'James Bond shower' method has some incredible health benefits

If you're a hot shower lover like many of us are, then we have some bad news for you.

There is a method of showering, dubbed the 'James Bond shower' or 'Scottish shower', which will not feel like the sauna-type showers you may be used to waking up with.

The shower method is essentially turning the tap to a freezing cold, icy temperature of water that washes over you, that apparently brings about a lot of health benefits.

Its positives may just outweigh having a boiling hot shower, as they extend far beyond that feel-good factor.

Its not just our body, but our skin that benefits from these colder showers, while burning fat and helping to combat depression.

It increases alertness as well, with the result of shock responsive deep breathing increasing our overall oxygen intake, and keeping our mental sharpness up.

As well as tightening our pores and preventing dirt from seeping in, hair follicles flatten and grip the scalp to generate shiny and healthy hair.

The method improves immunity and blood circulation too, directly improving overall heart health, as well as helping us lose fat in our bodies as they generate brown fat, known as good fat that generates heat.

If you're a fitness freak, there's more good news as it assists in muscle recovery and delays onset muscle soreness, relieving muscles for one to four days after exercise.

Getty Stock Images/Carlos Barquero

If those positives weren't enough, there are more. It helps to reduce and release stress, as a study in 1994 found that an increase of glutathione - an antioxidant that ensures the best performance of other antioxidants - is evident after these showers.

Electrical impulses are sent to the brain due to the shocking impact of cold receptors when our bodies are submerged in freezing water.

It results in a mental 'pick me up', acting as an antidepressant and boosting our mood.

A 2008 study showed that when cold hydrotherapy was practiced, it had an analgesic effect on individuals and was a treatment for depression without human dependancy.

All these physical and mental positives help to make sense of the reasons why athletes and soldiers alike take regular ice baths after workouts, as it helps to clear their mind and body of any negative remnants.

With just a short cold shower or ice bath a day, you could vastly improve your overall health, and it only takes a few minutes of enduring the freezing cold.

Will you be trying it?

Topics: Hacks, Health, James Bond, Mental Health

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

@joshnair10