I don’t know why, but personally I just love going to the steam room in winter. During the snowy season, a certain magic is felt in the bathhouse, penetrating into the most secret corners of the soul. In addition, in the frosty season, when the earth basks in the fluffy embrace of a snow-white fur coat, visiting a health resort is extremely useful. Velvet steam combined with pristine snow is a life-giving balm that fills all the cracks of a wounded soul and a body tormented by disease.
What? Have you ever jumped into the snow after a bath? Yes..., dear friends, you simply cannot imagine what sensations this procedure can give! “Swimming” in the snow is rapture, bliss, euphoria, pleasure. I could select words to describe this procedure endlessly, but they will not be able to approximately convey the sensations experienced by a person jumping into a fluffy fresh snowdrift.
Want to try? Great. In that case, I think you will be interested in reading this article. I will tell you about the dangers and benefits, the opinions of doctors regarding this procedure and the rules for its implementation. So, let's begin?
Medical irrefutable evidence
How did people in the past, who knew nothing about medicine, come up with the idea of improving their health in this way? Nobody knows - we can only speculate. But it is obvious that they were not mistaken. Confirmation is a medical report after many experiments. For example, modern devices have recorded a positive reaction of the body to a sharp temperature change.
The equipment confirmed that when a person runs out into the street after a steam room and throws himself into a snowdrift, the body produces a powerful charge of energy. Such a “shake” launches all processes that, for one reason or another, were “in sleep mode.” In general, experienced and novice bathhouse attendants, jumping into the snow after a steam room is a guarantee of indescribable feelings, good health and magical beauty!
Hardening the body
Cold water has healing and hardening properties - this is no longer a secret to anyone. Even the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates himself considered it a very effective therapeutic agent. Therefore, hardening is a very popular method of healing and strengthening the body. But currently there are many opinions about the benefits for humans of dousing with ice water and swimming in ice holes. Let's look at this issue in more detail.
What are the benefits of dousing with cold water?
Of course, ice water itself does not cure the human body, but, without any doubt, it increases its internal potential. By dousing yourself with such water or diving into an ice hole, a person receives a certain “shock” that lasts only 1.5 minutes. After it, hidden energy resources are awakened in the body, which are responsible for the functioning of the thermoregulation mechanism. Interestingly, with such “shock” therapy, the temperature of the skin becomes lower, and the flow of blood to the internal organs increases, which leads to an increase in heat generation by 10 times or even more.
Thanks to hardening, the body's metabolism is normalized, excess fat is burned, and body weight is reduced. The level of cholesterol and blood sugar also decreases, the production of sex hormones increases, and the withering of cells slows down. After such “cold” procedures, a person usually experiences joy and a surge of strength. This occurs due to the release of joy hormones into the blood.
A seasoned person is better adapted to changing weather and cold climates, very rarely suffers from colds, is cheerful, has a strong nervous system and is often in excellent spirits. Any beginner who swims in an ice hole for the first time will confirm that a feeling of lightness and pleasant warmth appears in the body, even if it is frosty outside, and the mood improves.
Contraindications to dousing
- exacerbation of chronic diseases,
- heart failure,
- cardiac ischemia,
- tachycardia,
- skin diseases,
- eye pressure disorder
- menstruation.
Hypertensive and hypotensive patients should also wait with douches during increases or decreases in pressure.
Where to start pouring cold water
Having decided to seriously strengthen your immunity by dousing yourself with cold water or winter bathing, remember one thing: you should be careful and do everything gradually. Any person knows the feeling of euphoria and a surge of vigor after exposure to cold water. This can give confidence in his limitless powers. This is where the big mistake and danger lies. In this state, a person ceases to adequately assess his physical strength and level of health. Many people immediately want to take a long swim in cold water. Without following certain rules for adapting the body, without conducting systematic training, instead of a healing effect, you can “earn” negative stress for the whole body.
After such thoughtless hypothermia, a person’s skin becomes blue, blood pressure increases, and a negative altered state of consciousness has often been observed. The human body, of course, can recover in a couple of hours, but is it really worth doing such harm to yourself instead of benefit?
Types of hardening - rubbing, shower, dousing, etc.
Remember that winter swimming and dousing should be considered as therapeutic and health procedures, and only then as a sport (this applies to marathon swims). Therefore, you should start gradually, slowly, wisely combining physical and cold exercise. It would be better to start preparing your body and systematic bathing in the warm summer. But those who decide to start training in winter can also safely begin, resorting to various methods of hardening - rubbing, showering, dousing, etc.
Hardening rules
1. Pouring water begins from the knees down -> from the waist down -> right arm from the shoulder down -> back -> left arm from the shoulder down -> chest from the neck down -> and only then the head is poured. Spend 2-3 seconds on each dousing area.
2. At the initial stages of hardening, the water temperature should be such that it will not take your breath away while pouring over your head and back. Lower the water temperature gradually, don’t rush into anything!
3. After dousing, there is no need to rub yourself; it will be enough to lightly blot your body with a terry towel. Why shouldn't you do this? If you start rubbing yourself, there is a chance that you will rub some areas of your body more strongly and some less. As a result of this, some pores will remain closed, some will remain open.
If you follow these tips, then depending on what time you do the hardening, there will be a different effect. In the morning, dousing will invigorate you, and in the evening it will (surprisingly) relax you. Of course, everything is individual, and the results may vary.
Hardening with a contrast shower
A contrast shower prepares the body for sudden temperature changes. The procedure should begin with warm water and end with cold water.
Pouring cold water
This is the best way to start your hardening and a way to prepare for winter swimming. Even a short exposure to cold water on human skin (1-5 seconds) can activate acupuncture points. Due to this, the body temperature rises, and as a result, numerous harmful microorganisms burn like fire, and the human body begins to quickly fight diseases. That is why dousing with cold water is used to treat colds and strengthen the immune system.
We advise everyone who wants to get rid of colds to douse themselves with 2-3 buckets of cold water. For healthy people, to harden the body, it will be enough to pour out one bucket of cold water every morning. If it is not possible to do this outside, then you can do it in the bathroom. There are no excuses!
