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The Other Reason For Taking A Cold Shower…


I would just like to start this blog off by kindly saying; Can y’all PLEASE post y’alls blogs BEFORE 10pm on a Friday so I can comment?! Okay thanks!
So, speaking of procrastination, I came across this article, “This Wacky-Sounding Procrastination Cure Is Actually Backed by Science”.  As I was reading this article I really did not find much science background until it began to discuss a journal published by a molecular biologist, named Nikolai Shevchuk. They used this study to prove that taking a cold shower could help with procrastination. Taking a cold shower may lead to you becoming more alert and overall more productive. However, because they did not do their own research I am going to talk more about the work done by Shevchuk.

Shevchuk did a study on the correlation between a cold shower and depression. Depression is a mood disorder that is one of the most common sources of disability. Depression has been linked to be caused by any combination of genetic, biological, environmental, or psychological factors. There are many different options to treat depression. Some of the most common methods include medications, psychotherapy, and Brain Stimulation Therapies. Unfortunately, not every person behaves the same while depressed or is cured through these various forms of treatments. 
The research that Shevchuk conducted presented a hypothesis that depression is most likely caused by a convergence of two factors. These two factors can be summarized into the previously mentioned environmental or genetic factors. The first factor is described as a lifestyle that lacks specific stressors. These stressors they are referring to come from the experiences of primates through millions of years of evolution. An example would be a cold swim where the body temperatures changes for a brief moment. The lack of this “thermal exercise” may lead to an improper function in the brain. The second factor is described as the genetic makeup that constitutes how much more effected the above factors are on various people. The use of a cold shower to treat depression was investigated to test this hypothesis. This treatment involved participants taking a cold shower that was about 20 degrees Celsius, for 2-3 minutes twice a day. This treatment was tested for several weeks or months. 

 After the experiment, data was collected and conclusions were made. They saw that exposure to cold activated the sympathetic nervous system. The cold also increased the blood level of beta-endorphin and noradrenaline. They also saw that the cold showers increased the synaptic release of noradrenaline in the brain. Our skin has a high density of cold receptors which allows electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings to be sent to the brain when the skin is introduced to cold. These impulses have the ability to result in an anti-depressive effect.
Overall, this study did conclude that cold showers can be an alternative to treatment of depression. However, not all treatments work for everyone. BUT, moral of this blog post, if you feel sad or don’t feel like doing anything at all, hop in the shower and let the cold water wake you up and motivate you to go out and get stuff done!


Sources:
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/this-wacky-sounding-procrastination-cure-is-actually-backed-by-science.html






Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 9, 2017 at 4:23 PM

    Wow! This post was very interesting! I mean, I knew taking a hot shower can help you relax, but I didn't think a cold shower could give you a boost like that. Of course, every individual suffering from depression handles it differently, but I would have never thought to tell someone to hop in a cold shower. Even if the results were minimal, I find it very interesting how being exposed to the cold releases certain endorphins. Good job on this post by the way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JessyNovember 10, 2017 at 3:48 AM

      I used to take cold showers in the morning to wake myself up so this makes a lot of sense. This also makes sense for helping with depression since it is usually recommended that people with depression do small things anyway like brush their hair, get a glass of water or shower just to start moving. The science behind cold showers is also really interesting, nice job!

      Delete
  2. Samson NdukweNovember 10, 2017 at 7:07 AM

    Lol I'm feeling the shade you threw at the beginning of your post. I found your post to be extremely interesting. I personally hate taking cold showers. I find them to be unbearable. However, I'm more that delighted to hear that they can help with such a common mood disorder such as depression. Your post are always a delight to read, good work!

    ReplyDelete

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