Benefits, risks etc associated with cold showers regarding heart health - Important things to know!!
Have you stepped into the cold shower and felt uncomfortable then you are not alone!!
A natural wellness routine that has been making many heads turn these days is cold showers.
It is noteworthy that cold showers can boost both physical as well as mental wellbeing of an individual.
There are numerous health benefits of cold showers which we might not be aware of. Cold showers can lower inflammation, boost immunity, boost circulation, stimulate metabolism, improve kidney health etc. From a mental health aspect, cold showers can boost our mood, reduce anxiety and stress etc.
How would a cold shower be beneficial for our heart health?
Enhanced circulation and vascular health:
Point to be noted is that alternating vasoconstriction and vasodilation would improve blood circulation. Toxins etc would get flushed out. Oxygen rich blood would be delivered to the tissues. It must be taken into note that improved blood circulation would support organ functions and lowers fatigue feeling etc.
Boosted metabolism and calorie burning:
When we take cold showers, brown adipose tissue would get activated and heat would get generated by burning of calories. By this, metabolic rate would get increased and weight would get managed in us. By this our heart health would get better. By regularly exposing us to cold showers, insulin sensitivity would get enhanced and inflammation would get reduced. Finally, metabolic and heart function would get support.
Lowers inflammation:
Chronic inflammation would lead to heart disease is known. Superb piece of information is that cold showers would lower the inflammation in us. Muscle soreness etc would get reduced and there would be speedy recovery after exercise.
Stress reduction etc:
When we expose ourselves to cold showers regularly, then our cortisol levels would reduce. By this, our heart health would benefit as blood pressure would get reduced. It is worthy to note that many persons had improved mood after cold showers due to release of happy hormones or endorphins
How would our heart get affected due to a cold shower?
Sudden hypertension or BP:
By exposure to cold showers suddenly, we could have a spike in the blood pressure or BP. This could be a serious issue.
Arrhythmias and heart beat disorders:
In sensitive individuals, sudden exposure to cold showers could lead to irregular heartbeats or arrhythmia.
Coronary heart disease:
It must be noted that vasoconstriction would reduce the flow of blood in the already narrowed arteries. By this, there are more chances of angina or heart attacks etc.
Safe incorporation of cold showers every day:
It is necessary to start cold shower exposure gradually. Beginning with warm water and slowly lowering the temperature over several days etc would be good. It is necessary to aim for short exposure to cold showers. Exposure to cold showers must be stopped immediately if there is dizziness etc. Consulting a doctor would be important especially for those who have heart disease, high BP or other respiratory issues etc. Please take care.
