# Cold showers and cold-water swimming, the benefits in terms of physical and mental health - what do we know?



## Fab Foodie (21 Oct 2020)

Lately there seems to have been a lot of articles about the potential health benefits of cold showers and cold-water swimming, the latest being that regular cold immersion causes the production of a protein that might inhibit Alzheimers.
Mainstream claims are improvements to:

Mental Health
Boost Immunity
Circulation
Sleep
Libido
Alertness
Muscle soreness
Weight loss

Certainly anecdata from friends make huge claims about wild-swimming, others here the benefits of daily cold showers. Living by the sea am often minded to join the early morning dippers of which there seem a few.

So what do people know cold water immersion and what has been your experience?


----------



## fossyant (21 Oct 2020)

Forget it. Brrrrr


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (21 Oct 2020)

Don't know any science of it all, but as a stand up paddle boarder I would take a decent plunge, occasionally I'd partake in a cold shower.

Feel alive after, there's a massive endorphin rush of some sort!


----------



## I like Skol (21 Oct 2020)

Isn't this what we UK cyclists do anyway? Cold, wet, miserable! Certainly makes me feel better.....


----------



## LCpl Boiled Egg (21 Oct 2020)

I'm guessing you saw this on the Beeb the other day? Scientists are looking at the effects of cold water swimming on dementia. It was a very interesting segment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-54600555

"In a world first, a "cold-shock" protein has been found in the blood of regular winter swimmers at London's Parliament Hill Lido. The protein has been shown to slow the onset of dementia and even repair some of the damage it causes in mice.

Prof Giovanna Mallucci, who runs the UK Dementia Research Institute's Centre at the University of Cambridge, says the discovery could point researchers towards new drug treatments which may help hold dementia at bay.

The research - although promising - is at an early stage, but it centres on the hibernation ability that all mammals retain, which is prompted by exposure to cold."


----------



## ianrauk (21 Oct 2020)

I like Skol said:


> Isn't this what we UK cyclists do anyway? Cold, wet, miserable! Certainly makes me feel better.....




That my commute today


----------



## Dayvo (21 Oct 2020)

Attending a sports college in Norway 23 years ago, there was an option to partake in 'ice-swimming'. 😳

Being younger, more adventurous, and considerably less wiser, I volunteered for the 10-week 'swim' (once a week) during the coldest part of winter.

With minus air temperature and a scalding +4° water temperature a group of us very cautiously entered the water (the river _Gudbrandsdalslågen)_ after having broken the ice to be able to get in the water, unsure of the 'correct' technique: ie in and out as quickly as possible (to validate the swim, at least three swimming strokes had to be performed and your head had to be fully submerged at least once) or slowly to reduce the 'shock' factor.

It was painfully and extremely uncomfortable, but within seconds of being back on dry land the endorphins kick in and I felt glowingly marvellous: a feeling that lasted the entire 10-minute mini bus journey back to the sauna at the college.

I completed all 10 swims (we all did) but wouldn't consider it again now cos I'm an old git and like my comforts too much.

But saying that, I do enjoy having a sauna interspersed with regular trips to a cold shower, or preferably a roll out in the snow, which gives the same euphoria without the pain of ice-cold water.


----------



## Fab Foodie (21 Oct 2020)

I've just had a shower a la @screenman my going from warm to cold for the final minute. I do feel invigorated/awake compared to how I felt before. I will continue this method for a while and see what happens.... I may die....


----------



## Fab Foodie (21 Oct 2020)

LCpl Boiled Egg said:


> I'm guessing you saw this on the Beeb the other day? Scientists are looking at the effects of cold water swimming on dementia. It was a very interesting segment.
> 
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-54600555
> 
> ...


Yes, that's it!


----------



## Fab Foodie (21 Oct 2020)

ianrauk said:


> That my commute today


It's a tad sou'westerly today...warm, windy and wet!


----------



## screenman (21 Oct 2020)

Fab Foodie said:


> I've just had a shower a la @screenman my going from warm to cold for the final minute. I do feel invigorated/awake compared to how I felt before. I will continue this method for a while and see what happens.... I may die....




