Cold showers are actually good for you.

One of the most commonly known Nordic habits is their tendency to spend time in the sauna and then jump into freezing water. While I’ve never done that, I have experienced something similar. When I was young I would sit in the hot tub until I became overheated and then jump back into the cold pool. The jolt was invigorating.

There is now science to back up the health benefits of doing something like this. There have been experiments where people were forced to end a warm shower with cold water. The findings showed that the practice improved symptoms of chronic fatigue. And even though the participants didn’t like the cold, they did like the results. Other studies suggest that cold water immersion keeps our mitochondria healthy, which keeps our bodies from aging as fast. Still others say it helps our bodies to regulate blood sugar levels and keeps our metabolism strong.

So I tried it. For a week. And it did improve my physical energy levels. I also had a better mental approach to the day. I’m not sure if that was from the cold or from the placebo effect of choosing to subject myself to the cold water each day, knowing that the short-term discomfort would translate into more energy and a better day. I’m going to go with that second option.

By the end of the week I had learned a few things that seemed consistent with the Nordic habits. The hotter I made the beginning of the shower, the more pleasant the cold felt. I could get pretty cold without much discomfort at all if I was heated up enough internally first. And the energy benefit was only realized if I hit a certain temperature of cold. If I went from hot to lukewarm it did not affect my day as much as going from hot to cool. I never was brave enough to try freezing cold. Perhaps the benefits are even greater, but I was perfectly content with my happy medium.

What did I learn from this?

The Nordic practice of jumping into cold water can increase your health as well as your happiness.