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Brandon Garcia

ENG 1201

Prof. Johnson

July 29, 2021

What Are Better, Hot or Cold Showers?

           The conversation about hot and cold showers has been going on for years and there

has never been an agreement on which is better. The answer is this: there is no right or

wrong answer. Taking a warm shower is good because it has multiple benefits that can be

positive for the person taking the shower. Same with cold. Cold showers have many

benefits for the person but for different reasons. Warm showers are good for sleep,

cardiovascular health, and mental health. Cold shower benefits include: acne reduction,

muscle recovery, and assistance in illness prevention. Both sides are positive in their way,

and to pick which one is better, is a matter of opinion. In this essay there will be two parts:

one is warm showers and the other is cold showers. The following paragraphs will go into

detail about each benefit listed and provide an example and a quote from a trusted article.

There is no right or wrong answer when picking a temperature, it’s opinion-based. 

First are warm showers. Warm showers are more popular when taking a shower.

That’s because the body loves heat, and when it gets warm, it tends to be more relaxed.

Warm showers have their benefits when used on the body. Some people might like the

benefits and others may not. Again, it's all opinion-based. 

           The first benefit of warm showers is that it helps with sleep. When the body falls

asleep, it’s at its most rested stage throughout the night, this stage is called “Slow Wave”
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sleep, or deep sleep. During this stage, the body relaxes its muscles and brain in order to

recharge for the next day. The only issue is that some people don’t get enough sleep or have

trouble getting to the “slow-wave” sleep stage. With the help of a warm shower, that issue

can be resolved. The body starts to relax by raising its temperature. Which allows the body

to reach the slow-wave sleep stage. This makes sure the person sleeping is able to reach the

recommended number of hours of sleep. According to an article titled, ‘Can A Shower Before

Bed Help, You Sleep? – Cold or Hot?’ written by Sleep Advisor, the body has a better chance of

sleeping when splashed with warm water rather than cold. “Other than getting a massage

or enjoying intimate time with a partner, there’s nothing more relaxing than a warm bath at

night. It relaxes sore muscles, eases the pain in joints, and improves oxygen and blood flow”

(Paragraph 6). For example, when taking a warm shower 10 minutes before bed, it can help

the person fall asleep in less than 15 minutes. If the person does not take a shower before

going to bed, the body can get restless and have trouble sleeping, which then causes the

person to stay up and lose the slow-wave sleep phase. Getting the recommended amount of

sleep can be extremely important for making the body function properly. With lack of sleep,

the body can become weak and unaware of its surroundings. Taking a warm shower before

bed is a good idea for wanting the body to be at its peak performance.

           When getting good sleep at night, the body become more charged in the morning.

When the body is charged, the brain becomes more alert, which is the next benefit to taking

warm showers. Taking a warm shower can improve the brain's functionality. An article

titled ‘What are the Benefits of taking Cold or Hot showers’, written by Jessica Caporusino

explains how the effect of warm water on the body improves the function of the Brain-

Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). The BDNF is a protein in the brain that controls the
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body’s survival of nerve cells, the growth of nerve cells, and the increase of memory and

learning new things. For example, when taking a warm shower, the warmth increases the

BDNF factors in the brain. When increasing the BDNF factors it is improving a person’s

memorization and their nerve levels. That means, the person taking a warm shower is

more capable of remembering important information and having more positive reactions

towards decision rather than someone who hasn’t taken a shower that day. The wrote

provided goes more into detail about the process of BDNF in the body. It states, “One 2018

study investigated the effects of hot water immersion on the brain-derived neurotrophic

factor (BDNF). The study was small, involving just eight men. One group took a 20-minute

bath in hot water with a temperature of 107.6°F (42°C). The other group took a 20-minute

bath in warm water with a temperature of 95°F (35°C). Participants who took the hot bath

had significantly higher BDNF levels” (Paragraph 9). For example, if a student wakes up in

the morning and decides to take a warm shower before taking a test, he will have a more

reliable memory than students who didn’t shower in the morning. Taking a warm shower

and improving the function of the brain can be a benefit for students in high school or

college. Improving the function of the brain can also be a huge benefit in the day-to-day life.