I may need to up my public liability insurance.


----------



## Oldhippy (21 Oct 2020)

Just no!


----------



## matticus (21 Oct 2020)

Did anyone else open this thread despite a _Great Fear of Photos Therein_?


----------



## slowmotion (21 Oct 2020)

June to October in Cornwall is my limit, about 14C minimum. You certainly feel good afterwards.


----------



## Archie_tect (21 Oct 2020)

Fab Foodie said:


> I've just had a shower a la @screenman my going from warm to cold for the final minute. I do feel invigorated/awake compared to how I felt before. I will continue this method for a while and see what happens.... I may die....


I similarly tried it this morning following @screenman's suggestion... it was invigorating and I did spend the minutes getting dry with what felt like a very warm towel, laughing and giggling, feeling very pleased with myself!.

It reminded me of running out of the sea as a small child across the cold windswept UK beaches like Bridlington or Newquay into the open arms of my mum holding a big beach towel to be enveloped in warmth and hugs.


----------



## newfhouse (21 Oct 2020)

There’s a 50:50 chance of the showers at work being cold after my cycle commute. I haven’t noticed my temperament or productivity being improved on cold water days.


----------



## slowmotion (21 Oct 2020)

newfhouse said:


> There’s a 50:50 chance of the showers at work being cold after my cycle commute. I haven’t noticed my temperament or productivity being improved on cold water days.


That's just a matter of expectation and disappointment. If you plunged into Cornish waters and found that they were as tepid as a heated swimming pool, that would be a disappointment too. Besides, you wouldn't feel virtuous when you got out.


----------



## Fram (21 Oct 2020)

A friend who regularly immersed herself in a local (Inverness-shire) river just wearing an ordinary swimming costume through last winter really rates it. Haven't plucked up the courage yet...ever.


----------



## mudsticks (21 Oct 2020)

Fab Foodie said:


> Lately there seems to have been a lot of articles about the potential health benefits of cold showers and cold-water swimming, the latest being that regular cold immersion causes the production of a protein that might inhibit Alzheimers.
> Mainstream claims are improvements to:
> 
> Mental Health
> ...



Nearly half of my friends seem to have got into this cold water swimming malarkey and will endlessly extol its virtues - of which i'm sure there are many .

But i have plenty other ways of enhancing all of above, using methods , doubtlessly equally unappealing to others - running , long distance cycling and hiking , yoga etc.

Seems to be theme of 'if its a bit of a challenge to the body' then do that, you will benefit in some way.

Although i'm only four miles from the sea, you'll rarely find me in it before June or after October.

Properly cold water just makes my hands and feet really really hurt like they've been hit with hammers, and I've worked outside all my life so its not like I'm a total cold weather wuss.

Also i had hypothermia one time when much younger - i think my body goes into panic mode because of that if its really cold.

So anyway get in the sea with you FF - sure it'll do you a power of good 

Right now i'm wrapping myself around a cold beer - its highly invigorating -

I know - and on a school night too


----------



## Oldhippy (21 Oct 2020)

Never got the running thing, we invented the wheel to make moving about easier and came up with the perfect design, a bike!


----------



## mudsticks (21 Oct 2020)

Oldhippy said:


> Never got the running thing, we invented the wheel to make moving about easier and came up with the perfect design, a bike!



Running is not my fave thing tbh, but it's a quickish way of maintaining and building cardio fitness for the cycling and hiking when I haven't got whole days on end to do those more enjoyable (to me) things. 

An hour, off road running three times a week does the job. 

Agree re bicycle though, we should have stopped with them and trains, and written off automobiles as a step too far..


----------



## slowmotion (21 Oct 2020)

I walk into a cold sea up to my waist and always think "this could very well give me a fatal cardiac infarction". When my head bobs up three seconds later, I'm elated at still being alive. One day, my luck will run out. Oh well.


