Ed Mylett, Tom Bilyeu, Tony Robbins, world-class athletes, and other top performers all have something in common that you too should be applying to your life. What is it I hear you say?

They all use the benefits of cold showers to take their lives to the next level.

Taking a cold shower every day has so many benefits. It’s the reason so many athletes and top performers use ice baths, cryo chambers, and cold plunges.

I hadn’t learned much about them until my mentor Benjamin Hardy (the #1 writer on Medium) suggested watching a Wim Hof video. If you don’t know, Wim “The Iceman” Hof popularized cold showers thanks to his incredible accomplishments in extremely cold situations.

Outside of being able to calm your breathing and force your mind to accept the cold, there are nearly endless benefits of taking cold showers. Here are some of the biggest reasons to start applying cold therapy to your daily routine.

7 Astonishing Benefits of Cold Showers

1. Improves Immunity

Want to take less sick days at the office? If your immunity is struggling, cold showers might be the answer.

An English study showed that regular cold showers trigger an increase in the metabolic speed rate and the number of white blood cells in the body. The two combined will help your body naturally fight diseases.

Your immune system will release virus-fighting white blood cells that will help you get sick less frequently. Cold showers can also increase your overall blood circulation throughout your body.

As Liam Neeson said about cold showers, “Standing under freezing cold showers every morning, — I did that. I got up to seven minutes most mornings and it actually works. It immunizes your body and your body starts getting used to the cold. It really works.”  

2. Promotes Fat Loss

Another huge cold shower benefit is that they actually promote fat loss.

There are two kinds of fat in your body: white fat and brown fat. White fat is the bad one and brown fat is the good one.

When you take cold showers, brown fat is activated due to extreme cold and starts to burn calories to keep you warm.  The increased activity of the “good fat” actually burns calories to keep the body warm.

Research has shown that cold temperatures can actually boost brown fat by 15 times higher than the normal amount! If you’re trying to lose a few pounds or need to jolt your system, cold showers might be more powerful than an energy drink or fat burner pill.

3. Promotes Faster Muscle Recovery & Better Circulation

Athletes have known about the benefits of cold showers and ice baths for years. It’s not uncommon to see football, soccer and basketball stars taking painstakingly cold ice baths following rigorous practice and games.

In fact, a 2009 study showed that an ice bath after intense training improves circulation and helps remove some lactic acid in the body. This can help you speed up the body’s recovery and heal faster than ever before.

It’s the same reason that ice brings down inflammation when you bruise or tear a muscle. By bringing the temperature of an area of the body down, you naturally speed up recovery.

Not to mention, along with faster recovery, cold water therapy helps improve circulation. Improved circulation means better overall cardiovascular health which helps if you’re training for endurance events.   

4. Promotes Resilience

Another scientific study showed that cold showers can help develop a nervous system that is resilient to stress. Who doesn’t want that?

The effort of taking a cold shower alone serves as a small form of oxidative stress. Remember, life gets stressful so it’s a good idea to train your body to prepare for stress in advance.

Not to mention, by getting yourself to take a cold shower or jump in a cold plunge, you’re getting out of your comfort zone. By breaking your routine and forcing yourself to do something you don’t like, even if it’s a couple of minutes, will help make things easier.

If you want to reach new levels of success in business, life or health, it’s not going to be easy. But cold showers can help train your mind and body to cope with new challenges and become resilient when things get tough.

5. Enhances Skin and Hair

As you can tell, there are so many benefits to cold showers but they might also make you look better as well. Cold showers are shown to have positive benefits to both your hair and skin.

If you’re struggling with acne or other skin issues, cold showers might help. While hot water dries out your skin, cold water actually tightens it. This prevents your skin from getting clogged.

Lastly, cold showers can also help your scalp and hair as well.  

6. Lowers Chances of Depression

Want to battle depression naturally? Besides intermittent fasting and constant exercise, cold showers can also be added into the equation.

Your heart rate will also increase, resulting in a rush of blood through your body that will help you get energized for the day. World class entrepreneur Ed Mylett said that he either takes a cold shower, go for a walk in the cold or splashes cold water in his face daily to help energize him each day.

7. More Health Benefits

Here are three other benefits that show the power of cold showers.

Increases Testosterone Levels

Want to increase testosterone naturally? Besides eating low-carb with high fats and using interval training, cold showers can also help!

Improves Fertility

Cold showers have also been found to boost sperm count and increase fertility in healthy males. Researchers said that it could also reverse the effects of hot baths as they have been considered to lower sperm count.

Helps You Sleep Better at Night

Tim Ferris best-seller, The Four Hour Body said, “A 10-minute ice bath could help people get incredible sleep at night.” The book states that “Taking a cold shower gives elephant tranquilizer-like effect that will put you straight to bed.”

Final Thoughts

So how should you get started with cold showers to take advantage of all these health benefits? Slow and steady!

The brain doesn’t like drastic changes in your life as it views them as a threat. Instead of trying to do 10-minute ice cold showers, take your normal shower first. Then, in the end, finish with a 1 or 2-minute cold shower.

As you get more adjusted to it, increase your time or take an entirely cold shower. It’s a great way to start the day, revitalize your body, and set yourself up for success.