Cold showers/baths for depression/anxiety/panic?

Hi all:

I recently stumbled across a website that talks about the health benefits of taking cold showers or baths. I've googled it, and I've been reading about the experiences people have had with it. One thing that keeps popping up is the claim that it has helped some people with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and even insomnia. I'm not suffering any of those problems myself, so I can't personally testify that it helps. I just thought it was interesting and worth mentioning.

I did start taking cold showers myself a week or so ago. I can say that it's not as bad as you might imagine, and you do get used to it. I started by just taking a regular shower, then turning the water to cold for the last 20 or 30 seconds. I'm now up to the point where I just take the whole shower in cold water.

I can see where the cold shower or bath might help with depression. I imagine you release various hormones that might ease depression. Certainly it's an invigorating experience - it wakes you up!

Anyway I'm sure most people wouldn't want to take a cold shower, but I figured it couldn't hurt to mention it. Maybe someone would like to try it.

When I was doing DBT they talked about this. They said when you are all done showering, turn the water to as cold as you can stand it and let it run on you for 20-30 seconds. I think that it has something to do with mindfulness??

Hm I don't know much about it an depression - i do know its supposed to have some good effects, related to hormones/brain chemistry so it follows that it could have some effect on depression.

I'll definitely take a look - thanks for posting this

With dbt I've been told to use ice when I'm upset to "cool down". For some reason it slows things down. I thought it might have something to do with the mamalian dive reflex?

I would be careful in a way if you have heart/stroke issues. I know jumping into cold water brings on the whole fight or flight response of the body. Your heart rate will skyrocket if TOTALLY immersed in water much colder than you. People who have gone white water rafting and fallen in have had heart attacks from the temperature difference. I guess your reaction will depend on the exact temperature and the duration.

My therapist recommended I do this, and I do find that it helps, if only temporarily in my case.

One researcher's hypothesis: "Exposure to cold is known to activate the sympathetic nervous system and increase the blood level of beta-endorphin and noradrenaline and to increase synaptic release of noradrenaline in the brain as well. Additionally, due to the high density of cold receptors in the skin, a cold shower is expected to send an overwhelming amount of electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings to the brain, which could result in an anti-depressive effect."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17993252

Taking a cold shower, or sticking your head under cold water is sometimes recommended to people to interrupt suicidal thoughts. It triggers the fight or flight response in your brain, as well as the survival instinct. It can be just enough to, at least momentarily, jerk yourself out of those thoughts in a crisis.
Personally I can't use this due to a trigger issue, but it has worked in the past for my SO. She has stated it made her feel really mad, which was enough to counteract the depression long enough to avoid hurting herself.
Thanks for sharing this.

I definitely do this, feels great though I have it cold throughout. I wake up a little bit though can't totally and just feel great whereas nothing else I feel anything from so I'll take it.

I can see how it might work for depression, but for anxiety? The fight/flight is already being triggered way too much in my body, don't want to add to it with a cold shower! Plus, ya know, brrrr!

Thank you, Costello, for this topic. It's worth investigating.

I've read about patients being wrapped in cold wet sheets as "therapy"...in early 20th century mental hospitals/insane asylums.
Would I feel happier after stepping out of an ice cold shower? Yes... but if I held my hand on a hot oven I would feel much happier after removing my hand from the hot oven
I wouldn't even want to imagine being wrapped in wet sheets or having a cold shower but if it works for you...

Why add to my morning suffering

I guess it has to do with pain relieving hormones being released? I heard it was good for rheumatism too, and I can imagine getting under cold water if I had rheumatism.

That was one of the first things I thought about when I read about cold showers for depression. In fact if you google it, you'll find stories about cold baths for psychiatric treatment in hospitals 100 years ago or so. It makes me wonder if people have known for a long time that cold baths/showers help with depression.

I'm strongly opposed to forced psychiatric treatment in most cases. I have a son with a psychotic illness who has been tied down and forcibly medicated. There is evidence that if a treatment if forced on someone it has a different effect than if it is taken willingly. So if you take a cold shower willingly, it may be therapeutic. If I hold you down and force you into a cold bath, you'll likely experience it as traumatic. My son is still trying to process an experience he had in a hospital two years ago. He compares it to being raped. Not therapeutic IMO.