----------



## ColinJ (21 Oct 2020)

There is an annual New Year's Day swim in a mill pond at Lumbutts near Todmorden/Hebden Bridge. *THIS LOT* seemed to enjoy it last year!


----------



## wafter (21 Oct 2020)

It certainly seems to be "trending" at the moment. A mate of mine was espousing its virtues having been converted by an old boy he met at the beach who apparently swims daily, regardless.

I personally think this is just part of a wider range of techniques to force positive physiological change through pushing the boundaries of what the body finds comfortable - claims / proven benefits seem similar to saunas, steam rooms and exercise; all of which stress the body in some way and apparently promote improvements and endorphine release as a result.


----------



## slowmotion (21 Oct 2020)

wafter said:


> It certainly seems to be "trending" at the moment. A mate of mine was espousing its virtues having been converted by an old boy he met at the beach who apparently swims daily, regardless.
> 
> I personally think this is just part of a wider range of techniques to force positive physiological change through pushing the boundaries of what the body finds comfortable - claims / proven benefits seem similar to saunas, steam rooms and exercise; all of which stress the body in some way and apparently promote improvements and endorphine release as a result.


Interesting idea. The real killer could be idleness.


----------



## screenman (22 Oct 2020)

Cold water swimming has been around for a very long time, think back to Victorians with their lido's.


----------



## mudsticks (22 Oct 2020)

screenman said:


> Cold water swimming has been around for a very long time, think back to Victorians with their lido's.




But then there's really nothing new, under the sun, is there ?? . 

All this taking health giving exercise in nature stuff, has been practiced in one way or another to bring mind body or spiritual 'improvemenrt' for millenia.. 

It gets repackaged as 'the next big thing' every few decades maybe . 

But you come to realise the practice has been going on, in one form or another forever, somewhere in. The world.


----------



## mudsticks (22 Oct 2020)

Fab Foodie said:


> I've just had a shower a la @screenman my going from warm to cold for the final minute. I do feel invigorated/awake compared to how I felt before. I will continue this method for a while and see what happens.... I may die....



Hate to break this to you.. But yes you will die. 
But probs not from cold showers. 

But who knows?
Perhaps they will make make you live longer. 

Or is like all the other 'challenging' stuff, it will just feel that way ?? 




newfhouse said:


> There’s a 50:50 chance of the showers at work being cold after my cycle commute. I haven’t noticed my temperament or productivity being improved on cold water days.





I'd just resign if I were you, that's totally unacceptable, when you want a hot shower that's what you should get.


----------



## screenman (22 Oct 2020)

Our showers at work are always hot, but then again I do work from home.


----------



## newfhouse (22 Oct 2020)

mudsticks said:


> I'd just resign if I were you, that's totally unacceptable, when you want a hot shower that's what you should get.


Seems a tad drastic


----------



## mudsticks (22 Oct 2020)

newfhouse said:


> Seems a tad drastic



Yebbut, you've got to show these people who's top dog , or you'll just get walked all over. 

They need you, more than you need them. 

That kind of thing..


----------



## newfhouse (22 Oct 2020)

mudsticks said:


> Yebbut, you've got to show these people who's top dog , or you'll just get walked all over.
> 
> They need you, more than you need them.
> 
> That kind of thing..


I’m playing the long game and compiling a dossier so I can claim some compo when it’s time to retire. I reckon I could get several pounds out of them.


----------



## mudsticks (22 Oct 2020)

newfhouse said:


> I’m playing the long game and compiling a dossier so I can claim some compo when it’s time to retire. I reckon I could get several pounds out of them.



That's the spirit !!


----------



## wafter (22 Oct 2020)

Tried this last night before bed. Didn't have the resolve to get straight into a cold shower so acclimatised myself with a hot one then dropped the temp when I was in it. Not a pleasant experience but novel to get the reflexive gasping of breath from the sudden temp drop. Did this in a couple of goes; dropping from hot to gaspy-cold, giving 30 seconds for my breathing to recover then repeating to a lower temp.

Definitely felt more alive / invigorated when I got out; not sure if it's something I could tolerate doing regularly though and assuming they achive similar I'd much rather go out for a ride, or a swim and a sauna / spell in the steam room.


