Hot or Cold Shower: Health Benefits of Regular Showers

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the health benefits and preferences associated with hot and cold showers, particularly after a regular day's work rather than post-exercise. Participants share personal experiences and opinions regarding the effects of different shower temperatures on relaxation, skin health, and overall well-being.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a preference for warm to hot showers, citing relaxation and muscle tension relief as benefits.
  • Others mention the practice of alternating between hot and cold showers, with claims that cold water can close pores and improve relaxation.
  • Several participants note that cold showers can be quick and refreshing, while warm showers tend to take longer.
  • There are discussions about the drying effects of hot water on skin and scalp, with some suggesting that cooler showers can alleviate dryness.
  • Concerns are raised about the discomfort of cold showers, particularly in relation to shaving and personal routines.
  • Some participants question the effectiveness of hot water in killing bacteria, discussing the necessary temperatures for such effects.
  • There are anecdotal accounts of personal experiences with cold showers, including the gradual transition from hot to cold water during showers.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether hot or cold showers are superior, with multiple competing views and personal preferences expressed throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various personal routines and experiences, indicating that individual preferences and environmental factors (such as climate) may influence their choices regarding shower temperatures. There are also references to the effects of shower temperature on skin health, but no definitive conclusions are drawn.

ranger
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It is better to take a hot or cold shower after a regular days work i.e. not after exercising? I personally enjoy very warm showers regardless of the season. I was just wondering if there are any health benefits to either.
 
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I like warm to hot showers. It's even better with someone to massage one's back and shoulders.

I when I work out or run, I like to do a hot shower with a cold rinse once I have to soap washed off. :biggrin:
 
I prefer warm. One fellow that I worked with on the paper machine would take a very short hot shower and rinse followed by a long very cold cold rinse. Needless to say, he was not a popular person to stand near in the showers since nobody wanted to be treated to the icy-cold spray bouncing off him. He claimed that the cold water closed the pores, and put him in a more relaxed mood by the time he got home so he could sleep better. We often worked some brutal rotating shifts, so maybe his system worked for him.

I should mention that our paper machine had one of the hottest, wettest, machine-rooms in the business, despite our location in Maine. I did a dryer-section tech survey on a machine in Alabama once in the summer, and found it MUCH more comfortable than SD Warren's Somerset mill in Maine.
 
turbo-1 said:
I prefer warm. One fellow that I worked with on the paper machine would take a very short hot shower and rinse followed by a long very cold cold rinse. Needless to say, he was not a popular person to stand near in the showers since nobody wanted to be treated to the icy-cold spray bouncing off him. He claimed that the cold water closed the pores, and put him in a more relaxed mood by the time he got home so he could sleep better. We often worked some brutal rotating shifts, so maybe his system worked for him.

It is true. It would be best to wash your self with warm water and soap with one of those shower sponge things. Then once your done your shower just put the water to as cold as your body can take and it'll close your pores right up. The warm water will open them up so this way while your cleaning you get into all your pores, especially with one of those sponge things. :smile:
 
Warm showers take longer to finish than the cold showers. I found that with cold shower, I finish off withing 2 minutes but warm showers can last to like 20 minutes.
 
Normally I go just warm enough that its not chilly. After a workout/sports I go pretty warm (not scalding) and after I'm clean I rinse off slowly turning down the knob to cold like every 7 seconds another turn, until it turns off.

I feel like hot showers scald my skin, dry it out, and make me sweat as soon as I get out, which defeats the purpose of showering...
 
I always feel better after a hot shower. I can't stand cold showers.

As far as benefits I would imagine that a hot shower helps ease muscle tension. I am unsure how a cold shower might effect tense muscles. I am thinking it may be bad but I have no idea. I noted that the persons mentioned above who took cold showers would use hot or warm water first.
 
I tried the cold shower a few times. I find that shaving after a cold shower really gives an unpleasant experience (with a fairly new blade). After shaving, I really don't have that fresh feeling as I do with a very warm shower. Furthermore, the way I usually shave with warm water on the face, then a facial cleanser, followed by shaving. Finally, I finish with relatively cold water on the face to close the pours. Starting with a cold shower breaks my routine. I can see where starting off warm then switching cold does good for the pores, but is it necessary for the entire body?

And what about shrinkage? :smile:
 
ranger said:
I tried the cold shower a few times. I find that shaving after a cold shower really gives an unpleasant experience (with a fairly new blade). After shaving, I really don't have that fresh feeling as I do with a very warm shower. Furthermore, the way I usually shave with warm water on the face, then a facial cleanser, followed by shaving. Finally, I finish with relatively cold water on the face to close the pours. Starting with a cold shower breaks my routine. I can see where starting off warm then switching cold does good for the pores, but is it necessary for the entire body?

