What I Learned Taking Cold Showers for a Full Year
December 12, 2022 10:45 PM Subscribe
The simple fact is this: I never regretted a single cold shower. I've always felt better immediately afterward. Alert, happier. More importantly, after cold showers, I always felt like I had achieved something. I never had that groggy feeling you get when you spend too long in a piping hot shower. It was good to have done something difficult. That was nice. ~~~ My feelings about this cold shower experiment are complex, rooted in weird ideas about trying difficult things and not giving up, even if there's no good reason to forge ahead.
Mark Serrels, Editorial Director @ CNET, tells us about an important part of his 2022.
Mark Serrels, Editorial Director @ CNET, tells us about an important part of his 2022.
I did this last winter when my furnace was busted for a month
Showering with room temperature water, like 16-18 C, is a fine experience. Showering with cold water from the outside in the middle of European winter is very much not. Still, I don't regret it, and I still do cold showers in summer.
posted by sixohsix at 12:39 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Showering with room temperature water, like 16-18 C, is a fine experience. Showering with cold water from the outside in the middle of European winter is very much not. Still, I don't regret it, and I still do cold showers in summer.
posted by sixohsix at 12:39 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
I had a little experiment with cold showers earlier this year, into the NZ winter. With overnight lows of 2 or 3 C the water was still around 10. I would finish my "normal" shower and then go cold. The first few seconds were always horrifying, then I would generally find myself starting to laugh, and for a few minutes after I got out, the world would be a great place. (Possibly in the way that it also feels great when you stop hitting yourself with a hammer...) I think I built up to 90 seconds over a period of weeks? I couldn't attribute any persistent benefits to it beyond that though, so I stopped. There does seem to be some research but the results are equivocal and not nearly up to the claims often made, as far as I could tell.
This was a good read!
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:07 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
This was a good read!
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:07 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I'm more reptile than human, I think, I don't feel right in the morning until I've had my hot shower, the same way people can't start the day properly without a coffee.
Not that there's much to talk about, but I did do a back of envelope calculation for how much a hot shower costs from an environmental point of view.
Assume a 150L shower over 15 minutes, 10°C from mains to 40°C for showering... that's about 5kWh for winter shower using an electric hot water system. Halve that for a summer shower.
In contrast, my 2 person household uses about 26kWh per day in winter, 16kWh per day in summer, so a very significant percentage of power goes into creating hot water which we flush right down the drain, in contrast to how much effort we spend insulating our homes to keep the heat in.
posted by xdvesper at 1:24 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Not that there's much to talk about, but I did do a back of envelope calculation for how much a hot shower costs from an environmental point of view.
Assume a 150L shower over 15 minutes, 10°C from mains to 40°C for showering... that's about 5kWh for winter shower using an electric hot water system. Halve that for a summer shower.
In contrast, my 2 person household uses about 26kWh per day in winter, 16kWh per day in summer, so a very significant percentage of power goes into creating hot water which we flush right down the drain, in contrast to how much effort we spend insulating our homes to keep the heat in.
posted by xdvesper at 1:24 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Nope nope nope. This is nightmare fuel for me.
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:26 AM on December 13, 2022 [26 favorites]
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:26 AM on December 13, 2022 [26 favorites]
My shower has two settings: hot and "you didn't really need that skin, did you?" I anticipate that this summer I'll miss the ability to take lukewarm showers, but having the shower be strong and hot very quickly is generally a nice thing.
Hot showers wake me up just as much as cold ones. I've never appreciated a cold shower, just endured it.
posted by Hactar at 1:43 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Hot showers wake me up just as much as cold ones. I've never appreciated a cold shower, just endured it.
posted by Hactar at 1:43 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
I think can assume that each individual body will have its own tolerance for cold showers.
posted by The River Ivel at 1:45 AM on December 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by The River Ivel at 1:45 AM on December 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
I do this and it is excellent. It's hard to quantify but it definitely has a positive effect on my day. I am in a better mood, more positive and more productive. From late spring through to about the end of October I use a cold plunge tub in our back garden but when it gets dark in the morning or the weather is no fun, I move inside for my daily dose of cold and use our shower.
posted by dowcrag at 1:56 AM on December 13, 2022
posted by dowcrag at 1:56 AM on December 13, 2022
I like his observation that your "cold" shower - taken on a summer's day in a warm climate - is not equal to my cold shower taken from glacial meltwater and while standing outside in a blizzard (say).
For my money, I prefer the "contrast therapy" which involves mixing extremes of hot and cold, sauna style. Amidst all the woo, there is a good deal of compelling scientific studies behind all this - as nicely summed up by this "deep dive" talk from Dr. Rhonda Patrick.
posted by rongorongo at 2:10 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
For my money, I prefer the "contrast therapy" which involves mixing extremes of hot and cold, sauna style. Amidst all the woo, there is a good deal of compelling scientific studies behind all this - as nicely summed up by this "deep dive" talk from Dr. Rhonda Patrick.
posted by rongorongo at 2:10 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Once had a cold shower. Never been so annoyed at feeling good.
posted by litleozy at 2:39 AM on December 13, 2022 [33 favorites]
posted by litleozy at 2:39 AM on December 13, 2022 [33 favorites]
When I was in high school in Denver, I was the only male in any of my classes who took PE as a senior because it wasn’t required, I guess, and the others were more interested in fattening their transcripts, and unless there was actual snow on the ground, the PE teacher ended every class with a 1.5 mile cross country run that he didn’t leave quite enough time to run at an easy pace and make it to your next class before the bell.
Which meant that I was running hard and then sitting in AP English 7 minutes later, and for me that was a recipe for extreme overheating because unless I can walk around for 5 or ten minutes after hard exercise my muscles will continue to burn fuel which turns into heat instead of motion. So for the first few days I was absolutely soaked in English after 10 minutes and it was extremely embarrassing.
But I discovered that if I pushed it a bit on both ends, I could carve out ten minutes for an ice cold shower before English class. People in PE thought I had gone crazy, and there was a four foot no man's land around me in the crowded communal shower because they couldn’t tolerate the splashes.
It worked great! For about 30 minutes as I felt the heat gradually rising from core to skin, and then suddenly water would fairly burst from my brow — but I had 3 handkerchiefs and it was a lot less than it would have been.
In college I ended up wading down a partially ice covered creek during spring runoff with water from knees to armpits at various points (after falling through and being swept under the ice at the very beginning) for three hours one afternoon, and I don’t remember shivering or even being cold.
But I had fevers of 106° F over and over again as a toddler that could only be controlled with ice baths, and the one time my family drove back down South to visit family when I was three, I spent much of the time after we crossed into Texas sitting on bags of ice in a washtub in the back seat.
posted by jamjam at 2:46 AM on December 13, 2022 [21 favorites]
Which meant that I was running hard and then sitting in AP English 7 minutes later, and for me that was a recipe for extreme overheating because unless I can walk around for 5 or ten minutes after hard exercise my muscles will continue to burn fuel which turns into heat instead of motion. So for the first few days I was absolutely soaked in English after 10 minutes and it was extremely embarrassing.