----------



## Fab Foodie (22 Oct 2020)

Day 2 of the cold shower. This time I showered first thing, started hot and then 60 breaths in full cold. It is surprising how quickly you adjust to the sudden cold. Anyhow, felt very refreshed! Didn't die.

@mudsticks yes, must get my sorry arse out of bed and join the morning dippers. We've fallen into bad habits here watching crap on the telly late into the evenings with too many G&Ts and waking-up feeling like crap. So now bed by 10, up earlier again and back on the bike OR try a dip before work :-) Next week maybe...

Out of interest which is your nearest beach?


----------



## BrianUK (22 Oct 2020)

I've used a sauna before where you jump into a cold plunge pool afterwards! Takes your breath away but very refreshing! I'd recommend !


----------



## Milkfloat (22 Oct 2020)

When I immerse myself in really cold water it is usually when something has gone wrong. Most of the time turning a boat upside down or falling off a board. I am partial to a river swim in summer and I paddle boats and boards throughout winter, however I have also had a full dunking whilst attempting to cycle through a slippery ford with a flat tyre. Cold showers for me occur when the rest of the family have emptied the tank and not turned the hot water back on.


----------



## matticus (22 Oct 2020)

mudsticks said:


> So anyway get in the sea with you FF


Can I be the first to endorse this (I've been wanting to say it for years):

Get in the sea, Fabbers!


----------



## mudsticks (22 Oct 2020)

matticus said:


> Can I be the first to endorse this (I've been wanting to say it for years):
> 
> Get in the sea, Fabbers!



Awww but you don't mean it really do you 

It's how you boys express affection for each other isn't it? Pretending to be mean


----------



## mudsticks (22 Oct 2020)

Fab Foodie said:


> Day 2 of the cold shower. This time I showered first thing, started hot and then 60 breaths in full cold. It is surprising how quickly you adjust to the sudden cold. Anyhow, felt very refreshed! Didn't die.
> 
> @mudsticks yes, must get my sorry arse out of bed and join the morning dippers. We've fallen into bad habits here watching crap on the telly late into the evenings with too many G&Ts and waking-up feeling like crap. So now bed by 10, up earlier again and back on the bike OR try a dip before work :-) Next week maybe...
> 
> Out of interest which is your nearest beach?


All sounds very wholesome and invigorating.. 

But don't forsake all the poor gin producers tho.. They need our support in these hard times.. 

Sidmuff, tho I rarely swim there. 
More usually Budlee, or Weston mouth.


----------



## Fab Foodie (22 Oct 2020)

mudsticks said:


> Awww but you don't mean it really do you
> 
> It's how you boys express affection for each other isn't it? Pretending to be mean


No, he does mean it!


----------



## Fab Foodie (22 Oct 2020)

Now and then....









...for the fans only....


----------



## matticus (22 Oct 2020)

... and please STAY in the sea! Preferably away from the internet


----------



## mudsticks (22 Oct 2020)

matticus said:


> ... and please STAY in the sea! Preferably away from the internet



Oo you flirt, 

That's a come on if ever I heard one


----------



## slowmotion (22 Oct 2020)

Slightly off topic, but when was swimming re-branded as the awesomely cool "wild swimming"?


----------



## screenman (22 Oct 2020)

slowmotion said:


> Slightly off topic, but when was swimming re-branded as the awesomely cool "wild swimming"?



11th October 1927 at 11.30am


----------



## ColinJ (22 Oct 2020)

slowmotion said:


> Slightly off topic, but when was swimming re-branded as the awesomely cool "wild swimming"?


When present day swimmers remembered that they could swim outdoors rather than just in heated indoor pools!? 

I remember using the unheated Abbey Fields Lido in Kenilworth as a child. Hmm, I just checked to see if it is still there... it _IS_, but it is temporarily closed because of the pandemic. There is also a heated indoor pool for wimps now!