It may be easier to remember what you had to do for the day, what you remember from

yesterday, and mistakes you need to correct. The list is endless and could have many

benefits towards increasing brain function. Think about taking a warm shower before

going to that next exam. 

           Speaking of colleges and exams, the next benefit involves improving exam scores. The

last benefit of taking warm showers is cardiovascular endurance. Taking a warm shower in

the morning can make it easier for the body to perform cardiovascular fitness activities. By
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taking a warm shower, the water opens up the blood vessels in the body allowing more

blood flow. it which increases the oxygen level intake. By increasing oxygen level intake, it

also increases lung capacity. This helps a person run faster. Going back to the article in the

previous paragraph, “As one 2014 review of hydrotherapy notes, warm water bathing

appears to improve blood flow in people with chronic heart failure. A 2012 study explored

the effects of warm water immersion on arterial stiffness, which occurs when the arteries

within the body become less flexible” (Paragraph 7). Let's say a runner has a marathon in

the morning and has to be able to run a mile in nine minutes. The runner will most likely

take a warm shower in the morning to get their blood pumping and lungs working taking in

more oxygen making it easier to run the race. Now, let's say the runner was running late

and didn’t have the time to take a shower. When the runner gets to where they will be

performing, they will quickly notice that their body isn’t going as fast or working as well as

it should. Without the help of a warm shower the runner would have difficulty performing

as well as they usually do. If the runner had taken a warm shower in the morning, their

body would be at peak performance levels and would have easily been able to perform

their best. 

           With all three benefits explained in previous paragraphs, taking warm showers can

be good for some people and not others. Some people may not like warm showers if they

aren’t runners or don’t have any tests coming up soon. The temperature may feel more

comfortable, but may not be as beneficial. The temperature of the water can have a positive

or negative impact, it all depends on the person.

           Moving on to the next temperature: cold showers. Cold showers are something the

body normally does not like. It can be uncomfortable and difficult to stay in a cold shower
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for the recommended 10 minutes of shower time; however, cold showers also have a

couple of benefits. These include: illness prevention, muscle recovery, and acne reduction.

Cold showers can be a positive to those who would like clean skin, enjoy heavy lifting, being

athletic, or for those not wanting to catch illness or disease. Cold showers are

uncomfortable, but some may think that it’s a sacrifice worth taking because of the benefits

it includes. 

           The first benefit of cold showers is the assistance in preventing illnesses. Our bodies

are naturally born to become resistant to common illnesses. Some illnesses can be more

difficult to prevent, such as, cancer, heart, or lung disease. It is easier to assist in much more

common diseases rather than the ones that require medical attention and medication. The

common ones can include, cold, flu, allergies, and strep throat. According to an article titled,

‘National Cancer Institute’ written by cancer.gov, our body’s natural way of dealing with

these illnesses involves leukocytes. Leukocytes are bacteria in the body trained to fight off

common illnesses, like the ones listed above. Adding cold water to the mix can improve our

immune systems. The cold water uses its lower temperature to strength it making it fight

off diseases much quicker. An article titled, ‘Cold Shower Benefits for Your Health’, written

by Kathryn Watson and reviewed by Dr. Wilson, “Our bodies are designed to become

resistant to the elements we are exposed to. For example, leukocytes help fight infection in

the body. The shock of cold water in the bloodstream stimulates leukocytes. This means

that taking cold showers can help your resistance to common illnesses, like colds and the

flu” (Paragraph 5). Say a person takes a cold shower in the morning before going out in

public. The cold shower, increases the leukocyte production so that when the person goes

out in public, the leukocytes can fight off illnesses much easier. and quicker than if they
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didn’t shower at all. Assume another person didn’t shower at all goes out in public. The

person's body also has natural leukocytes, they aren’t as powerful as the person who had

taken a cold shower. The person who had not taken a shower can catch a common illness

much easier than the person who did take a cold shower. Even though the person still had

leukocytes in their body to fight off the illness, they would not be as strong if they had

taken a cold shower. With the help of a cold shower, the body can fight off common

illnesses and reduce the chances of catching one. 

           When someone prevents themselves from catching an illness, they won’t get sick.

