Shower time. For many, it’s a nice pause in the day. As the birthplace of many creative ideas and lyrical verses (thank you, bathroom acoustics), showering is arguably the most pleasant part of a wakeup or a wind-down routine.

Sure, the intended purpose of showering is to get clean, but have you ever considered that the temperature of your shower could be more than just personal preference? Evidence suggests that showers, as a form of hydrotherapy, can help you feel better and even support healing.

But first, a brief background on the history of hydrotherapy.

Ancient origins of hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy – the use of water (showers, baths, changing temperatures, ice packs, etc.) to help manage injuries/symptoms – is nothing new.1 The practice dates to ancient times. Nearly every civilization and culture has had their own take on using water to alleviate common ailments and perform rituals to cleanse the soul.2 As a result, these groups held water in high regard as something sacred or magical.2

Many experts credit Buddhist monks for popularizing the concept of public bathing in Japan.3 Baths were also an important part of life in ancient China.2 The Greeks relied on hot springs to help treat skin diseases and muscle pain.2 The Romans followed suit by making baths a social activity for the public, and soldiers used the “thermae” – or bathhouses – as a place for healing their wounds.2 

Current naturopathic medical use of hydrotherapy has its roots in the Nature Cure Movement in Germany that was centered on the Kneipp Cure, as practiced and popularized by Father Sebastian Kneipp in the 19th century. Many techniques used by naturopathic physicians today involve alternating between hot and cold.4

Today, water is still a central part of many religious ceremonies, including festivals and baptisms. We enjoy going to spas as a form of relaxation. And people shower or bathe routinely to practice good hygiene.

Modern showers and your health

But for all the time we do spend in the shower, there’s startlingly little modern research on how the specifics of our bathing routines – such as water temperature – affect our health. What’s more, much of the research is conflicting, inconclusive, and requires further study. Depending on your personal needs, it might be worth trying both hot and cold showers to see if they help you feel better.

Should you be taking hot or cold showers? Here are three examples of cold versus hot showers to help you determine which one works better for you and your routine.

Cold showers for the immune system

Don’t want to catch the common cold? 

An often-cited 2016 study conducted in The Netherlands found taking regular cold showers enhances immune health.

The 3-month study used 3,018 participants ages 18-65 who did not ordinarily take cold showers and didn’t have serious health conditions. Those in the experimental group took a shower that changed temperature from hot to cold. The researchers allowed participants to take as long and as hot a shower as they liked, but they were required to bathe at the coldest temperature possible at the end. Meanwhile, those in the control group were instructed to shower as usual (but not use cold).

Researchers found that the participants who took cold showers had a 29-percent reduction in self-reported sick leave from work compared to the control group. During the 90 days after the end of the study, however, the number of reported illness days was not significantly different between the experimental and control groups. At the 90-day follow-up, researchers did record a gender effect, with males having a 14-percent reduction in illness days compared to females.

Although sick leave from work during the study and the follow-up had different results, researchers concluded this could be because cold showers were more likely to impact the intensity of sickness rather than the duration of symptoms.5

When stratified by physically fitness, the study found that physically fit participants were less likely to get sick. Researchers found a 35-percent reduction in sick leave from work for the participants who engaged in regular physical activity but didn’t take a cold shower.5 When active people also practiced the hot-to-cold shower, they were 54-percent less likely to have a sickness-related absence from work compared to those who were not active and did not take cold showers.5 

Cold showers for physical fitness

Athletes of all levels often rely on ice baths for recovery after practices or games. Ice baths have been long thought to relieve muscle inflammation and soreness. But the research on how impactful ice baths can be – whether they really help an individual recover faster or reduce the amount of muscle damage caused by working out – might be up for debate.6

A 2017 study measured participants’ inflammatory and cellular stress responses after taking an ice bath. Trained men completed a resistance training leg routine. Afterward, one group took a 10-minute ice bath, while the other practiced active recovery for 10 minutes on a stationary bike set to low intensity. Interestingly – contrary to the researchers’ hypothesis – they found no significant difference between the two methods, suggesting that ice baths aren’t more effective than active recovery.6

Although ice baths might not have a definitive effect on athletes, research suggests you still might want to crank the shower handle if you’re fit. As evidenced by The Netherlands study cited above, showers seem to provide more benefit for individuals who are active.

Think about your immune system health the next time you find yourself in need of some extra motivation to start a new fitness routine or keep yours up.

Shower temperature for sleep quality

Just like some individuals take hot showers to wake up for the day, others rely on showers to ease into their bedtime routine.