----------



## slowmotion (22 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> When present day swimmers remembered that they could swim outdoors rather than just in heated indoor pools!?
> 
> I remember using the unheated Abbey Fields Lido in Kenilworth as a child. Hmm, I just checked to see if it is still there... it _IS_, but it is temporarily closed because of the pandemic. There is also a heated indoor pool for wimps now!


I learned to swim in an outdoor pool that was a diverted part of the River Itchen. There was a fair amount of weed swirling around beneath your body. Was I a "wild swimmer"?


----------



## screenman (22 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> When present day swimmers remembered that they could swim outdoors rather than just in heated indoor pools!?
> 
> I remember using the unheated Abbey Fields Lido in Kenilworth as a child. Hmm, I just checked to see if it is still there... it _IS_, but it is temporarily closed because of the pandemic. There is also a heated indoor pool for wimps now!




Might be like that around your way but the Thames and The Serpentine have been swam in daily for years. Like many things it has always been there just with more people becoming aware of the benefits is has become more popular.


----------



## screenman (22 Oct 2020)

slowmotion said:


> I learned to swim in an outdoor pool that was a diverted part of the River Itchen. There was a fair amount of weed swirling around beneath your body. Was I a "wild swimmer"?



I learned to swim in the River Crane and the Thames, I took up windsurfing in December 1978 and sailed 12 months of the year for a very long time.


----------



## slowmotion (22 Oct 2020)

screenman said:


> I learned to swim in the River Crane and the Thames, I took up windsurfing in December 1978 and sailed 12 months of the year for a very long time.


There's a club that swims in the Thames on the stretch between Hammersmith and Chiswick bridges. It looks a lot of fun but not as good a narrower, more rural river like the Avon in Wiltshire.


----------



## Milkfloat (22 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> When present day swimmers remembered that they could swim outdoors rather than just in heated indoor pools!?
> 
> I remember using the unheated Abbey Fields Lido in Kenilworth as a child. Hmm, I just checked to see if it is still there... it _IS_, but it is temporarily closed because of the pandemic. There is also a heated indoor pool for wimps now!



It was earmarked for closure a long time ago and is unlikely to reopen - although these guys are trying https://www.restorekenilworthlido.org.uk/


----------



## ColinJ (22 Oct 2020)

Milkfloat said:


> It was earmarked for closure a long time ago and is unlikely to reopen - although these guys are trying https://www.restorekenilworthlido.org.uk/


Oh, well good luck to them... It appears that they want to heat it though! 



Lido Campaign said:


> This campaign wholeheartedly supports the refurbishment of the indoor pool, but just imagine alongside it, a 25m *heated outdoor pool*, open all year round with special events for sports enthusiasts and families, a training site for triathletes and a venue for unique cultural events.


----------



## screenman (23 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> Oh, well good luck to them... It appears that they want to heat it though!




Well seeing as most cyclist are fair weather one's I suppose it is fair to suggest most swimmers would be the same. If it gets more people swimming I cannot help thinking it is a good idea, as the overall benefits of it are better than cycling for the body.


----------



## Rusty Nails (23 Oct 2020)

slowmotion said:


> Slightly off topic, but when was swimming re-branded as the awesomely cool "wild swimming"?


 When people realised they couldn't use their smartphones in the water.


----------



## byegad (23 Oct 2020)

I did it in my yoof. But near to 70 arthritic and not having swum in a heated pool for 20+ years, unwanted recurrent ear infections, I'd not do it now.
I gave up summer cycling in shorts some 10 yrs ago following an inflamed knee joint after a cool, damp day ride. My hand seize up if I wash them in cold water too.
The news article that set this thread off mentioned scientists are looking for a way to replicate the effect without having to endure the cause, so fingers crossed on that one.


----------



## tyred (23 Oct 2020)

I live in one of those new-fangled buildings with hot running wated so don't need to have a cold shower. 

What form of self-torture will become trendy next - beating yourself with an ash stick, sackcloth and ashes as new trendy-wear, re-stuffing your sofa with holly leaves, wrapping barbed wire around the steering wheel of your car or being forced to drink Tennent's lager?