But I discovered that if I pushed it a bit on both ends, I could carve out ten minutes for an ice cold shower before English class. People in PE thought I had gone crazy, and there was a four foot no man's land around me in the crowded communal shower because they couldn’t tolerate the splashes.
It worked great! For about 30 minutes as I felt the heat gradually rising from core to skin, and then suddenly water would fairly burst from my brow — but I had 3 handkerchiefs and it was a lot less than it would have been.
In college I ended up wading down a partially ice covered creek during spring runoff with water from knees to armpits at various points (after falling through and being swept under the ice at the very beginning) for three hours one afternoon, and I don’t remember shivering or even being cold.
But I had fevers of 106° F over and over again as a toddler that could only be controlled with ice baths, and the one time my family drove back down South to visit family when I was three, I spent much of the time after we crossed into Texas sitting on bags of ice in a washtub in the back seat.
posted by jamjam at 2:46 AM on December 13, 2022 [21 favorites]
taquito boyfriend likes to get in a cold shower, make loud discomfort yelps for five to ten minutes, then remove himself & announce that "ahhhh" & "oh yeah" & "woo Nelly that was BRISK"
despite having grown up in a cold climate & voluntarily woken up at 5 AM for the "polar bear swim" as a child at summer camp, I fucking refuse to interface with a cold shower
like I fully believe everyone that it feels great afterwards & my read on that is that your body is trying to make you feel good in your final moments because you're obviously unavoidably FREEZING TO DEATH [/coldtake]
posted by taquito sunrise at 2:55 AM on December 13, 2022 [38 favorites]
despite having grown up in a cold climate & voluntarily woken up at 5 AM for the "polar bear swim" as a child at summer camp, I fucking refuse to interface with a cold shower
like I fully believe everyone that it feels great afterwards & my read on that is that your body is trying to make you feel good in your final moments because you're obviously unavoidably FREEZING TO DEATH [/coldtake]
posted by taquito sunrise at 2:55 AM on December 13, 2022 [38 favorites]
Every hot shower I take, I quietly celebrate the success of human civilisation and thank the generations who came before.
posted by jjderooy at 3:05 AM on December 13, 2022 [112 favorites]
posted by jjderooy at 3:05 AM on December 13, 2022 [112 favorites]
Everyone brings up Finland, but saunas and cold plunges are pretty common in Netherlands and Germany too. We try to go at least once a month to a sauna where, after getting really hot in a series of saunas and steam rooms, you then plunge into ice cold water. Some people also use cold showers or dump a bucket of ice water on themselves.
It feels amazing. Your whole body just sort of tingles after you get out and, paradoxically, you feel warm because your circulation has just kick-started.
posted by vacapinta at 3:16 AM on December 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
It feels amazing. Your whole body just sort of tingles after you get out and, paradoxically, you feel warm because your circulation has just kick-started.
posted by vacapinta at 3:16 AM on December 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
There's also a difference between taking a cold shower in the winter and then emerging to a generously heated house, and taking a cold shower in the winter and emerging to cool or downright cold indoor temperatures. I like cold showers in the summer, but in the winter I wind up shivering and tense for way too long afterwards. I will sometimes top off a hot shower with some cold water, though.
posted by trig at 3:23 AM on December 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by trig at 3:23 AM on December 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
That was a fun article!
I feel zero need to try it, but enjoyed reading about his experience and "thought" process.
posted by evilmomlady at 3:58 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
I feel zero need to try it, but enjoyed reading about his experience and "thought" process.
posted by evilmomlady at 3:58 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Cold showers in Minnesota in December? Hard, hard pass. If I found myself needing to conserve or cut back for whatever reason, I'd shower every other day rather than face the water out of the tap, which is in the mid 40s F., cold enough to kill you if you were submerged in it for any period of time without protection.
One of the side benefits of a warm shower in the winter: it also helps the humidity in the house, and gives you a little respite from the otherwise extremely dry air.
posted by gimonca at 4:05 AM on December 13, 2022 [9 favorites]
One of the side benefits of a warm shower in the winter: it also helps the humidity in the house, and gives you a little respite from the otherwise extremely dry air.
posted by gimonca at 4:05 AM on December 13, 2022 [9 favorites]
I remember Mark Serrels from the time he decided to eat porridge made with steel-cut oats everyday. He apparently swears by it. I like being able to microwave porridge.
posted by Merus at 4:29 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Merus at 4:29 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Literally everytime anyone has Cold Shower Discourse in any forum whatsoever, it turns out all the "cold showers are amazing" people have cold water at least 20F warmer than the "what the actual F" people.
posted by dmd at 4:30 AM on December 13, 2022 [18 favorites]
posted by dmd at 4:30 AM on December 13, 2022 [18 favorites]
Me, a dummy: “I like things that feel good.”
You, a wise man shaking your head sadly: “No.”
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:41 AM on December 13, 2022 [55 favorites]
You, a wise man shaking your head sadly: “No.”
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:41 AM on December 13, 2022 [55 favorites]
My shower cold water is currently 43F (6C) which is fine once you acclimatise to it. I'm only under it for a minute or so.
Apparently the good news is that it's likely that you'll get most of the benefits at higher temps (more like 13-16C or 55-61F) but without the risks, though I can't remember the source to quote it. Which is good news for me because that's almost exactly what my tub is in the late spring - autumn.
But it's just fun, and different people have different definitions of fun.
posted by dowcrag at 4:42 AM on December 13, 2022
Apparently the good news is that it's likely that you'll get most of the benefits at higher temps (more like 13-16C or 55-61F) but without the risks, though I can't remember the source to quote it. Which is good news for me because that's almost exactly what my tub is in the late spring - autumn.
But it's just fun, and different people have different definitions of fun.
posted by dowcrag at 4:42 AM on December 13, 2022
I once did a full year of weekly plunges* into the ocean and although I always approached them with second thoughts, I never regretted any of them. I did almost get into trouble once walking back to my car while dripping wet on a very windy day, and now I have a rule that if the air temperature is anywhere below freezing it has to be dead calm out or I won't go in.
* Brief, sometimes undignified submersion especially if the tide is out and there's only knee-deep water.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:52 AM on December 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
* Brief, sometimes undignified submersion especially if the tide is out and there's only knee-deep water.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:52 AM on December 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
This article reads exactly the same way if you sub in any other needless bit of self-abuse, BTW.