When the body is not sick, it can work out. Which leads to the next benefit: an increase in

muscle recovery. Going to the gym or playing a sport, pushes our body to the limit by doing

unnatural stunts, lifting unthinkable weights, and getting stronger. When doing those tasks,

we are stretching the muscle and building it up to increase strength and size. Which causes

a need to the need to replenish what the body worked off with rest and recovery time.

Recovery is one of the most important stages of fitness and it is a necessity when wanting

to increase performance. By going to the gym and working the muscles, it breaks down old

muscles and build new ones. The body has to let the new muscles set in and get attached to

the body. A cold shower, tightens the skin and can create an acid-like substance and place it

in the muscle tissue allowing it to grow. According to an article titled ‘Hot or Cold: What’s

the Best Way to Shower After a Workout?’, written by PhysioActive, states “Instead of

increasing blood flow towards your skin, a cold shower causes vasoconstriction. This

means that the blood vessels contract, creating a flush for lactic acid built up in tired

muscle tissues. Constricted blood vessels also reduce inflammation that comes with heat,

bringing about some inflammatory-related pain relief and decrease in swelling” (Paragraph
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5). A good way to look at this quote is to imagine a bodybuilder going to the gym. The

bodybuilder would eat their pre-workout snack and get their caffeine. At the gym, he would

lift heavy weights and push the limits of their body. When the bodybuilder gets home, they

would take a cold shower to help their muscles recover more quickly. Now the bodybuilder

can go back to the gym two days later and continue his workout. If on the other hand,

someone else who did the same workout and didn’t take a shower after, their muscles

would get tired and sore. The person would have to wait longer to go back to the gym and

continue their workout.

           Going to the gym makes the body get all sweaty and causes the face to break out. This

leads to the next benefit of cold showers: acne treatment. Acne is an issue for most teens

and young adults because they are at their basic stage of puberty. This stage of puberty

starts around the age of 12 and goes up to 21. During this stage, little things on the face

open up called pores. These pores contain puss from build-up of dirt in the skin allowing it

to build up and become a white ball of acne on the face. Although acne is generally

harmless, but when left unattended it can cause more breakouts leaving scars on the

persons face. Acne scars leave room for more acne to show up causing breakouts. Pimples

can break out anywhere on the body including the scalp. On the scalp, there are pore-like

spots known as hair molecules. Hair molecules are where hair grows on the scalp, and like

face pores, pores on the scalp can get clogged and lead to an infection. An ingrown hair, can

open the pores on the scalp allowing dirt to get inside the pore and lead to an infection.

Acne is a major issue with young people and can continue to get worse without proper

treatment. Most doctors recommend that the normal person should have a skincare routine

and take cold showers because when bathing in cold water, the skin on the body tightens
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and closes off all pores, which then closes off the pores not allowing dirt to get into them.

An article titled ‘Debunking Shower Myths: Cold Showers vs. Hot Showers’, written by

Rheem has a quote backing up the examples. “Coldwater tightens pores and constricts the

blood flow which gives the skin a healthier glow. This is because cold water does not dry

out the fatty layer protecting the skin. Coldwater also closes the pores and prevents dirt

from getting in. For the head, cold water increases the capacity of the hair follicles to grip

the scalp tighter” (Paragraph 5). A way of thinking about it is, a person is turning 15 years

old and they are getting acne all over their body. The person tries to get most of the

pimples out but the acne keeps coming back so, she tried again, but instead takes a cold

shower beforehand and then tries to get rid of the pimples on their body. With the help of

the cold shower, the person is successful at getting the puss and dirt out of the pores. Now,

let's say another person did the same thing but didn’t shower. That person will get some of

the dirt removed, but will get more pimples and breakouts by leaving the pore open to

more dirt. The result is more braking out and acne scars. 

           All three of the benefits of cold showers are good for some people but others might

disagree. Taking a cold shower can have great benefits, but it may be too uncomfortable for

some people. If someone wants to get rid of their acne, they will use the acne treatment

only and not take a cold shower. If the person is sore from the gym and doesn't want to

take a cold shower, they can use a massage gun to relieve the pain. The only downside to

those two alternatives is that they don’t get the other benefits with it. By taking a cold

shower the person is able to get all three benefits in one, but if they use an alternative, they

only get one benefit. That can not be as good value as taking a cold shower, but some

people might prefer only taking care of the one issue and not all three.
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           Now that both temperatures are explained, the next step is for the person to decide.

