Why does nobody talk about how cold showers wreck your sleep if you do them too late?

I've been doing cold plunges in my bathtub for about 6 weeks, trying to get that morning energy boost people swear by. Last Tuesday I tried one at 8 PM instead of 6 AM and my heart rate was jacked up until 1 AM, could barely sleep. Anyone else find a specific cutoff time that works for them without messing up their circadian rhythm?

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.leo6d ago

Got a cold plunge after reading a study about brown fat activation and figured later would be fine. Did one at 7:30 PM and laid there staring at the ceiling until 3 AM. Heart was pounding, head felt buzzy, total opposite of winding down. Changed my whole view on it honestly, I used to think timing didn't matter as long as you got the exposure in. Now I stick to 10 AM at the latest and sleep way better. 2 PM sounds like a good cutoff, might push mine a little later but not by much.

quinnm776d ago

Whoa hold up, I actually kinda disagree here. Cold exposure at night works amazing for me personally, I just do a quick 2 minute blast at the end of my shower around 9 PM and I'm out like a light by 10. Maybe it's different for everyone but my body seems to calm down after the initial shock wears off, not get all wired up. I think the key is keeping it short and not doing a full plunge that drops your core temp way down. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

val_shah6d ago

8 PM is way too late for cold exposure unless you want to be wired all night. I've been messing with cold showers for a few years now and my cutoff is 2 PM max. Anything after that and my body treats it like a jolt of caffeine. Your nervous system gets activated and stays that way for hours. Try moving it to right after work if you can, or just stick to mornings like most people do.

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