The simple fact is this: I never regretted a singlecold showerball-peen hammer blow to the groin. I've always felt better immediately afterward. Alert, happier. More importantly, after cold showersintentionally hitting myself in the crotch with a 12-oz hammer, I always felt like I had achieved something.
posted by Mayor West at 5:04 AM on December 13, 2022 [15 favorites]
The simple fact is this: I never regretted a single
posted by Mayor West at 5:04 AM on December 13, 2022 [15 favorites]
They’re called ball-peen hammers for a reason
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 5:15 AM on December 13, 2022 [47 favorites]
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 5:15 AM on December 13, 2022 [47 favorites]
I've been a sea swimmer, in Scotland, off and on for the past 12 years. At least once, I've swum weekly through winter with no wetsuit, in water temps down to about 3C (37.5F).
There's definitely a wave of tremendous euphoria and power that comes shortly after you get out. I once met up in a cafe with a bunch of friends who'd all been for a winter swim and I hadn't, and it was honestly like being the only sober person at a party of very drunk people.
That said, I'm not swimming this year (you kind of have to start in summer when the water gets up to the dizzy heights of 16C/61F, and carry on regularly as it gets colder). And the very idea seems abhorrent to me right now, despite knowing how much I loved it the year I went right through.
posted by penguin pie at 5:23 AM on December 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
There's definitely a wave of tremendous euphoria and power that comes shortly after you get out. I once met up in a cafe with a bunch of friends who'd all been for a winter swim and I hadn't, and it was honestly like being the only sober person at a party of very drunk people.
That said, I'm not swimming this year (you kind of have to start in summer when the water gets up to the dizzy heights of 16C/61F, and carry on regularly as it gets colder). And the very idea seems abhorrent to me right now, despite knowing how much I loved it the year I went right through.
posted by penguin pie at 5:23 AM on December 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
I envy so much those people who get that endorphin rush from cold water immersion. I have many friends and even a sibling who are ardent cold water swimmers, ice breaking if necessary and I've read up on the benefits and tried *so hard* to get into it. But I can't. I hate it. It doesn't ever feel good - not during or afterwards - it doesn't leave me energised, it is cold and shocking and horrible and leaves me tired and gasping and drained and pissed off/feeling like I might die.
I do wish those evangelical about this could recognise better that we're not all built the same when it comes to stuff like this (see also: exercise endorphins).
I have regretted every cold shower and every cold swim I've ever had to take. I'm sure I can't be alone.
posted by AFII at 5:30 AM on December 13, 2022 [21 favorites]
I do wish those evangelical about this could recognise better that we're not all built the same when it comes to stuff like this (see also: exercise endorphins).
I have regretted every cold shower and every cold swim I've ever had to take. I'm sure I can't be alone.
posted by AFII at 5:30 AM on December 13, 2022 [21 favorites]
Appearing drunk is one of the symptoms of mild hypothermia, and people who have survived more severe hypothermia report feeling calm to euphoric.
posted by eviemath at 5:31 AM on December 13, 2022 [16 favorites]
posted by eviemath at 5:31 AM on December 13, 2022 [16 favorites]
Literally everytime anyone has Cold Shower Discourse in any forum whatsoever, it turns out all the "cold showers are amazing" people have cold water at least 20F warmer than the "what the actual F" people.
One of the things I notice when I am traveling is how different cold tap water temperatures are. Some places, like where I am now at least in the winter, the tap water is basically glacial; other places it isn't far from room temperature.
And that is just within the US; long ago when I was living in tropical countries, there was no hot water but it didn't matter. An early morning shower was a bit brisk, but an afternoon or early evening shower was pleasantly warm since the water tank and water pipes were in the direct sun all day.
Going back and forth between a sauna or hot springs and ice-cold water or snowbank is a great feeling, but a key part of that is being able to get right back into the warmth after jumping in the cold water.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:41 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
One of the things I notice when I am traveling is how different cold tap water temperatures are. Some places, like where I am now at least in the winter, the tap water is basically glacial; other places it isn't far from room temperature.
And that is just within the US; long ago when I was living in tropical countries, there was no hot water but it didn't matter. An early morning shower was a bit brisk, but an afternoon or early evening shower was pleasantly warm since the water tank and water pipes were in the direct sun all day.
Going back and forth between a sauna or hot springs and ice-cold water or snowbank is a great feeling, but a key part of that is being able to get right back into the warmth after jumping in the cold water.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:41 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
You know, my ex husband used to take cold (faucet at lowest) showers year round in upstate NY. He probably still does. Posting this in hope that this will give pause to all you cold showerers, smh.
posted by MiraK at 5:43 AM on December 13, 2022
posted by MiraK at 5:43 AM on December 13, 2022
I feel like this is the yin to the monkey-chow-diaries guy's yang.
posted by mhoye at 5:44 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mhoye at 5:44 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
(Folks who do cold weather swimming/dipping should take care to be familiar with symptoms of hypothermia: short infographic, more detailed medical overview.)
posted by eviemath at 5:45 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by eviemath at 5:45 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
This does feel a bit like the advice to start each day by swallowing a live toad. After that, anything that happens to you is bound to be an improvement.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 5:48 AM on December 13, 2022 [23 favorites]
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 5:48 AM on December 13, 2022 [23 favorites]
A week or so ago we discovered that the hot water heater in our place has been set super low ever since we moved in. Possibly even off for all that time. “Hot” showers were, at best, piss-warm for us since early 2019. We turned it up and now it’s great. It can actually get hot enough that we want to mix some cold water back in.
They were rarely freezing - we’re in New Orleans, so the ambient temperature is generally pretty warm - but never really hot. Never that pleasurable. Now they are a delight.
I have involuntarily been this guy for most of four years and I am very glad to no longer be him.
posted by egypturnash at 6:01 AM on December 13, 2022 [16 favorites]
They were rarely freezing - we’re in New Orleans, so the ambient temperature is generally pretty warm - but never really hot. Never that pleasurable. Now they are a delight.
I have involuntarily been this guy for most of four years and I am very glad to no longer be him.
posted by egypturnash at 6:01 AM on December 13, 2022 [16 favorites]
When I was in high school in Denver, I was the only male in any of my classes who took PE
People in PE thought I had gone crazy, and there was a four foot no man's land around me in the crowded communal shower
Buried the lede here
posted by Kabanos at 6:15 AM on December 13, 2022 [22 favorites]
People in PE thought I had gone crazy, and there was a four foot no man's land around me in the crowded communal shower
Buried the lede here
posted by Kabanos at 6:15 AM on December 13, 2022 [22 favorites]
This does feel a bit like the advice to start each day by swallowing a live toad. After that, anything that happens to you is bound to be an improvement.
Honestly, I thought this was a pretty good idea after taking that one guy's advice to swallow a live fly every morning. I don't know why I listened to swallow a live fly guy. I heard he died.
posted by phooky at 6:17 AM on December 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
Honestly, I thought this was a pretty good idea after taking that one guy's advice to swallow a live fly every morning. I don't know why I listened to swallow a live fly guy. I heard he died.
posted by phooky at 6:17 AM on December 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
When I was living in Japan one day my water heater stopped working and so I ended up staying in a love hotel that night instead of having to take a cold shower. I ended up taking a bubble bath in a huge tub with a tv in it because love hotels are fairly luxurious compared to an equivalently expensive regular hotel. It was the only time I've ever been to a love hotel but if you're visiting Japan I highly recommend staying in one at least for a night.
