Contrast Shower: Immune System Boosting Start to the Day

If you are one of those people who always seems to have the sniffles, colds, feel rundown and tired, or just get sick way too much?

Making some lifestyle changes to boost your immune system might be exactly what you need. It’s certainly going to do more good than harm, right?

I’m sure you’ve heard more than enough about eating healthy, exercising, sleeping well, and of course massage therapy for improving your immune system so I won’t beat on about these.

But how much do you know about contrast showers and the effect this simple daily routine can have on your immune system and general health?

If I’ve piqued your interest and you want to learn more, read on …

How Do You Have a Contrast Shower?

First, let me explain exactly what a contrast shower is and how to take one as it’s different than jumping in a cold shower.

It’s not complicated, a contrast shower is exactly as it sounds, a contrast between hot and cold showers so you gain the benefits of both.

There are some different methods based on the amount of time you spend under the hot and cold water, but as a rule of thumb you should try the following:

Start with the shower hot, it shouldn’t be uncomfortable, but definitely hot.

• After 3 minutes change the shower to cold for 1 minute.
• Change back to hot for 3 minutes again, then change back.
• Repeat this cycle for 4-5 repetitions of each temperature.

Why Should You Strengthen Your Immune System?

Our immune systems are our natural defense against bugs, illness, and other nasty things that cause us to get sick. And no one like feeling sick, right?

For a lot of us, it’s not enough to just go about our days, eat well, do a little exercise, and be able to fight off all the viruses and bad bacterias around us.

If you’re getting sick too often you need to take some extra steps to ensure you’re giving your immune system the extra support it needs.

My Experience with Contrast Showers

Contrast showers are worked wonders for me. I went through a six month period of always feeling rundown and sick.

I was burning the candle at both ends and not resting enough, so it was my mostly my fault. But I knew I needed to make some changes and contrast showers were something a friend recommended to me.

The effects were dramatic, to say the least. Not only did I stop getting colds and feeling run down, I had noticeably more energy throughout the day.

I did make some other lifestyle changes at the same time. I was sleeping better and resting a little more.

Contrast showers aren’t a miracle cure or a quick fix to feeling sick or anything like that. They do however have a lot of other health benefits so I know they were a key factor in my health improving.

I’ve been taking a contrast shower each morning for about a year now and wouldn’t swap back to the comfort of a nice, warm shower for anything.

The Science behind Contrast Showers and Improving Your Immune System

So, how and why exactly does simply alternating between hot and cold water help improve your immune system I hear you say?

Well, we all have toxins in our bodies putting stress on our immune system. Hence why some people take detox diets and feel better for it afterward.

Our lymphatic function is always working to break down and move these toxins out of our bodies.

Contrast showers stimulate better blood circulation through causing contractions in muscles and increased blood pressure as we shock our bodies with the cold water after the hot.

This in-turn stimulates our lymphatic function to perform better, helping to flush more toxins which takes some stress off our immune system.

If you feel a little sluggish after the first few showers this is due to your lymphatic system working hard to flush those toxins, once it gets up to speed you’ll start feeling a whole lot better.

You then need to keep up with the showers. You can skip a day or two, sure. But as you have probably learned from other healthy lifestyle choices, if you don’t keep up with the good things you lose the benefits.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of fresh water too to help your body recover and speed up the healing process.