Do Cold Showers Burn Fat & Help You Lose Weight?

Cold showers have recently gained attention for their potential to help fat loss and calorie burning. But can taking a cold shower actually help burn fat, and if so, how much?

While cold showers do lead to calorie and fat burning, the amount is relatively small. It doesn’t replace the need for a balanced diet and regular exercise. However, consistently taking cold showers over a prolonged period, like several months or years, can accumulate into a notable calorie burn, further supporting a comprehensive weight loss strategy.

This article dives deep into the mechanisms through which cold showers may aid in fat loss. We’ll demystify concepts such as the activation of brown fat and its role in metabolism, the release of fat-burning hormones, and the connection between cold showers and improved sleep quality, insulin sensitivity, and reduced inflammation.

We’ll also assess the real weight-loss significance of cold showers and delve into other potential health advantages they offer. This comprehensive analysis will illustrate how cold showers, when combined with proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management, can enhance fat loss results.

How Do Cold Showers Burn Fat?

Before exploring whether cold showers can burn fat, it helps to understand how your body stores and uses fat for energy.

Fat Storage 101

Fat storage occurs mainly in the form of white adipose tissue, or white fat. This is the excess calories from food that get packaged into triglycerides and accumulate in fat cells around your hips, thighs, belly, and other areas.

In contrast, brown adipose tissue or brown fat burns calories to generate heat and maintain body temperature in cold conditions. Babies have a lot of brown fat, but adults have very little.

Lastly, beige fat is white fat that has been converted into metabolically-active, brown-like fat.

For your body to tap into fat reserves and “burn fat” for energy requires two key steps:

• Mobilization: Hormones signal to break down triglycerides in fat cells into free fatty acids. This releases them into the bloodstream.
• Oxidation: The mobilized fatty acids are transported to muscles and tissues to be burned for energy.

If fatty acids are mobilized but aren’t oxidized properly, they simply re-deposit as white fat.

This is where cold showers may help by providing small boosts to fat mobilization and burning through several mechanisms. Let’s look at whether each of the following seven mechanisms actually translates to significant calorie and fat burn.

1. Cold Showers Raise Metabolic Rate

Cold showers can give your metabolism a nice boost. Exposure to chilly water activates brown fat, prompts shivering, and ultimately increases the number of calories your body burns.

Routine cold showers may slightly help weight loss over time by increasing your overall metabolic rate and increasing your supply of brown fat.

Let’s dive a little deeper into how cold showers increase your metabolism.

Brown Fat (BAT) Activation

Cold showers may help burn fat by activating brown adipose tissue (BAT), also called brown fat. Brown fat generates heat by burning fat and sugar through a process called “non-shivering thermogenesis.”

Studies show that cold exposure, like taking a cold shower or ice bath, activates brown fat activity. This allows brown fat to burn more calories and can even help the body produce more brown fat.

One 2014 study [1] exposed mice to 39°F (4°C) air for 1-8 hours, 3 times per week. This activated their brown fat and doubled their metabolic rate during the study. However, the mice ate more to compensate, so they did not lose weight.

Another 2000 study [2] immersed young men up to their necks in cold water for one hour at different temperatures:

• 32°C (89°F): no change in metabolic rate
• 20°C (68°F): 93% increase in metabolic rate
• 14°C (57°F): 350% increase in metabolic rate

These results indicate that colder water has a greater impact on raising metabolic rate.

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Increased Brown Fat (BAT) Stores

Research shows overweight people tend to have less active brown fat. So lean individuals may see better effects from cold showers.

However, studies suggest long-term mild cold exposure can help anyone build up more brown fat over time. This leads to higher ongoing metabolic activity.

So, in addition to cold showers activating brown fat, they also help your body put on more of this helpful calorie-burning fat.

Shivering

Cold showers may also increase metabolism through shivering. When cold, the body shivers to generate heat and maintain core temperature.

Shivering is involuntary muscle contractions that produce heat and boost metabolism. It allows the body to warm up in freezing environments.

