Cold showers aid depression

[bigchris]

Anecdotal evidence:
Depression Remedies

Scientific hypothesis and theory, although I can't find the study atm:
Doctor's diary - Telegraph

Don't need to go full cold straight away, start luke warm and decrease the cold throughout the shower. Your tolerance will build up soon.

 

[vexatiousmind]

I might take a cold bath, that should work the same, right?

sounds like a good idea, at least it would wake me up some if nothing else.

 

[bigchris]

vexatiousmind - Yes cold baths are also fine.

 

[deleted #89]

Cool..........

 

[vexatiousmind]

Just tried it, defiantly woke me up, and helped my mood. I think I would need to add ice to get the full effect, b/c the water was not painful, so I don't think the shock factor was really produced.

 

[Falkor]

Good idea, I will try it out too. A cold bath or shower. I will write later on if it helped.
Btw, can you turn on the warm water later? Or do you need to just be '' in shock '' for a while? :: brrrr ::

 

[Kiwong]

I'm not depressed enough for a cold shower.

 

[EscapeArtist]

I used to do this as part of an energizing routine. It actually works. Wake up, drink a bunch of water, take a cold shower, you feel instantly a heck of a lot better. It's that euphoric feeling that you get after swimming and getting used to cold ocean or lake water. Unfortunately it is hard to motivate yourself to turn the tap to the cold setting. You can start by taking a hot shower and turning it to cold just for a few seconds at the end.

 

[MikeyC]

You can start by taking a hot shower and turning it to cold just for a few seconds at the end.

This is pretty much what I do in summer. I doubt I could handle a total cold shower.

 

[Remus]

I find a nice hot bath, relaxes and cheers me up no end.

 

[NathanielWingatePeaslee]

Scientific evidence, although I can't find the study atm:
Doctor's diary - Telegraph

This is not scientific evidence. Please do not call it such.

cancer specialist Nikolai Shevchuk, of the Virginia University School of Medicine, noted that regular cold showers proved very effective in alleviating his symptoms of depression, and those of two of his colleagues. He has subsequently identified two possible mood-enhancing mechanisms.

^^One guy who was depressed decided that cold showers made he and his friends feel less depressed, and thought of two ways how that might conceivably work.

These have an effect comparable to Electroconvulsive Therapy by inundating the brain with electrical messages from sensory receptors in the skin. They also cause a four-fold increase in the level of the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and beta-endorphins known to induce a general sense of wellbeing.

^^Those are the two ways he thought of. Just ideas. Notions. This is also anecdotal evidence, perhaps more credible to some because the guy is an unspecified 'cancer specialist'.

If there actually is scientific evidence involved, please post it.

 

[bigchris]

Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment ... [Med Hypotheses. 2008] - PubMed - NCBI

Not a study but a hypothesis that it increases beta-endorphin and noradrenaline. I haven't worried about the studies on cold showers, you can feel the benefit yourself after taking a shower and it's not like there is risk in a physically healthy individual.

 

[NathanielWingatePeaslee]

Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment ... [Med Hypotheses. 2008] - PubMed - NCBI

Not a study but a hypothesis that it increases beta-endorphin and noradrenaline. I haven't worried about the studies on cold showers, you can feel the benefit yourself after taking a shower and it's not like there is risk in a physically healthy individual.

An untested hypothesis. Better, but again--not scientific evidence.

 

[bigchris]

Having looked at the research and numerous articles online, they all cite the Shevcuk hypothesis I linked above, can't find any concrete studies on it.

There is a fair amount of personal and anecdotal responses around to persuade you to give it a try and form your own opinions. I think this is a rare case of just doing it and seeing if you get benefit from it.

There is a study done which shows increased white blood cell counts in people taking cold showers compared to hot showers but yet again nowhere can show me the study. I've actually emailed the institute that performed the study back in 1993 asking them if they can send me the study or point me in the right direction.

 

[bubba]

These are the studies of various cooling methods (cooling suit, cold showers, winter swimming and swimming in a public pool [weak cooling]).

Cooling elevates normal mood:
Huttunen P, Kokko L, Ylijukuri V: Winter swimming improves general well-being. Int J Circumpolar Health 2004, 63(2):140-144.
Berger BG, Owen DR: Mood alteration with swimming--swimmers really do "feel better". Psychosom Med 1983, 45(5):425-433.
Rymaszewska J, Bialy D, Zagrobelny Z, Kiejna A: The influence of whole body cryotherapy on mental health. Psychiatr Pol 2000, 34(4):649-653.
Hirvonen J, Lindeman S, Matti J, Huttunen P: Plasma catecholamines, serotonin and their metabolites and beta-endorphin of winter swimmers during one winter. Possible correlations to psychological traits. Int J Circumpolar Health 2002, 61(4):363-372.
Lindeman S, Hirvonen J, Joukamaa M: Neurotic psychopathology and alexithymia among winter swimmers and controls--a prospective study. Int J Circumpolar Health 2002, 61(2):123-130.
Flensner G, Lindencrona C: The cooling-suit: case studies of its influence on fatigue among eight individuals with multiple sclerosis. J Adv Nurs 2002, 37(6):541-550.


Cooling improves depressed mood:
Rymaszewska J, Ramsey D, Chladzinska-Kiejna S: Whole-body cryotherapy as adjunct treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2008, 56(1):63-68.
Wehr TA, Sack DA, Rosenthal NE: Seasonal affective disorder with summer depression and winter hypomania. Am J Psychiatry 1987, 144(12):1602-1603. (This study describes one female patient who tested cold showers for 5 days).
Yavari A: The Effect of Swimming in Reduction of Depression in University Male Students. Research Journal of Biological Sciences 2008, 3: 543-545.


Heating of the body improves depressed mood:
Koltyn KF, Robins HI, Schmitt CL, Cohen JD, Morgan WP: Changes in mood state following whole-body hyperthermia. Int J Hyperthermia 1992, 8(3):305-307.


These references are from Nikolai Shevchuk's book, which can be downloaded for free on Amazon. The book also describes an "antidepressant diet".

 

[bubba]

There is a study done which shows increased white blood cell counts in people taking cold showers compared to hot showers but yet again nowhere can show me the study. I've actually emailed the institute that performed the study back in 1993 asking them if they can send me the study or point me in the right direction.

plenty of studies are cited in this free article:
Shevchuk NA, Radoja S: Possible stimulation of anti-tumor immunity using repeated cold stress: a hypothesis. Infectious Agents and Cancer 2007, 2:20.

 

[bubba]

I find a nice hot bath, relaxes and cheers me up no end.

Several studies showing that body heating reduces anxiety:
Bulbena A, Sperry L, Garcia Rivera C, Merino A, Mateu G, Torrens M, San Gil J, Cunillera J: Impact of the summer 2003 heat wave on the activity of two psychiatric emergency departments. Actas Esp Psiquiatr 2009, 37(3):158-165.
Levine BA: Use of hydrotherapy in reduction of anxiety. Psychol Rep 1984, 55(2):526.
Benfield RD, Hortobagyi T, Tanner CJ, Swanson M, Heitkemper MM, Newton ER: The effects of hydrotherapy on anxiety, pain, neuroendocrine responses, and contraction dynamics during labor. Biol Res Nurs 2010, 12(1):28-36.
Park OB, Choi H: The effect of pre-warming for patients under abdominal surgery on body temperature, anxiety, pain, and thermal comfort. J Korean Acad Nurs 2010, 40(3):317-325.