I can never bring myself to taking a proper cold shower. The best I'll do is a tepid one on a hot day. But I do cycle commute to work year round and a 45 minute ride in the winter isn't always pleasurable in itself but I do feel pretty good after it's done. But even then parts of my face might be cold but unless I seriously misjudged the weather the rest of me will be reasonably warm thanks to the body heat created by the exercise.
My skin has been really itchy of late which can happen if your showers are too hot and long, which mine usually are, but do I want to try cold showers for a week to see if it helps?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:21 AM on December 13, 2022
I can never bring myself to taking a proper cold shower. The best I'll do is a tepid one on a hot day. But I do cycle commute to work year round and a 45 minute ride in the winter isn't always pleasurable in itself but I do feel pretty good after it's done. But even then parts of my face might be cold but unless I seriously misjudged the weather the rest of me will be reasonably warm thanks to the body heat created by the exercise.
My skin has been really itchy of late which can happen if your showers are too hot and long, which mine usually are, but do I want to try cold showers for a week to see if it helps?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:21 AM on December 13, 2022
Every hot shower I take, I quietly celebrate the success of human civilisation and thank the generations who came before.
I have long defined "Civilization" as "Hot water and dry socks".
posted by mikelieman at 6:23 AM on December 13, 2022 [19 favorites]
I have long defined "Civilization" as "Hot water and dry socks".
posted by mikelieman at 6:23 AM on December 13, 2022 [19 favorites]
Cold Water Inlet Temperatures for Selected U.S. Locations
posted by gimonca at 6:27 AM on December 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by gimonca at 6:27 AM on December 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
The main reason post-apocalyptic stories (zombie or otherwise) depress me is the idea of surviving a catastrophe but then no more hot showers, forever.
(also antibiotics and other important things, but imagine fighting zombies all day and then having to wash with cold water from a bucket or something. Terrible.)
Anyway, I wish all cold-showerers well and thank them for leaving more in the hot water tank for me.
posted by emjaybee at 6:31 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
(also antibiotics and other important things, but imagine fighting zombies all day and then having to wash with cold water from a bucket or something. Terrible.)
Anyway, I wish all cold-showerers well and thank them for leaving more in the hot water tank for me.
posted by emjaybee at 6:31 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I always feel better after a hot shower, too, and I have no regrets that I can think of.
I get it though - I’ve gone running in some pretty horrible conditions, and despite the initial “ugh why this is the worst”, I’ve always felt better afterwards. Endorphins and self-righteous masochism are, honestly, a pretty rewarding combo!
posted by Jon Mitchell at 6:32 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
I get it though - I’ve gone running in some pretty horrible conditions, and despite the initial “ugh why this is the worst”, I’ve always felt better afterwards. Endorphins and self-righteous masochism are, honestly, a pretty rewarding combo!
posted by Jon Mitchell at 6:32 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
TMI, but I feel compelled to state this nevertheless: a certain body part of mine cannot retract enough at the thought of this.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:50 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:50 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
When Tom Waits was on Fishing with John, he put a live fish in his pants, and said that he couldn't be depressed when he did this, because all he was thinking about was that he had a live fish in his pants. Is a cold shower similar?
posted by Furnace of Doubt at 6:55 AM on December 13, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by Furnace of Doubt at 6:55 AM on December 13, 2022 [7 favorites]
I define myself as a “Technologist”, and that self-definition is something I am reminded of every day when I take a long, hot shower; I will never, ever take this most basic luxury for granted, not ever. At the very end, I will sometimes give myself a parting shot of cold water as a final rewarding affirmation.
posted by dbiedny at 7:00 AM on December 13, 2022
posted by dbiedny at 7:00 AM on December 13, 2022
How about if I meet him halfway and just keep the unheated bidet.
posted by jquinby at 7:07 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by jquinby at 7:07 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
please, i need a think piece on why i need to cut out one of the few pleasures i have left in my life. maybe throw in one of those "zero waste" articles too.
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 7:12 AM on December 13, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 7:12 AM on December 13, 2022 [13 favorites]
Oh boy, yeah I can do cold showers in Ottawa in the summer, but right now the cold water is coming out of the tap not much above freezing. Good on him for sticking through with the experiment, even when he travelled to places with icy water.
posted by fimbulvetr at 7:12 AM on December 13, 2022
posted by fimbulvetr at 7:12 AM on December 13, 2022
No, thanks, I'm good.
posted by briank at 7:13 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by briank at 7:13 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
a very significant percentage of power goes into creating hot water which we flush right down the drain
There are thermal recovery devices you can install on your wastewater line, if you want. They're generally aimed at much larger installations (multi-family at minimum; hotel and office block more usually), but I have seen a couple smaller units out there in the market (mainly in the far north) so there must be someone selling them.
posted by aramaic at 7:25 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
There are thermal recovery devices you can install on your wastewater line, if you want. They're generally aimed at much larger installations (multi-family at minimum; hotel and office block more usually), but I have seen a couple smaller units out there in the market (mainly in the far north) so there must be someone selling them.
posted by aramaic at 7:25 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Appearing drunk is one of the symptoms of mild hypothermia, and people who have survived more severe hypothermia report feeling calm to euphoric.
Yeah - that's a fairly well-known phenomenon among cold water swimmers. When you find yourself thinking "Ah, this is lovely, I could stay in forever!", that's the time to get out (actually, it's probably after the ideal time to get out, but the next best time to "5 minutes ago" is "now"). IME it tends towards more of a dreamy, gentle kind of euphoria rather than the boisterous, excitable sort you get from post-swim endorphins, though everyone's different.
The people I was talking about seeming almost drunk were v. experienced cold water swimmers who'd been in every week for years (not that that precludes getting hypothermia, every swim is different) - but they all knew each other and looked out any out-of-character behaviour among their swimming buddies. By the time I met them were definitely well into re-warming, past the afterdrop phase, and still just very hyper from the endorphins of it all.
posted by penguin pie at 7:27 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Yeah - that's a fairly well-known phenomenon among cold water swimmers. When you find yourself thinking "Ah, this is lovely, I could stay in forever!", that's the time to get out (actually, it's probably after the ideal time to get out, but the next best time to "5 minutes ago" is "now"). IME it tends towards more of a dreamy, gentle kind of euphoria rather than the boisterous, excitable sort you get from post-swim endorphins, though everyone's different.