----------



## matticus (23 Oct 2020)

tyred said:


> I live in one of those new-fangled buildings with hot running wated so don't need to have a cold shower.
> 
> *What form of self-torture will become trendy next *- beating yourself with an ash stick, sackcloth and ashes as new trendy-wear, re-stuffing your sofa with holly leaves, wrapping barbed wire around the steering wheel of your car or being forced to drink Tennent's lager?


Selling one's car? No, that's ridiculous, no-one would ruin their own lives like that willingly ...


----------



## ColinJ (23 Oct 2020)

screenman said:


> Well seeing as most cyclist are fair weather one's I suppose it is fair to suggest most swimmers would be the same. If it gets more people swimming I cannot help thinking it is a good idea, as the overall benefits of it are better than cycling for the body.


I was thinking back to when I used to swim 3 times a week in a _*heated *_indoor pool. There would always be people standing at the side, dipping their toes in the water, but afraid to go in because they thought the water was too cold. I used to just dive in and immediately start swimming up and down. Within 5 lengths I would be at a good working temperature. I could never understand what their problem was!


----------



## Fab Foodie (23 Oct 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I was thinking back to when I used to swim 3 times a week in a _*heated *_indoor pool. There would always be people standing at the side, dipping their toes in the water, but afraid to go in because they thought the water was too cold. I used to just dive in and immediately start swimming up and down. Within 5 lengths I would be at a good working temperature. I could never understand what their problem was!


Maybe they were Southerners....


----------



## marinyork (24 Oct 2020)

Fab Foodie said:


> Mainstream claims are improvements to:
> 
> Mental Health
> Alertness
> ...



Cold showers and cold water swimming for mental health claims are older than you are. 

In anxiety circles the vagal/mammalian diving response stuff got resurrected a couple of years ago and has been doing the rounds ever since around the internet. Usually you get people religiously quoting it (especially the face splashing) not quite understanding why, but they say it works.

In 2016 the BBC had a tv double parter called _The Doctor who gave up drugs_ and that featured some of the research on cold water swimming. 
The BBC has a follow up 2 years later https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45487187 for someone who'd taken medication for 8 years and stuck in a rut and took up cold water swimming (supervised). The article explains the basic. On weight loss/depression people have been looking into how brown fat is activated in the body, as well as the stress response and cross-adaptation.

Alertness is one that's talked about a lot, it's quite a hard one to quantify. You could argue that going into parks for walks/cycles with birdsong and trees makes you more 'alert'. 

For me cold showers don't work, they make particular muscles even stiffer. That one's not particularly unheard of if you seek enough experiences.

At a local park cold water swimming during covid has gone from virtually zero usage to daily swimmers (sadly the water isn't tested so it can't be verified that it's relatively safe).


----------



## stephec (25 Oct 2020)

I've never intentionally had a cold shower, but after a run I always have a cold bath. 

Fill up to waist level with cold water and sit in it for about six or seven minutes, followed by a warm shower. It does a good job of getting rid of any inflammation and niggles, a bit like using an ice pack I suppose. 

Weird thing is after a minute you warm up so much that you have to shake your legs a bit to get cold water round them again.


----------



## Kryton521 (25 Oct 2020)

Wim Hoff{sp?} has a book and dedicates his life and well being to cold water immersion.

Don't know much about him, but as a listener to Virgin radio and a fan of Eddie Temple-Morris, who follows the method, so have I.
Turn the shower on and get as much of myself as I can stand under the water as it warms up.
Through the summer I was going swimming in the sea,[wet suited!] but always felt good for it


----------



## screenman (2 Nov 2020)

I start with the shower cold now wash with it warm and finish cold, brilliant feeling.


----------



## screenman (12 Nov 2020)

I got in a cold shower last night and wondered why it was taking a while to warm up, seems you actually have to have the mixer valve turned to warm and not cold for it to get warm. As somebody who has suffered from anxiety and depression all thier life I feel the cold water shower is something I am going to stick with, about 3 days ago I had a headache and was going to take a couple Ibruprofen but because decided to have my shower first, got out a few minutes later feeling great and with no headache.

