HN Explorer

Ask HN: Cold Showers and Other Tricks

12 points by slindstr ↗ HN
I really love surfing, so recently I decided to start taking cold showers so it wouldn't be a huge shock when I jumped in the water in the winter months. Wetsuit, or no wetsuit, believe me when I say that it's still a "special" feeling the first time cold water splashes you when you paddle out.

Anyways, I happened to take a cold shower one night before going to bed and I had the most amazing night's sleep. Since then I've been religiously taking a cold shower before bed and it's great.

I just wanted to share this trick because I'm sure there's some people out in HN land that have a tough time with sleep. I was also hoping you could share any tricks like this that you use in your life.

Thanks!

11 comments

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lukeinth
Will try a "special" shower tonight, let you know if it works for me.
lwhi
The times I've tried this, I've felt quite warm afterwards. It definitely helps circulation.

Takes a lot of getting used to though - it's quite difficult to concentrate on getting clean when your body's concentrating on trying to breath :)

slindstr
I couldn't agree more on both points! Luckily since I'm in Florida, our water doesn't get that cold, but it gets cold enough to make me yelp every time I jump in.
dcaldwell
I just heard Tim Ferris suggest this on his Mixergy interview about his new book.
slindstr
Here's link to that interview if anyone's interested: http://mixergy.com/timothy-ferriss-four-hour-body-interview/

I'll have to check out his book to see what else he says about it. Thanks!

eswat
I haven’t finished the book yet but the chapter where he discusses the effects of cold temperatures on the body was the most interesting to me, being a Canadian.

But I’ll skip the cold showers and ice baths. I get my share of shivering by just walking outside. ;)

oziumjinx
Were you able to fall asleep faster or just had a deeper more refreshing sleep?

When you woke up, did you feel more rested?

Was it easier to get out of bed?

Just wondering what it was that made it "amazing".

slindstr
I fall asleep faster and I feel great the next morning (not as groggy). I'm not sure if I used to have trouble staying asleep, but I know for sure I had a real tough time falling asleep in the first place. Either way, I feel more energetic throughout the day now.