The people I was talking about seeming almost drunk were v. experienced cold water swimmers who'd been in every week for years (not that that precludes getting hypothermia, every swim is different) - but they all knew each other and looked out any out-of-character behaviour among their swimming buddies. By the time I met them were definitely well into re-warming, past the afterdrop phase, and still just very hyper from the endorphins of it all.
posted by penguin pie at 7:27 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Good timing in this article. Of late I’m suffering from awful anxiety, mean/bad thoughts, worry about the future and memories about myself (“remember when you said this 15 years ago?”), not exercising yadda yadda…and just in the last two weeks started ending my showers with a 5-7 minute cold blast as a sort of stop gap to give exercise, eating better and sleep a chance. But also as a kind of challenge: If I can freeze myself daily, take time instead of just rushing through a shower, maybe I can get the oomph to do some other things I’ve been neglecting?
It’s way too early to tell, but I definitely notice an uptick in mood and alertness right after the shower. And I’ve been making baby steps on tasks and other healthy stuff I need to do. Is it the shower or just a part of my semi-regular process of picking myself up from the depths of not caring? Who knows, but I’ve looked forward to it every day. Except right before I twist that shower handle to cold. It always requires a deliberate decision and some convincing, but it’s kind of satisfying to do it and realize I did it!
We all have inner voices -from the article
Interestingly, we all do not have that voice.
Now excuse me - I am going to go take a hot then freezing cold shower.
posted by glaucon at 7:29 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
It’s way too early to tell, but I definitely notice an uptick in mood and alertness right after the shower. And I’ve been making baby steps on tasks and other healthy stuff I need to do. Is it the shower or just a part of my semi-regular process of picking myself up from the depths of not caring? Who knows, but I’ve looked forward to it every day. Except right before I twist that shower handle to cold. It always requires a deliberate decision and some convincing, but it’s kind of satisfying to do it and realize I did it!
We all have inner voices -from the article
Interestingly, we all do not have that voice.
Now excuse me - I am going to go take a hot then freezing cold shower.
posted by glaucon at 7:29 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
Cold water showers? Great big nope.
Cold water laundry? That's where I'm an energy-saving viking!
posted by gimonca at 7:32 AM on December 13, 2022 [14 favorites]
Cold water laundry? That's where I'm an energy-saving viking!
posted by gimonca at 7:32 AM on December 13, 2022 [14 favorites]
This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend of mine about how some people are just the "get chilled" kind*, in that once we get cold we are doomed to haunt the world draped in all of the knit everything cursed to never be warm again. I'm one of those people, and my experience of cold showers (on winter days when the hot water is broken) is of being cold for hours afterwards, no matter how warm my apartment or how many layers I'm wearing. I also live in one of those places where the cold water is glacial.
* this comes from said friend's mom who would declare that she had become chilled and then would be loudly and gloomily cold for the rest of the day
posted by selenized at 7:40 AM on December 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
* this comes from said friend's mom who would declare that she had become chilled and then would be loudly and gloomily cold for the rest of the day
posted by selenized at 7:40 AM on December 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
North of the 49th parallel we do all we can to keep warm. They can have my hot water tap when they pry it from my steam-wrinkled hands.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 7:43 AM on December 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Hardcore Poser at 7:43 AM on December 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
TIL that c|net still exists.
posted by Nelson at 7:53 AM on December 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Nelson at 7:53 AM on December 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
once we get cold we are doomed to haunt the world draped in all of the knit everything cursed to never be warm again.
For me, it's wet socks. Room could be ice cold and it wouldn't really bother me as long as my feet are dry (and, arguably, "warm"). But 85 degrees F and cold wet socks? I'm done for the day.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 8:04 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
For me, it's wet socks. Room could be ice cold and it wouldn't really bother me as long as my feet are dry (and, arguably, "warm"). But 85 degrees F and cold wet socks? I'm done for the day.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 8:04 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I scuffed when I read outdoor shower and Australia, but good on him for maintaining this in NY and Chili.
I would never do this here, holy crap the water is cold during winter, 8 degrees Celsius according to my thermapen right now. Pretty sure it gets colder in January.
I’ve dived in the river during the winter months when it’s at 0C, but that’s why god invented drysuits. The little bit of the face not covered by the thick neoprene hood or the mask just a gets numb real fast and then you don’t feel it.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 8:23 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I would never do this here, holy crap the water is cold during winter, 8 degrees Celsius according to my thermapen right now. Pretty sure it gets colder in January.
I’ve dived in the river during the winter months when it’s at 0C, but that’s why god invented drysuits. The little bit of the face not covered by the thick neoprene hood or the mask just a gets numb real fast and then you don’t feel it.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 8:23 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
My husband does Wim Hof training, so I watch him do cold water training all winter (I'm his spotter.) He had to get wet suit pants because the ice was cutting up his legs getting in and out.
I've seen him drunk-hypothermic a couple of times when he went too far, and it's kind of amusing in a dark way. If you have a warm car behind you and your thumb on your phone.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:27 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I've seen him drunk-hypothermic a couple of times when he went too far, and it's kind of amusing in a dark way. If you have a warm car behind you and your thumb on your phone.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:27 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
once we get cold we are doomed to haunt the world draped in all of the knit everything cursed to never be warm again
it me. and since i have arthritis, getting chilled means stiffness and pain to the point of not being able to walk.
getting a heated mattress pad was one of the best purchases of my entire life.
posted by Jacqueline at 8:31 AM on December 13, 2022 [8 favorites]
it me. and since i have arthritis, getting chilled means stiffness and pain to the point of not being able to walk.
getting a heated mattress pad was one of the best purchases of my entire life.
posted by Jacqueline at 8:31 AM on December 13, 2022 [8 favorites]
I managed to get what I would consider light hypothermia by spending 40 minutes or so in lake superior on the north shore during July. Turns out it's surprisingly easy to not notice you're hypothermic until you get out.
posted by Ferreous at 8:34 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Ferreous at 8:34 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
I kind of like hot and cold plunge pools but I need to end on the hot because I have basically no discernible ability to increase my own body heat and once I get cold, I will stay that way the whole day until something external comes along to interfere with that. I used to swim (in a not that cold, indoor pool) in the mornings and even with a hot shower after, sometimes I wouldn't make up for the loss of body heat from the swimming and spend the rest of the day just this side of freezing.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:52 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 8:52 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
One of my mentors in my postgraduate training had been a missionary in Africa where he developed an appreciation for cold showers and he continued taking them thereafter. This was in San Antonio, where the water is never cold.