Shivering requires energy, so the increased muscle activity raises calorie burning, which can increase your metabolic rate.

While shivering raises metabolism during cold showers, brown fat activation seems to have a bigger, longer-lasting impact.

So to sum it up, cold showers can slightly impact your metabolism by utilizing brown fat and shivering to burn calories for heat. Routine cold showers also increase your current brown fat stores, which further increases the calories your body burns during cold exposure.

2. Cold Showers Release Fat-Burning Hormones

Taking a cold shower causes your body to release hormones that can help burn fat, including norepinephrine and dopamine.

Noradrenaline

Cold showers increase norepinephrine levels, which is a stress hormone released by the sympathetic nervous system. Norepinephrine can raise your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar. It also breaks down fat cells and releases fatty acids into your bloodstream to be used for energy.

One 2008 study [3] found that short cold water exposure of 0°C for just 20 seconds led to a 2-3 times increase in norepinephrine. That flood of norepinephrine signals your body to start burning fat for fuel.

Dopamine

A 2000 study [2] showed that cold water immersion at 14°C increased plasma dopamine concentrations by 250%.

Higher dopamine levels from a cold shower can also influence fat burning in a few ways. Dopamine is a chemical messenger in your brain that plays roles in motivation, reward, and learning.

When your dopamine increases, you tend to feel more motivated and energetic. This can drive you to exercise and be active more, which is key for burning calories and losing weight.

Dopamine also helps regulate your metabolism. More dopamine tends to rev up your metabolism, leading to more calorie burning. This is because dopamine activates brown fat production. As we’ve covered above, brown fat burns energy to generate heat.

Additionally, dopamine reduces stress and anxiety. High stress raises cortisol, which promotes fat storage. Lower stress from dopamine prevents excess fat storage indirectly.

See our article on cold showers and dopamine for more info and research on the connections.

3. Cold Showers Can Increase Testosterone

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone and plays important roles in building muscle mass and influencing fat metabolism. Higher testosterone levels can make it easier to lose fat.

4. Cold Showers Reduce Stress Hormones

Cortisol is released during times of stress. While beneficial for small bursts of energy, chronically elevated cortisol encourages fat accumulation and belly fat storage. Lowering high cortisol levels allows the body to more easily tap into fat stores for energy usage and prevent excess fat accumulation over time.

A 2008 study [3] found that repeated cold water exposure led to adaptation in the body’s stress response, resulting in decreased cortisol release. This habituation effect means the body may learn to have a dampened cortisol reaction to cold temperature stress after consistent cold showering.

Additionally, for some individuals, the refreshing jolt of a cold shower can lower anxiety levels. Lower anxiety means lower cortisol secretion.

This is also helpful for fat loss because high anxiety often spurs cravings for sugary, fatty comfort foods that contribute extra calories and fat. Reduced anxiety minimizes these urges.

In summary, brisk cold showers may promote easier fat loss by lowering the key stress hormone cortisol via two mechanisms:

1. Cold showers decrease cortisol release long-term by intentionally stressing the body and building resilience.
2. Cold showers reduce anxiety levels which decrease cortisol and minimizes cravings for sugary, fatty foods.

The end result is an improved hormonal environment more conducive to tapping into fat stores.

5. Cold Showers Improve Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin is a hormone that helps get glucose (sugar) from your blood into your cells to use for energy. When your cells stop responding as well to insulin, it’s called insulin resistance. This makes it harder for your body to process sugars, and can lead to weight gain over time.

Cold showers may help improve insulin sensitivity, which is the opposite of insulin resistance. This means your cells become more responsive to insulin, so less is needed to handle blood sugars.

A 2015 study [5] found that people with type 2 diabetes who were exposed to cool temperatures (60°F) for ten days improved their insulin sensitivity by 43%.

Insulin sensitivity got better because the cold caused more activation of brown fat. Brown fat generates heat to keep your body warm by burning glucose and fat. So when brown fat revs up in cold conditions, it helps pull sugar out of the blood to burn as fuel. This lowers blood sugar and improves insulin function.