Does the person want to pick a warm shower or a cold shower? The only thing listed are

the benefits. The information is provided and it's now the audiences turn to decide whether

they would like a warm or cold shower. Both temperatures have good benefits and can

nourish the body in many different ways. If they are an athletic person, they could pick cold

showers and recover quickly. If the person like to get sleep, take a warm shower and go

into the slow-wave sleep stage. It's all based on what the person does in their daily life.

Whatever the person is more comfortable with, that is what they decide.

The image shown is an image provided by ‘MedicalNewsToday’ which is a chart that

splits both temperatures into two different sides. The left side explains the benefits from

taking cold showers and the right is explaining what benefits warm showers provide. The

chart is showing that both sides are good and have benefits but one is not better than the

other. Some of the benefits may sound similar, but are different in their own way. Some are

familiar like muscles relieving fatigue and soreness, but there are more different benefits

than similar benefits.

In conclusion, both temperatures of water serve a different purpose than the other.

Weather that’s for being athletic or just wanting sleep, both temperatures are good for

taking a shower. With cold showers you would be getting assistance with acne, muscle

recovery, and preventing illness. The three benefits listed for cold showers are good for

their own reason. For warm showers, they are good for sleeping, improves mental health,

and cardiovascular endurance. Both sides are opinion based and don’t have a right answer.

No matter how many studies will be done on the question, there isn’t a right or wrong

answer
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Work Cited

Caporusino, Jessica. What Are the Benefits of Cold and Hot Showers? 13 Jan. 2020.

Cairns, Rebecca. “The Difference between a Cold Shower and a Hot Shower, and How Both Can

Benefit Your Health.” Insider, Insider, 17 June 2020, www.insider.com/cold-shower-vs-

hot-shower.

Eisenhut, James. “What's Better? Hot Or Cold Showers?” From PriMed - Interview with Dr.

Eisenhut.

“From Hot to Cold: The Hidden Health Benefits of Bathing.” SCL Health,

www.sclhealth.org/blog/2019/04/from-hot-to-cold-the-hidden-health-benefits-of-bathing/.

Harless, Jesse. Smash Your Comfort Zone with Cold Showers: How to Boost Your Energy,

Defeat Your Anxiety, and Overcome Unwanted Habits. Jesse, n.d..

Henry, Lukasi. Stabilizing Bioimpedance-Vector-Analysis Measures With a 10-Minute Cold

Shower After Running Exercise to Enable Assessment of Body Hydration, Sinclair Library,

Aug. 2019, eds-a-ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/eds/detail/detail?

vid=4&sid=91084936-f605-4025-a1f0-eb32fbeb3287%40pdc-v-

sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=138071600&db=s3h.

“Home.” Go to Rheem., www.rheemasia.com/blog/debunking-shower-myths-cold-showers-vs-

hot-showers/.
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John, Richards R. Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome: Potential Mechanisms for the Benefit of

Capsaicin and Hot Water Hydrotherapy in Treatment, Sinclair Library, 2018,

eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=b7d49bc7-c0b5-4a79-a4b6-

647c4c143a35%40pdc-v-sessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU

%3d#AN=126756717&db=c9h.

PhysioActive, By: “Hot or Cold: What's the Best Way to Shower After a Workout?”

PhysioActive, 4 July 2020, www.physioactive.sg/hot-cold-whats-best-way-shower-

workout/.

Smartlearningforall. “Hot Shower vs Cold Shower, Which Is Better? + More Videos | #Aumsum

#Kids #Education #Children.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Sept. 2019,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WLNxpS84bs.

www.sleepadvisor.org/author/sleepadvisor/, Sleep Advisor. “Should You Shower Before Bed? -

Is Hot or Cold Better?” Sleep Advisor, 23 Dec. 2020, www.sleepadvisor.org/showering-

before-bed/.

Watson, Kathryn. “Cold Shower Benefits for Your Health.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 25

Apr. 2017, www.healthline.com/health/cold-shower-benefits.