Me? Hot hot hot, please. The previous owners of our house were water-loving freaks. The master bathroom has a Jacuzzi tub that could hold four adults. The shower has dual showerheads for couples' use. This bathroom has a hot water system separate from the rest of house, with two 80 gallon heaters. Also... with a bathtub like that you'd think you wouldn't need a giant hot tub outside but you'd be wrong.
posted by neuron at 8:54 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Me? Hot hot hot, please. The previous owners of our house were water-loving freaks. The master bathroom has a Jacuzzi tub that could hold four adults. The shower has dual showerheads for couples' use. This bathroom has a hot water system separate from the rest of house, with two 80 gallon heaters. Also... with a bathtub like that you'd think you wouldn't need a giant hot tub outside but you'd be wrong.
posted by neuron at 8:54 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Oddly enough, I'm only about extremes on showers. I either need scalding hot, you come out lobster red water, or pure ice cold water. A tepid shower is the most infuriating experience for me.
posted by Ferreous at 8:58 AM on December 13, 2022
posted by Ferreous at 8:58 AM on December 13, 2022
I remember reading somewhere (no link, alas) that when showering, cold water helps folks with depression, possibly because of the euphoria effects described here, and hot water helps folks with anxiety. Do what you will with that pseudoknowledge.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 8:58 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by gentlyepigrams at 8:58 AM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Spent a few winters without hot water for baths/showers in the icy north — but not by choice. Well, let's say I wouldn't recommend it if there's no warm place to go afterwards. Soap doesn't lather well so you don't get quite as clean as you'd like. Getting warm afterwards is really hard. If your toilet is outside, it's even harder. A miserable experience all around. If you have fire, getting a pot of hot water to quickly lather/rinse is infinitely better!
On the other hand, the people I was living with seemed perfectly fine with the situation, so what do I know?
posted by UN at 9:02 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
On the other hand, the people I was living with seemed perfectly fine with the situation, so what do I know?
posted by UN at 9:02 AM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
light hypothermia by spending 40 minutes or so in lake superior on the north shore during July
I think I've spotted your mistake here!
posted by praemunire at 9:13 AM on December 13, 2022
I think I've spotted your mistake here!
posted by praemunire at 9:13 AM on December 13, 2022
I am on meds that wreck my thermo-regulation, so I don't take really hot showers (terrible for your skin!) but also, if I took a cold shower I would prob be an ice block for the rest of the day.
I live in a very mild climate though. we are having a crazy cold spell with lows of 37F.
posted by supermedusa at 9:21 AM on December 13, 2022
I live in a very mild climate though. we are having a crazy cold spell with lows of 37F.
posted by supermedusa at 9:21 AM on December 13, 2022
To be fair, I do generally have an extremely high cold tolerance and I grew up spending literal hours in a fast moving stream that topped out at around 59°F (15°C) so it didn't feel that different.
posted by Ferreous at 9:23 AM on December 13, 2022
posted by Ferreous at 9:23 AM on December 13, 2022
As a middle-aged man, burdened with decades of ingrained toxic masculinity equating overcoming physical and mental struggle with inner strength, I enjoy putting myself through ridiculous "challenges" for the sake of it.
Not all masculinity is toxic. This is clearly masculinity, in the sense that there are more men with this attitude than women. (I can verify that, as a relatively wimpy male who enjoys hot showers, it's not universal.) But how is this toxic? At the worst, it's harmless, and there's certainly a plausible argument that this sort of mental training could carry over to more productive arenas.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:34 AM on December 13, 2022
Not all masculinity is toxic. This is clearly masculinity, in the sense that there are more men with this attitude than women. (I can verify that, as a relatively wimpy male who enjoys hot showers, it's not universal.) But how is this toxic? At the worst, it's harmless, and there's certainly a plausible argument that this sort of mental training could carry over to more productive arenas.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:34 AM on December 13, 2022
I'd say it's more about stubbornness than toxic masculinity. He only kept with it because he challenged himself to do it. I mean, I wish I had that kind of drive. But not for cold showers - that's just silly.
Also the author: "Was it worth it? Hell no. Would I recommend going all in on cold showers? Nah. Probs not."
That's what I'll take away from the article and ponder while I take the hottest showers I can. I want my skin red and close to blistering. I will soak up those 15 minutes of pure warmth.
posted by hydra77 at 11:40 AM on December 13, 2022
Also the author: "Was it worth it? Hell no. Would I recommend going all in on cold showers? Nah. Probs not."
That's what I'll take away from the article and ponder while I take the hottest showers I can. I want my skin red and close to blistering. I will soak up those 15 minutes of pure warmth.
posted by hydra77 at 11:40 AM on December 13, 2022
The thing I hate most when I jump in the ocean during the winter is having any sort of audience (apart from friends who are there to keep an eye on me for safety) because the last thing I want is some gawker walking a dog shouting "how's the water?". Of course it's cold you moron. Why do you think I'm just strolling in, dunking, and hastily retreating?
There was one time though that an older woman walked by just as I was getting out and asked me that question. I said it "wasn't too bad" and then she said that the water was "pretty good" last Thursday when she went in. And then we talked for a little bit. Apparently she aims for one or twice a month. Go her.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 11:48 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
There was one time though that an older woman walked by just as I was getting out and asked me that question. I said it "wasn't too bad" and then she said that the water was "pretty good" last Thursday when she went in. And then we talked for a little bit. Apparently she aims for one or twice a month. Go her.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 11:48 AM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I consider this more like Toxic CEO Culture, in which every idea one has must surely be a precious golden nugget.
I don't take actual cold showers, but years ago I saw numerous claims that a non-hot final rinse was a critical part of a curly hair routine, and so when I am wearing my hair longer, as I am now, I do finish with comparatively tepid water. I can't swear to any major health benefits, but I have come to like it.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:54 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't take actual cold showers, but years ago I saw numerous claims that a non-hot final rinse was a critical part of a curly hair routine, and so when I am wearing my hair longer, as I am now, I do finish with comparatively tepid water. I can't swear to any major health benefits, but I have come to like it.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:54 AM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
External Canal Osteoma = swimming in cold water makes your ear bone thicker
posted by aniola at 12:01 PM on December 13, 2022
posted by aniola at 12:01 PM on December 13, 2022
I think swallow a live fly guy also swallowed a spider? To catch the fly? But maybe he died.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:16 PM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:16 PM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I went down the Wim Hoff rabbit hole some years ago and have taken warm start/cold end showers since then. There's always a moment of truth involved, with your hand on the handle before you go to cold.....maybe I'll pass this time. So far I keep turning it to cold and finish up my shower with a good cold rinse and scrub.
I see it as an antidote to living in condiitioned building environments. The cold outside doesn't give a flying 'f' if you like it warm, once you get outside you better be ready.
Taking cold showers is kind of a teachable moment daily where I'm forced to ask myself why is this cold? If it were a hot day at the beach, the same water would feel wonderful. Daily cold helps keep you ready for the day without whinging about how cold it is outside. You've already handled the worst of it.
posted by diode at 12:17 PM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I see it as an antidote to living in condiitioned building environments. The cold outside doesn't give a flying 'f' if you like it warm, once you get outside you better be ready.