Another study [6] had similar findings. People who sat in 15-16°C temperatures for 6 hours increased their brown fat activity. This led to better insulin sensitivity and more glucose getting absorbed into muscles and brown fat tissue.

In simpler terms, cold showers improve insulin sensitivity by:

• Activating brown fat to burn more blood sugars for heat
• Help cells throughout the body take in and use glucose better
• Improve insulin’s ability to lower blood sugars
• Reduce how much insulin your body needs to process sugars

Together, this can regulate appetite, prevent blood sugar spikes, and reduce fat storage over time.

6. Cold Showers Reduce Inflammation

Exposure to cold water during brisk cold showers can help lower inflammation in the body, potentially aiding fat loss efforts. Chronic inflammation is linked to increased appetite, insulin resistance, and the accumulation of unhealthy belly fat.

Cold water immersion causes blood vessels to constrict, resulting in reduced blood flow and swelling in affected areas. This can directly reduce local inflammation. Cold showers may also boost circulation as blood vessels constrict and dilate, flushing out toxins.

Additionally, brief cold exposure activates brown adipose tissue (brown fat). Active brown fat releases a substance called “maresin 2″ that helps calm immune cells called “macrophages” that drive inflammation. This release ultimately lowers systemic inflammation.

One 2022 meta-analysis [7] found that regular winter swimmers had lower oxidative stress and more circulating antioxidants. This indicates less inflammation and cellular damage overall.

Another 2022 study [8] showed mice exposed to the cold had less obesity-related inflammation and an improved ability to utilize insulin and blood sugar. This effect was thanks to maresin 2 produced by cold-activated brown fat targeting inflammatory macrophages.

7. Cold Showers Improve Sleep Quality

Cold showers can enhance sleep quality through several mechanisms. Firstly, the cold temperature lowers core body temperature, which initiates sleep since body temperature naturally drops before bedtime.

Cold showers also boost circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to muscles to create drowsiness. Moreover, they upregulate genes involved in producing melatonin, the sleep-regulating hormone, as demonstrated in a 2018 hamster study [9].

In turn, improved sleep quality aids fat loss. During sleep, metabolism-boosting hormones increase, allowing more calories to be burnt at rest. Sleep also lowers levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, curbing cravings for unhealthy foods.

Enhanced sleep improves insulin sensitivity as well, decreasing blood sugar and preventing weight gain. With higher energy levels, better mood, and strengthened willpower from quality sleep, it becomes easier to exercise consistently and make healthy diet choices. Furthermore, the stress and cravings that disrupt eating habits and motivation are reduced.

So through lowering body temperature, increasing relaxation, boosting melatonin, and restoring energy, cold showers can optimize sleep to support easier, more effective fat loss.

Do Cold Showers Burn Significant Fat?

Cold showers on their own are unlikely to lead to significant fat loss or weight reduction for most people. The spike in metabolism and calories burned from brief cold exposure is negligible in the context of substantial weight loss.

However, incorporating occasional cold showers into a holistic, healthy lifestyle can provide modest complementary fat-burning effects over time. When combined with proper nutrition, regular exercise, quality sleep, and stress management, cold showers can be a useful addition to accelerate fat loss efforts.

But as part of this holistic approach, adopting cold showers as one habit in your regimen can potentially contribute to incremental fat burning and help you reach your body composition goals a bit faster. The more pieces of the puzzle you address, the greater your chances of success.

Other Benefits of Cold Showers

While cold showers aren’t likely to lead to major fat burning, taking brisk cold showers can provide other revitalizing health benefits. Here are some of the top ways that making cold showers a habit can improve your overall well-being:

