I recently read an online blog from an individual who decided to take cold showers every day for a year.
His experiment involved replacing his normally hot showers with ice cold ones. It had nothing to do with the pores in his skin, wanting an increased metabolism, or dousing his libido. Apparently, he did it because he wanted to increase his tolerance to pain and other uncomfortable situations. His theory was that by making himself uncomfortable everyday with the cold shower, he would increase his tolerance to other things in life that may be difficult.
There are many scientists who believe pain to have a psychosocial component. This makes complete sense, in that a person’s state of mind will influence how they rate their pain on a pain scale. Pain tolerance can differ depending on personal circumstances and pain thresholds can differ from one person to another.
With respect to cold showers, the stress of that discomfort on a regular basis improves the body’s anti-oxidative adaption. This not only improves mental resilience, but also strengthens the immune system.
While there are studies showing that taking ice cold showers can increase emotional resilience, lower stress and increase one’s pain tolerance, there are other ways you can accomplish these goals without a daily dose of cold water pelting and stinging your skin.
Exercise seems to be a prescription for most problems, and it is no different for pain. Physical activity, particularly aerobic activity, positively affects pain perception.
Yoga has also been shown to improve one’s experience of pain. The combination of the physical component of yoga activity improving pain tolerance and the mental aspects of yoga helping the brain to better process the psychosocial aspect of pain, shows that for some, yoga is a viable alternative to pain medications.
Toss the cigarettes. Apparently, smokers have lower tolerance to pain.
If you are diabetic, manage your blood sugars better. Diabetics are prone to nerve damage, increasing their pain sensitivity.
Better manage anxiety and stress. Unresolved issues, past and present, can decrease one’s pain tolerance.
While the benefits of a cold shower intrigue me, I am not ready for a year of experiencing the equivalent of the polar bear plunge in my own bathroom. Maybe I’ll just start with lukewarm and go from there.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