Taking cold showers is kind of a teachable moment daily where I'm forced to ask myself why is this cold? If it were a hot day at the beach, the same water would feel wonderful. Daily cold helps keep you ready for the day without whinging about how cold it is outside. You've already handled the worst of it.
posted by diode at 12:17 PM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'll throw the water to cold as I get out of the shower because I need to wake the fuck up in the morning and that absolutely does the job, especially in winter when our tap water is frigid.
posted by Ferreous at 12:47 PM on December 13, 2022
posted by Ferreous at 12:47 PM on December 13, 2022
You can get a lot of the good effects of stimulating your vagus nerve just by splashing cold water on your face, no need for an entire immersive experience if you're not into it.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:17 PM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by oneirodynia at 1:17 PM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
Yeah, it looks like the swallow a fly guy died. According to the news article, his roommate came across him and he was unresponsive. "I walked in and he was just so pale," said the roommate. "I thought, 'you're pretty white for a swallow a fly guy.' "
i already have regrets
posted by phooky at 1:25 PM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
i already have regrets
posted by phooky at 1:25 PM on December 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I do a lot of stuff with cold water because it seems silly to run the water long enough to get hot water for a short task like washing my hands or face. That’s where I draw the line. Showers must be warm. I’m sitting under a heated blanket right now trembling at the thought of a cold shower. Okay if it works for you though!
posted by obfuscation at 2:15 PM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by obfuscation at 2:15 PM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
@diode For a while there I'd have a nice hot shower to get clean then just turn the hot tap off and stay under the cold as long as I could bear it, which was ... certainly invigorating. Cheating, somewhat, because the climate here is pretty mild so glacial melt-water it is not. Now I think about it, I mostly started doing this because the plumbing was terrible and mostly stopped because we fixed the plumbing. Hashtag shower thoughts.
posted by nickzoic at 2:16 PM on December 13, 2022
posted by nickzoic at 2:16 PM on December 13, 2022
I did an archaeology field school a number of years ago in July or August (in the northern hemisphere) on a mostly uninhabited island in the Pacific Northwest.
While there weren't many amenities on the island, there WERE solar heated showers. Water was well-fed into a black water container on top and that was heated by the sun over the course of the day. The ideal time to take a shower was in the afternoon. The showers were these stalls with regular basic showerheads and the water ran while you pulled the chain and stopped when you let go. My digmates liked the shower and many used it every day after the workday was finished when they were hot and dirty and the water had been heated up to take the edge off the cold.
Me? I am strictly a daily morning showerer; I don't feel right without it and besides, I had a major crush on the dig director so wanted to look my best. I got up every morning before the day started and had a shower. My digmates, of course, had used up the previous day's warmed water, so the water I got was night-chilled, straight from the well. Taking a shower in that was terrible and pulling the chain was like standing before a firing squad and pulling the trigger yourself. I shrieked quietly to myself every time I had to do it and hated every second of it, even though I kept it very, very short and strategic. I then shivered for most of the morning until the sun took the chill off the air.
Did I regret those showers? No, but regret or not regret is a low bar. Incidentally, I did end up dating the dig director off and on over the course of about six years, so it was sort of worth it, I guess? But cold showers are my idea of hell, in general.
posted by urbanlenny at 2:31 PM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
While there weren't many amenities on the island, there WERE solar heated showers. Water was well-fed into a black water container on top and that was heated by the sun over the course of the day. The ideal time to take a shower was in the afternoon. The showers were these stalls with regular basic showerheads and the water ran while you pulled the chain and stopped when you let go. My digmates liked the shower and many used it every day after the workday was finished when they were hot and dirty and the water had been heated up to take the edge off the cold.
Me? I am strictly a daily morning showerer; I don't feel right without it and besides, I had a major crush on the dig director so wanted to look my best. I got up every morning before the day started and had a shower. My digmates, of course, had used up the previous day's warmed water, so the water I got was night-chilled, straight from the well. Taking a shower in that was terrible and pulling the chain was like standing before a firing squad and pulling the trigger yourself. I shrieked quietly to myself every time I had to do it and hated every second of it, even though I kept it very, very short and strategic. I then shivered for most of the morning until the sun took the chill off the air.
Did I regret those showers? No, but regret or not regret is a low bar. Incidentally, I did end up dating the dig director off and on over the course of about six years, so it was sort of worth it, I guess? But cold showers are my idea of hell, in general.
posted by urbanlenny at 2:31 PM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
So question, do none of you cold water shower takers stop being able to breathe in a cold shower? You know how your diaphragm locks so you can only take in those really shallow breaths, about a mouthful, in and out, into the top inch or three of your respiratory system? You can't exhale and you can't inhale, because nothing is really moving? And you don't have the breath to talk so you can't say anything, not even squeak?
Someone who was taking an ocean safety course dealing with the survival skills mentioned to me once that about one out of ten people stop being able to breathe upon hitting the water if they end up in the water en masse in their life jackets, and the figure is higher if they go under. Submerging triggers the locked-up diaphragm in many more people, but there are still a sizeable percentage who get the reflex that stops them from inhaling, even if they are only in cold water below the neck.
This means that if sixteen people get into their life jackets and go over the side because there isn't time to lower the boats, a certain number of them won't be able to actually do anything at all after that, not yell, not paddle around, nor reliably hold onto a life line. Apparently you have to be aware of where everyone is and what they are doing, lest you discover some of them have been carried away silently by the waves. It seems you can't rely on somebody, who appears to be doing well and is shouting replies to you, not to suddenly stop breathing, because all it can take is a good splash of water in the face and then they are not going to take another real breath again until they are safely out of the water.
I'm sure cold plunges are great and all; I can testify that once you start to warm up again after you are out of the water, your diaphragm will unlock. Until then it feels a lot like having a really bad case of pneumonia. You bob in the water, staring wide-eyed, with your mouth a-gape, breathing in tiny fast gasps, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
I've never had a problem when my breathing locks up in a cold shower, because I can get out of it by simply stepping sideways. It feels nasty, and does carry a slight risk that I'll faint, but then some people faint in a hot shower too. I've taken cold showers a few times. I can't say I've ever felt euphoria though. I only feel quite sick, the same kind of dazed and wrung out feeling like after a bad bout of uncontrollable puking or diarrhea.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:48 PM on December 13, 2022 [8 favorites]
Someone who was taking an ocean safety course dealing with the survival skills mentioned to me once that about one out of ten people stop being able to breathe upon hitting the water if they end up in the water en masse in their life jackets, and the figure is higher if they go under. Submerging triggers the locked-up diaphragm in many more people, but there are still a sizeable percentage who get the reflex that stops them from inhaling, even if they are only in cold water below the neck.
This means that if sixteen people get into their life jackets and go over the side because there isn't time to lower the boats, a certain number of them won't be able to actually do anything at all after that, not yell, not paddle around, nor reliably hold onto a life line. Apparently you have to be aware of where everyone is and what they are doing, lest you discover some of them have been carried away silently by the waves. It seems you can't rely on somebody, who appears to be doing well and is shouting replies to you, not to suddenly stop breathing, because all it can take is a good splash of water in the face and then they are not going to take another real breath again until they are safely out of the water.
