How cold makes us healthier (proven by science!)

 Good news for those who are cold.

As the results of scientific research show, cooling, be it a contrast shower, an ice bath, swimming in an ice hole, or just a walk in the fresh air on a frosty winter day, brings great benefits to the body. Here's why loving the cold is the secret to excellent physical and mental health:

1. Cold activates the immune system

If, while taking a warm shower, you turn on cold water for at least 30 seconds, this will greatly boost your immunity - against the backdrop of shock from contact with ice water, there will be a release of leukocytes, immune cells that protect the body from infections.

For example, Dutch researchers, whose article was published in the journal PLoS One in 2016 , conducted a clinical experiment. It involved over three thousand volunteers aged 18 to 65 who did not suffer from serious illnesses and had never taken a contrast shower before. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was asked to run cold water for 30, 60 or 90 seconds every day for three months while taking a shower. The second group showered as usual.

As a result, it turned out that among participants in the first group, the frequency of sick days due to infectious diseases decreased by 29% compared to the control group, which continued to take a warm shower. It also turned out that the contrast shower improved people's mood, made them happier and calmer.

2. Cold helps you lose weight

Taking a cold shower or dousing yourself with ice water in the morning can help you stay lean, but only if you give yourself time to shiver. Trembling in the muscles means that the mechanism of contractile thermogenesis, the process of heat production by the body, has turned on. Frequent muscle contractions can quickly increase body temperature due to increased calorie burning.

The experiment , conducted by scientists from the Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands), involved 24 young, thin men and women. They all took cold showers at 7:45 am and 7:45 pm. The water temperature was lowered gradually until the participants began to shiver at a temperature of 9 degrees Celsius. They spent an hour and a half in such cold conditions.

The experiment showed that trembling actually causes the body to burn more calories. It turned out that, unlike women, men burn more calories in the morning.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Mariette Boone, recommends that those who decide to take advantage of the benefits of cold start with a cold shower in the morning for 20 seconds, and gradually work up to 90 seconds.

3. Cold reduces the risk of depression

Surprisingly, an ice-cold shower can lift your spirits. A study conducted by scientists from the University of Virginia (USA) showed that exposure to cold effectively relieves symptoms of depression. The fact is that cold activates the nervous system and increases blood supply to the brain, which stimulates the release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which has a positive effect on mood.

Some studies also show that contact with cold water stimulates the release of the “pleasure hormone” dopamine. In addition, the antidepressant effect of ice water may be partly due to the fact that thermoreceptors in the skin that respond to heat and cold send electrical signals to the brain that trigger a cascade of neural connections that lead to an analgesic effect, the authors of a paper published in 2014 suggested. year in the North American Journal of Medical Sciences .

Another example showing that swimming in cold open water can be an effective treatment for depression comes from a publication in the journal BMJ Case Reports . A 24-year-old girl who had suffered from anxiety and depression for years without any relief from medication was recommended by doctors to swim in cold water once a week.

After each swim, her mood lifted dramatically, and her overall mental state gradually improved.

A year after the start of the swim, the girl still did not take any medications, but this did not lead to the return of depression.

4. Cold relieves stress

Researchers from Finland, where winter swimming is common, conducted an experiment with the participation of 82 volunteers. In the fall and after the end of the winter swimming season, they were all surveyed about their mood and well-being. At the same time, two-thirds of the participants regularly plunged into the ice hole and swam in icy water, while the rest did not (control group).

As a result, it turned out that the “walruses,” compared to participants in the control group, had a significant decrease in nervous tension, as well as improved memory and mood. Scientists attribute this effect to regular releases of norepinephrine, which has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. In addition, the need to get used to ice water increases the ability to withstand various types of stress, the researchers say.

5. Cold improves fitness

When you go for a run in the cold, you can console yourself with the fact that you will burn more calories than in warm weather, and in addition, your physical endurance will increase.

As scientists from the University of Estonia (UK) explain , exercising outdoors in the winter requires a lot of energy because the body has to spend more calories to maintain internal temperature, which speeds up metabolism.

In addition, at low temperatures the heart can withstand physical activity more easily than in hot weather - studies have shown that when running in cold conditions, the heart rate decreases by 6%, which makes such running less exhausting. Thanks to these physiological mechanisms, endurance improves.

6. Cold improves sex life

Swimming in an ice hole can help increase libido, as it leads to an increase in levels of testosterone and estrogen (male and female sex hormones, the concentration of which determines sexual desire).

Thus, researchers from the University of Northumbria (UK) conducted an experiment with the participation of 14 athletes. Some of them, after running a sprint, entered a cryochamber with a temperature of minus 60 degrees Celsius for 30 seconds, but some did not. Those exposed to extremely cold temperatures experienced increased levels of testosterone in their blood over the next 24 hours.

Another study conducted by Polish scientists showed that men who jumped into an ice hole after spending time in a sauna had a 5% increase in testosterone levels. However, in women such a striking effect is not observed.

Based on materials from dailymail.co.uk