A few studies have found that warm showers at night helps improve sleep quality because of the “warm bath effect.”7 As your body prepares for sleep, it produces melatonin, and your core temperature drops. Taking a warm bath or shower in the evening helps your body cool off because it pushes blood to your hands and feet, assisting your body in that natural cooling process.7 But don’t make it too hot because that can increase your heart rate and actually be stimulating.

Studies on the effects of taking a cold shower at night have had mixed results. Endurance runners who took a 10-minute cold shower after nighttime exercise experienced deeper sleep and fewer disturbances within the first few hours of sleep.8 But cold showers were not effective for male cyclists regardless of whether they exercised or not.9

Some scientific evidence also suggests cold showers raise the level of cortisol.7 This is another reason a cold shower before bed might not be the best way to go. Cortisol, the stress hormone, causes the body to feel awake. This is the opposite of melatonin, a hormone that lulls you to sleep. High levels of cortisol (and high stress levels) are linked to a variety of sleep issues. Thus, a cold shower before bed might cause wakefulness. So you might want to save the cold shower for the morning, particularly if you struggle to wake up.

Experiment with your shower temperature. It might not be an either-or proposition. You might derive the most benefit from a hot shower ending with a quick burst of cold. 

Precautions

It is important to note that individuals with a heart condition or high blood pressure should be careful taking freezing showers or doing ice baths because cold temperatures restrict the body’s blood flow, raising the risk of cardiac arrest or stroke. Likewise, very hot baths and showers can increase blood pressure and heart rate.

Some supplements might help

Whether hydrotherapy helps you or not, Thorne’s wide selection of nutritional supplements can support your health goals and needs.

Take your immune function into your own hands with Thorne’s suite of immune support products, including medicinal mushrooms, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C, and botanicals.

Are your muscles sore after a tough workout? Consider Curcumin Phytosome, the most clinically-studied form of curcumin on the market. Thorne’s Curcumin Phytosome contains patented Meriva®, which has 29-times greater absorption than ordinary curcumin,10 meaning it can optimize curcumin’s health benefits. Curcumin Phytosome was shown in a clinical study to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and support a healthy inflammatory response in the joints and muscles.*11

Drift off to sleep with Melaton-3™, which supports restful sleep while helping balance circadian rhythms.* Consider this supplement if you’re a shift worker, are experiencing a dip in the natural production of the hormone melatonin (often due to aging), or are planning an upcoming trip where you’re worried about experiencing jet lag.* Are you wondering what your melatonin and cortisol levels are? Then check out Thorne’s easy-to-use, at-home Sleep Test, which measures cortisol and melatonin at four time points during the day.

References

  1. Hydrotherapy: What it is, benefits and uses. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/23137-hydrotherapy. [Accessed November 4, 2022]
  2. Gianfaldoni S, Tchernev G, Wollina U, et al. History of the baths and thermal medicine. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2017;5(4):566-568. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2017.126
  3. Yamabe T. Total Immersion: Buddhism, Bathing, and the Rise of Japan. Public Relations Office: Government of Japan. https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/201903/201903_02_en.html.  [Accessed November 4, 2022]
  4. Ko Y. Sebastian Kneipp and the Natural Cure Movement of Germany: Between naturalism and modern medicine. Uisahak. 2016;25(3):557-590. doi: 10.13081/kjmh.2016.25.557.
  5. Buijze GA, Sierevelt IN, van der Heijden BC, et al. The effect of cold showering on health and work: a randomized controlled trial [published correction appears in PLoS One. 2018;13(8):e0201978]. PLoS One 2016;11(9):e0161749. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161749
  6. Peake JM, Roberts LA, Figueiredo VC, et al. The effects of cold water immersion and active recovery on inflammation and cell stress responses in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise. J Physiol 2016;595(3):695-711. doi:10.1113/jp272881
  7. Pacheco D. Showering before bed. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/shower-before-bed. [Accessed November 3, 2022]
  8. Chauvineau M, Pasquier F, Guyot V, et al. Effect of the depth of cold water immersion on sleep architecture and recovery among well-trained male endurance runners. Front Sports Act Living 2021;3:659990. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2021.659990. 
  9. Robey E, Dawson B, Halson S, et al. Effect of evening postexercise cold water immersion on subsequent sleep. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2013;45(7):1394-1402. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318287f321.
  10. Cuomo J, Appendino G, Dern AS, et al. Comparative absorption of a standardized curcuminoid mixture and its lecithin formulation. J Nat Prod. 2011;74(4):664-9. doi: 10.1021/np1007262.
  11. Drobnic F, Riera J, Appendino G, et al. Reduction of delayed onset muscle soreness by a novel curcumin delivery system (Meriva®): A randomised, placebo-controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2014;11:31. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-11-31.