I'm sure cold plunges are great and all; I can testify that once you start to warm up again after you are out of the water, your diaphragm will unlock. Until then it feels a lot like having a really bad case of pneumonia. You bob in the water, staring wide-eyed, with your mouth a-gape, breathing in tiny fast gasps, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
I've never had a problem when my breathing locks up in a cold shower, because I can get out of it by simply stepping sideways. It feels nasty, and does carry a slight risk that I'll faint, but then some people faint in a hot shower too. I've taken cold showers a few times. I can't say I've ever felt euphoria though. I only feel quite sick, the same kind of dazed and wrung out feeling like after a bad bout of uncontrollable puking or diarrhea.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:48 PM on December 13, 2022 [8 favorites]
I started taking cold showers because I wanted to cut down on irritants that aggravated my asthma. The chlorine that gets vaporized in a hot shower was not a huge problem, but every little bit, right?
It took me about a month to acclimate. I started with tepid showers ending with a cold splash and worked my way up (or, well down) from there. I did this six, maybe seven, years ago. I have noticed that my skin has not noticeably improved but my dandruff is much less. I stopped feeling as cold in the Fall and Winter. I kept turning my heat down and now I keep my heat to 57 degrees F. My asthma is only a little less aggrieved, but my power bills are quite low. I keep recommending them to people who start bundling up for a Wisconsin winter for a Western Cascades fall. I will take a hot shower when I am sick, and if I think it might help.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 7:06 PM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
It took me about a month to acclimate. I started with tepid showers ending with a cold splash and worked my way up (or, well down) from there. I did this six, maybe seven, years ago. I have noticed that my skin has not noticeably improved but my dandruff is much less. I stopped feeling as cold in the Fall and Winter. I kept turning my heat down and now I keep my heat to 57 degrees F. My asthma is only a little less aggrieved, but my power bills are quite low. I keep recommending them to people who start bundling up for a Wisconsin winter for a Western Cascades fall. I will take a hot shower when I am sick, and if I think it might help.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 7:06 PM on December 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
A fully cold shower, from start to finish, is a pretty big tackle for me. I sometimes end my shower cold, gradually reducing the heat until I can't stand the cold. In summer I can do this for a while but in winter? Not so much.
posted by zardoz at 10:31 PM on December 13, 2022
posted by zardoz at 10:31 PM on December 13, 2022
Neuron's comment makes me want a Japanese-style, seated, single-person hot tub.
I'm sitting in my chilly house, waiting for the wood stove to get the living room warmed up, drinking coffee, and not minding much. Later in the day, when I come home to a chilly house, I'll mind. Just thinking about cold showers is ugh, nope. I have never experienced runner's high or most exercise-induced endorphins. I do get endorphins from dancing with people, so I do recreational dance.
posted by theora55 at 6:43 AM on December 14, 2022
I'm sitting in my chilly house, waiting for the wood stove to get the living room warmed up, drinking coffee, and not minding much. Later in the day, when I come home to a chilly house, I'll mind. Just thinking about cold showers is ugh, nope. I have never experienced runner's high or most exercise-induced endorphins. I do get endorphins from dancing with people, so I do recreational dance.
posted by theora55 at 6:43 AM on December 14, 2022
Jane the Brown - what you're talking about is cold water shock, which is a real danger - it's why you should never jump into cold water, always walk in so that you can control your immersion, and so if/when it hits, you've got your feet on the ground, so you're not trying to deal with gasping and treading water at the same time (and can get out again easily if you need to).
You can lessen or banish its effects through gradual exposure, so if you're sea swimming, start in summer and keep going once a week or more as the water gets colder. Your body then doesn't tend to have the same shock response and you're less likely to find yourself gasping (or, in severe cases, having a heart attack...). If you're doing cold showers, you can do the same thing by starting with a short, somewhat cool shower and get gradually colder and longer over a period of time, rather than going straight into a long, freezing blast on your first attempt.
FWIW, the dazed/wrung out/sicky feeling you speak of is what mild hypothermia feels like to me.
posted by penguin pie at 8:01 AM on December 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
You can lessen or banish its effects through gradual exposure, so if you're sea swimming, start in summer and keep going once a week or more as the water gets colder. Your body then doesn't tend to have the same shock response and you're less likely to find yourself gasping (or, in severe cases, having a heart attack...). If you're doing cold showers, you can do the same thing by starting with a short, somewhat cool shower and get gradually colder and longer over a period of time, rather than going straight into a long, freezing blast on your first attempt.
FWIW, the dazed/wrung out/sicky feeling you speak of is what mild hypothermia feels like to me.
posted by penguin pie at 8:01 AM on December 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
More on the effectiveness of habituation in reducing the cold water shock response.
posted by penguin pie at 8:12 AM on December 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by penguin pie at 8:12 AM on December 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Someone who was taking an ocean safety course dealing with the survival skills mentioned to me once that about one out of ten people stop being able to breathe upon hitting the water if they end up in the water en masse in their life jackets, and the figure is higher if they go under. Submerging triggers the locked-up diaphragm in many more people, but there are still a sizeable percentage who get the reflex that stops them from inhaling, even if they are only in cold water below the neck.
I worked on a "small" sub-100-person cruise ship in Alaska once. 12+ hour days, 7 days/week. One day, we were parked in the middle of glacier-fed water and everyone decided to take like a half an hour and go swimming off the back. A nice change of pace from the ordinary day.
Anyway, we all hopped in and everyone's swimming and splashing around and having a lot of fun. One of the ways I swim is by submerging myself underwater. The cold wore me out real fast. For safety reasons, I'm glad I listened to myself, even though it was a huge disappointment at the time. I had to get out way before everyone else. It's nice to have an explanation.
posted by aniola at 12:26 PM on December 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
I worked on a "small" sub-100-person cruise ship in Alaska once. 12+ hour days, 7 days/week. One day, we were parked in the middle of glacier-fed water and everyone decided to take like a half an hour and go swimming off the back. A nice change of pace from the ordinary day.
Anyway, we all hopped in and everyone's swimming and splashing around and having a lot of fun. One of the ways I swim is by submerging myself underwater. The cold wore me out real fast. For safety reasons, I'm glad I listened to myself, even though it was a huge disappointment at the time. I had to get out way before everyone else. It's nice to have an explanation.
posted by aniola at 12:26 PM on December 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
Andrew Huberman in conversation about the benefits of saunas and cold baths/showers. An interesting mix of various health benefits that seem to bear scientific scrutiny- with a few warnings about the various interesting ways one could expire by doing things wrong.
posted by rongorongo at 2:44 PM on December 14, 2022
posted by rongorongo at 2:44 PM on December 14, 2022
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posted by chavenet at 11:35 PM on December 12, 2022 [6 favorites]