5458515371600874b/Adapted-cold-shower-as-a-potential-treatment-for-depression.pdf?origin=publication_detail
http://www.cold-showers.com/strengthen-immune-system/
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Thanks to Skillshare for supporting this episode, and this whole week, of SciShow. [♩INTRO] If you follow any productivity gurus, then you’ve probably heard how you need to take cold showers in the morning. After all, not only can they wake you right up, but you’re also promised a myriad of health benefits and everybody loves a good healthy life hack. But whether these claims are actually true is still kind of a gray area. Also, I have to say, as someone who grew up in Florida and now lives in Montana, a cold shower is different depending on where you live. So before you jump in that agonizingly cold shower, let’s look at some research. One of the biggest problems with studying cold showers is that… well, people really haven’t. Instead, most health claims are implied from studies of cryotherapy using cold water or air to treat a condition or from things like people who repeatedly go swimming in cold water. But cryotherapy is really carefully controlled, and those swimmers often stay in the water for over an hour, so it’s hard to apply this to your quick rinse before work. Still, that doesn’t mean there’s zero evidence for cold showers, because there is. It’s just not very strong. Like, take the claim people make that those showers improve your immune system. In 2016, a study published in PLOS One wanted to see if taking a quick cold shower in the morning would reduce the amount of sick days someone took from work. For 30 straight days, more than 2300 subjects took either a warm shower, or a warm shower that turned cold for 30, 60, or 90 seconds at the end. On average, subjects in all three of the cold shower groups called into work 29% less than the warm shower group roughly the same as one less sick day per month. But we don’t know why, since the research team didn’t measure any biological markers. Many of the participants did say they felt an increase in energy and continued taking the cold showers after the experiment, but that’s not enough to close the case. It’s possible that their white blood cell count increased like what’s been shown to happen with cold water swimmers. But again, a 90-second rinse is a lot different from an hour in the water. Many people also swear that cold showers can boost mood. But the results there are maybe even weaker. A 2008 study in Medical Hypothesis gets referenced a lot as evidence for cold showers as an antidepressant, but it’s not really all that convincing. They hypothesized that cold water would activate your sympathetic nervous system the system that does things like increase your heart rate and stimulate the release of endorphins which would elevate your mood. But it only had three data points, one of which was the author of the paper, and none of them had symptoms that would diagnose them with depression. Plus, the biological markers they expected to change were never actually measured, so really we don’t have any results to go off of. To be fair, the author did mention all that in the paper. But alas, the blogosphere still holds onto that antidepressant claim even though the article wasn’t that powerful. The thing here is, you can’t placebo a cold shower: you know if you’re getting one. So it seems like cold showers get a lot more credit than they deserve based on the evidence that exists. A short one probably won’t hurt you, but hey, let’s do more research before we start making claims about reality and our bodies. Seriously, if you’re looking for a research project, this sounds like a good one to try out. Couldn’t be that expensive, it’s cold water. So, even though cold showers might not be the key to making you more productive, the CEO and co-founder of Skillshare, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, is really productive and shares his systems for productivity in his class Real Productivity: Create Your Ideal Week. He provides a simple framework to prioritize and accomplish what’s important to you in the immediate and in the long term. We’ll make sure to link to it in the description. All these week, we’ve been sharing Skillshare classes we think SciShow viewers will appreciate, but even though the week is coming to an end, this offer from Skillshare is still available. Skillshare is offering SciShow viewers 2 free months of unlimited access to their platform of over 20,000 classes. Click on the link in the description to sign up, and let us know in the comments what classes you take! We always love to learn new things. [♩OUTRO]
#Cold #Showers #Change #Life
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Skillshare is offering SciShow viewers two months of unlimited access to Skillshare for free! https://skl.sh/scishow15
If taking before dawn everyday, it prevents one from paralysis.
The proof is in the pudding. Take an ice cold shower and tell me you don’t feel better physically and cognitively afterwards.
They work. As someone who was dealing with kratom withdrawal and being extremely low on energy and was super fatigued… cold showers immediately fixed it or helped tremendously.
Researchers are taking a warm showers. Meanwhile people who takes cold showers are feeling the affects of themselves. Take it to believe it.
Cold showers are for people who wants to say "i take cold showers."😂😅
Hot air to make up for the shower ?
Here recently, instead of hot showers immediately, I’ve been first taking a cold rinse, as in spraying my arms and legs only (not my entire body) with frigid cold water for about 5-7 minutes, right after working out. I would actually wash up in warm water and then go cold water once more before toweling off. I don’t seem to cramp up or get sore as easily as I used to when I was younger and working out and taking hot showers only.
This video has not aged well at all, and badly needs a 2025 update. Wim Hof would like to have a word with you.
Yeah women those all studies are on men not women:(
This guy is so full of himself
My aches and pains go away after a cold shower, and it's terrific for pre-workouts.
Cold showers are for real men and not wussies, I have been taking cold showers for 11 years and even in winter too.
I've been doing cold showers but not by choice. I'm homeless.
If you have a chest cold..should you not do it..
