Hot Water Bath Vs Cold Water Bath, Which Is Healthier ?

Although there are many individual benefits of hot and cold water, deciding which is the best for you depends upon your body type. Hot or cold water bathing can be therapeutic with different types being used for treating patients with various diseases. Patients with liver disease, indigestion etc, should bathe with cold water whereas, patients suffering from diseases such as respiratory disorders, cold, cough, joint pain, arthritis etc should opt for hot water.

Benefits of hot water bath:

1.  Improved cardiovascular health
2. Reduced muscle soreness and fatigue
3. Improved brain health
4. Better blood flow to joints and muscles
5. Hot water baths are excellent to cleanse your body as the warmer temperatures tend to kill all the germs that you are exposed to throughout the day. It is also helpful in maintaining better personal hygiene.
6. They are extremely beneficial to relieve cold and cough as the hot water and steam tends to clear your airways and help in decongesting your nose and throats.
7. Hot water showers reduce sugar levels in the body making them ideal for diabetes.

Benefits of cold water bath:

1. Decrease inflammation and swelling
2.  Decrease muscle spasms
3.  Have pain-relieving effects
4.  Improved circulation
5.  Ice baths and cold showers can activate the brown adipose fat and muscles. Once activated, they release two hormones: irisin and FGF21. These hormones then burn white fat tissue and help you reduce the calories
6.  Cold water showers give you a push start in the morning. They tend to stimulate your nerve endings and help getting rid of the laziness and sleepiness.
7.  They help you treat depression
8.  Helps improve reproductive health in men.
9.  Cold water baths have shown to stimulate the lymphatic and immune system, which helps in boosting the production of infection fighting cells thereby increasing your immunity.
10.  Your lung function improves tremendously with cold water showers. That feeling of breathlessness you get when you pour cold water over your head is the reason behind this property of cold water. You tend to hold your breath with each mug of water and slowly release your breath ,thus improving your lung function.

So, people without respiratory problems and diabetes can happily enjoy the cold water bathing as it has many major advantages.