And what about shrinkage? :smile:

Yeah cold water after shaving anywhere is very good. Reduces irritation, ingrown hairs, inflammations... rashes etc. etc.

I wouldn't say that it's necessary but it's probably a good idea to end your shower with cold water.

EDIT: Here's some interesting facts lol :smile:
http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/04/4-reasons-why-you-need-to-take-cold-showers/
 
  • #10
ranger said:
It is better to take a hot or cold shower after a regular days work i.e. not after exercising?

That depends if being alone or not.
 
  • #11
rootX said:
Warm showers take longer to finish than the cold showers. I found that with cold shower, I finish off withing 2 minutes but warm showers can last to like 20 minutes.

:smile: I can finish a cold shower just by looking at it! I don't like being cold. When I was in Mozambique, when I visited the mission clinic there, the "shower" was basically a hand-held spray nozzle over a drain with ICE cold water. I didn't actually think you could get such cold water in such a warm climate. Needless to say, only the most essential body parts got washed that day.

In his younger days, my bf used to like to do that douse with cold water after a hot shower thing. He learned quickly that it wasn't a good way to keep me close. He still likes to hop out into a cold room...I make him just hand me a towel while I stay in the shower with the curtain closed.

The only time I like a cold shower is in summer if I've been outside working and am overheated and need to cool off quickly. But even then, I'll end up turning the shower back warmer before I get out.
 
  • #12
Ironically, where I'm at, as the temperature get's lower, so do my showers. I find that in times like now when it's cold, it tends to also be very dry. If I take hot showers, my skin gets very dry, I can even get some bad itchy dry scalp.

I find if I just take lukewarm or cool showers, it completely remedies the situation.
 
  • #13
Cold showers aren't so bad if you gradually turn the hot water off during the shower. I've got into the shower before with all cold water to start, since there was no hot water. That'll put hair on your chest.
 
  • #14
I prefer hot showers. I realize that the water coming out of the head of my shower will never reach a temperature which could actually kill harmful bacteria or germs; however, it relaxes my muscles. Also, as Astronuc mentioned, massages are great -- especially after a hot shower.
 
  • #15
I prefer hot showers. I realize that the water coming out of the head of my shower will never reach a temperature which could actually kill harmful bacteria or germs
How hot does the water have to be to kill them? Cause mine gets steaming hot. Steaming°F isn't hot enough?
 
  • #16
leroyjenkens said:
How hot does the water have to be to kill them? Cause mine gets steaming hot. Steaming°F isn't hot enough?

I believe, from what I've learned, at the very least the water should be about 43°C (110°F) to kill certain types of bacteria.
 
  • #17
Dembadon said:
I believe, from what I've learned, at the very least the water should be about 43°C (110°F) to kill certain types of bacteria.

I hope your water gets hotter than that. There are people who have had fevers higher than that.
 
  • #18
leroyjenkens said:
Dembadon said:
I believe, from what I've learned, at the very least the water should be about 43°C (110°F) to kill certain types of bacteria.
I hope your water gets hotter than that. There are people who have had fevers higher than that.

Water temperature and body temperture are very different, though. I'd be willing to bet that you could not stand in water of that temperature for very long.
 
  • #19
rootX said:
I found that with cold shower, I finish off withing 2 minutes but warm showers can last to like 20 minutes.

And with me, a warm bath can last a couple of hours. Aaaahhhh... :!)
 
  • #20
leroyjenkens said:
Cold showers aren't so bad if you gradually turn the hot water off during the shower. I've got into the shower before with all cold water to start, since there was no hot water. That'll put hair on your chest.

Try going from hot to cold all of a sudden. The classic way to finish a sauna in Finland is to run outside and roll in the snow or jump into a cold lake. I've never done it that way myself, but I've done it with a bucket of cold water and it's a rather invigorating tingling sensation.
 
  • #21
jtbell said:
And with me, a warm bath can last a couple of hours. Aaaahhhh... :!)

A few years ago we bought a deep soaker jacuzzi tub. There have a been plenty of nights when I was restless and couldn't sleep, so I jumped into the tub. It is amazing how relaxing it can be! Not only I have fallen asleep in there a few times now, but hitting the water is like taking a shot of morphine - the effects are almost immediate.

We have an aux heater that keeps the water juuuuuuuuuust right.
 

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