I started cold showers a few months ago, and I can tell you placebo takes a great part in it, like everything or almost everything in life: you have to believe
Its just simple; get tougher and you'll be able to get more out of life… Its time to get of the pitty potty and do what needs to be done. You gonna complain about a cold shower? Guess what..; live is so much harder sometimes, you need to overcome these things by doing things you dont like sometimes and by doing so you might get a shot of dopamine – wich make you feel goed🙏🏻💪🏻
You see the shape and mood of people recommending cold showers, and you see from those being skeptical about the science so far… well, not difficult to decide… I am keeping my colds 🥶💪🏼
My brain: aaaaaahhh! 😂😂😂😂
My hot water heater broke. I’ve taken 5 cold showers. Only new evidence is I want to punch air and my voice has gotten stronger from yelling so much
It does so much for you mentally its unreal..Today..number 370…. cant say i like it..but i love it after!! An done hardest thing i will do all day. Ice cold shower out of nice warm bed..😅 fcks with your mind!
Jump in take a cold shower it completely works the end I stay in it for at least 15 minutes
Terrible video ..full of conflicting information. Wim hoff offers way more comprehensive and beneficial information about cold showers.
attention so no one say I did not say : cold war (#) and cold shower he die ! !
am gonna start cold showering will edit this eveutnally
Just look at you…
🥶🤬
They helped me enjoy swimming more. Lots of pools I swam in were usually cold lol
hopefully I will ascend
Cold showers for seven years straight! It took me four months of misery to adjust to them and make them a permanent habit. Start with hot/cold showers for six months or more before going all cold. The adrenal rush AFTER the shower is awesome!
Works for me. Been doing it for months now every single day, sometimes even twice a day. I just had one and MEN! does it feel good
I've just wasted 4 precious minutes of my time by watching your video
If you need to see the studies, there is something holding you back. Just start warm, and gradually switch to cold during the shower. hold it as cold as you can handle for 5 minutes. No need to jump into a freezing ice bath out of the blue, you will get sick.
Why wouldn’t you choose to have a cold shower?
Why you want to throw cold water on our cold water shower,buzz killer!😅😅
I like them because it helps cool my body down when it’s hot.
Just did a cold shower and it was mentally the best thing I did 💦😅
It has to start cold, otherwise you’re just rebalancing your body temp from a hot shower.
It’s as simple as this, it’s a difficult thing to intentionally take on and thus your brain learns to accept difficult challenges.
Relying entirely on empirical evidence sounds wise, but it’s way less data than anecdotal stories provide. And sometimes they too tightly control the variables and don’t allow the natural consequences of a given treatment to take effect.
It’s like how they compare fasting to calorie restriction, and match the calories. Of course it’s going to turn out the same, but isn’t the true test to see how much easier it is to restrict those calories in the first place if you just don’t get your ghrelin going for the day?
There’s a lot of armchair researchers out here not trying things for themselves and scoffing at things that millions of people are finding success with because they read a study on their computer.
Studies are still valuable and should be your first resource, but seriously just try the thing out for yourself.
Wow this is so funny coming back to nearly 6 years later now knowing how good they are for dopamine levels
Call it what you want –
It’s a HARD COLD OPINION – the placebo the EFFECTS is enough to make it work and heal –
If you or anyone else doesn’t want to take a cold shower for health – then stay dirty and sad. 😘
Just once I'd like to see one of these where the only content is just someone walking into view, says "nope", waives then walks away.
Cold showers help period point blank
I’ve been taking cold showers for about 2-3 years, PERSONALLY my skin is nothing like it used to be, I haven’t been sick since I started, my hair looks more full of color and stronger, my erections are girthier along with my labido being high constantly, in general I heal much faster and probably some other things I haven’t even noticed yet. You really start to see the difference after a while, you feel like you’re glowing it’s a great feeling I recommend you start asap.
But it’s also important to know I live in Michigan where it’s cold 75% of the time, and I do a number of other things that also support my health, so results may vary.
I take a cold shower after work, feels amazing. The calmness that it brings later when you go to bed is fantastic and the day after you look forward to take a cold one after work.
how long should you be taking it ?
If you have any doubts, try it for yourself.
i took cold showers for a week and i spent 20 minutes in the cod each time and before i started this experiment i tested myself with normal warm showers and carefully wrote down my experiences with warm showers and compared it with cold showers. After taking cold showers for the first few days i really felt my adrenaline spike when i got in the cold water and my breathing was rapid to where i could not think but i forced myself to think of something solid and just went with that thought. After the cold shower ended i let myself warm up naturally and throughout the entire day I felt like i had an extra battery worth of energy meaning I had plenty more energy and usually after work i am a bit tired but instead i went outside and could run up and down the street a few times because i still had plenty of energy left. The more this went of the more stronger the effect became and I got used to the effects and after a few days from the start cold showers stopped doing its thing and i got used to it and it did not wake me up as much and it did not give me the same amount of energy.
Very discouraging video 🥶
I'm late to this video but if it was made in 2018, he's grabbing studies that are 10 years old !! A 2008 study ??
Dont do it if you want to gain strength and muscle mass.