The sad thing is many of the people who would or could benefit from this action will not even try it or research it.


----------



## acuna_read (12 Nov 2020)

Kryton521 said:


> Wim Hoff{sp?} has a book and dedicates his life and well being to cold water immersion.


Interesting guy who has become a bit of a cult figure. Lots of stuff he says is highly dubious nonsense, with a lot also being very salient and interesting. There are fMRI scans of him being able to control autonomous functions/parts of the brain and also to teach this to others. Very bizarre and interesting are of research. Interesting books worth a read and the cold water and breathing technique stuff is worth trying.


screenman said:


> I got in a cold shower last night and wondered why it was taking a while to warm up, seems you actually have to have the mixer valve turned to warm and not cold for it to get warm. As somebody who has suffered from anxiety and depression all thier life I feel the cold water shower is something I am going to stick with, about 3 days ago I had a headache and was going to take a couple Ibruprofen but because decided to have my shower first, got out a few minutes later feeling great and with no headache.
> 
> The sad thing is many of the people who would or could benefit from this action will not even try it or research it.


There's lots of research going into pain and mood/depression management via cold water therapy and also virtual reality. Cold water therapy is related to the Thalamus and increasing the blood flow to it and it therefore functioning better is my rudimentary understanding. This supposedly allows it to work in managing pain and the distribution of endorphins/pain relieving medicines which are present in you at all times. Pain is a function of the brain anyway, the sensation of pain is produced by the brain so understanding and manipulating this could be a massive breakthrough. Very complex and way beyond my understanding for what I need to know. But cold showers, and in particular your head in cold water, seem to provide help.


----------



## Notafettler (21 Nov 2020)

I don't need to turn the heating on after a cold shower. Mathematically it will work out cheaper to have 21 cold showers a day to save me using the central heating. That's based on the outside temperature not falling below 9 degrees. I haven't worked it out yet for 0 degrees outside. But extrapolating I think it will only require 98 cold showers per day but that assumes i will be in the house all day.
As water charges are £1.53 per cubic metre and LPG is 44p per litre. I am hoping I will save a considerable amount of money to spend on important things like cycling and beer although not necessarily in that order. 
I will also need to put more money into my pension as the combination of cold water bathing and the 5 2 diet will increase my life expectancy to 180. When buying an annuity I will not inform them of this.


----------



## Chap sur le velo (16 Dec 2020)

A tip if you want to try this.

Control your breathing. Before the cold water hits take a very deep breath. Concentrate hard on releasing your breath very slowly and fully empty your lungs. Do this twice and you will then be able to breathe normally.

If you don't control it, likely you will take lots of short ineffective "pants" and feel uncomfortable for a couple of minutes until you get used to it. The lack of control makes it impossible to enjoy the sensations. This shock causes panic and drowning when people fall into rough or flowing cold water.

This month the overnight temperatures have really fallen and the cold water tank in the loft is probably at less than 7degrees. I have my morning shower warm and finish with 30 secs of cold. Lovely and the colder the better.


----------



## Notafettler (16 Dec 2020)

Chap sur le velo said:


> A tip if you want to try this.
> 
> Control your breathing. Before the cold water hits take a very deep breath. Concentrate hard on releasing your breath very slowly and fully empty your lungs. Do this twice and you will then be able to breathe normally.
> 
> ...


I wonder if ice packs will do the job?
Maybe not filling my giant freezer to the top and getting in it for an hour? I would have to break the lock obviously!


----------



## Chap sur le velo (12 Feb 2021)

Time to do this. This week the water in the tank in my loft can't be more than 3 or 4 degrees - now that's refreshing!


----------



## oldwheels (13 Feb 2021)

I would only consider cold water swimming with a wet suit. Cannot remember the survival time if you fall into cold water but it is not long. 
I have also as a scuba diver had to find bodies of people who on a hot summer day jumped into a cold fresh water river pool.


----------