• Waking you up and boosting focus: The cold water triggers a surge of energizing hormones that make you feel refreshed, alert, and ready to concentrate. Cold showers can be even more effective than coffee at providing a sustained energy and mental clarity boost.
• Improving circulation: As blood vessels constrict and dilate in response to the cold, circulation increases, delivering more oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. This also aids muscle recovery and gives you an energizing rush.
• Reducing muscle soreness: The increased blood flow flushes out lactic acid buildup in muscles, while the cold temperature reduces inflammation and swelling. This combination helps accelerate recovery after tough workouts.
• Building willpower and mental toughness: Facing the initial cold shock builds grit and self-discipline. This mental strength gained carries over to support achieving goals in other areas of life.
• Lowering stress and depression: The natural mood-lifting flood of endorphins can reduce anxiety, relieve tension, and boost overall feelings of well-being. This stress relief can happen immediately but also compounds over time.
• Enhancing hair and skin health: The cold water closes hair cuticles reducing frizz and increasing shine. It constricts pores, decreasing oiliness and acne. The boosted circulation also gives skin a healthy glow.

For a comprehensive overview of the wide-ranging health benefits of cold showers, see our in-depth guide, “Health Benefits of Cold Showers.”

Final Thoughts

Cold showers provide an array of revitalizing benefits but likely only minimally impact fat burning. While brief cold water exposure does burn some extra calories and provide small metabolic boosts, substantial weight loss requires a comprehensive lifestyle approach.

If you currently lead an inactive lifestyle with poor sleep and nutrition, adding in occasional cold showers will not lead to significant fat loss on its own. Get your diet, exercise, sleep, and stress under control first.

However, if you already lead an active, healthy lifestyle and want to experiment with biohacking tools, go ahead and add cold showers to your regimen. The shot of energy, circulation enhancement, and potential recovery and immunity benefits are well worth trying.

Over many months and years, the minor calorie burn could accumulate into an incremental but meaningful fat loss when combined strategically with other positive habits. But don’t obsess over the numbers on your scale. Focus instead on how refreshed and vibrant cold showers make you feel.

Let the cold water wake you up, relieve aches, and wash away stress. If some modest fat loss occurs as well, even better. But your motivation should be feeling invigorated and mentally tough to take on your day.

References

1. Kowaltowski, Alicia J. “Cold Exposure and the Metabolism of Mice, Men, and Other Wonderful Creatures.” Physiology (Bethesda, Md.) vol. 37,5 (2022): 0. doi:10.1152/physiol.00002.2022
2. Šrámek, P., Šimečková, M., Janský, L. et al. Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures. Eur J Appl Physiol 81, 436–442 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004210050065
3. Leppäluoto, J et al. “Effects of long-term whole-body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta-endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy females.” Scandinavian journal of clinical and laboratory investigation vol. 68,2 (2008): 145-53. doi:10.1080/00365510701516350
4. Checinska-Maciejewska, Z et al. “Regular cold water swimming during winter time affects resting hematological parameters and serum erythropoietin.” Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society vol. 70,5 (2019): 10.26402/jpp.2019.5.10. doi:10.26402/jpp.2019.5.10
5. Hanssen, Mark J W et al. “Short-term cold acclimation improves insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.” Nature medicine vol. 21,8 (2015): 863-5. doi:10.1038/nm.3891
6. van der Lans AA, Hoeks J, Brans B, Vijgen GH, Visser MG, Vosselman MJ, Hansen J, Jörgensen JA, Wu J, Mottaghy FM, Schrauwen P, van Marken Lichtenbelt WD. Cold acclimation recruits human brown fat and increases nonshivering thermogenesis. J Clin Invest. 2013 Aug;123(8):3395-403. doi: 10.1172/JCI68993. Epub 2013 Jul 15. PMID: 23867626; PMCID: PMC3726172.
7. Esperland D, de Weerd L, Mercer JB. Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debate. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2022 Dec;81(1):2111789. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2022.2111789. PMID: 36137565; PMCID: PMC9518606.
8. Sugimoto, Satoru et al. “Brown adipose tissue-derived MaR2 contributes to cold-induced resolution of inflammation.” Nature metabolism vol. 4,6 (2022): 775-790. doi:10.1038/s42255-022-00590-0
9. Xu, Xiaoying et al. “Association of Melatonin Production with Seasonal Changes, Low Temperature, and Immuno-Responses in Hamsters.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 23,3 703. 20 Mar. 2018, doi:10.3390/molecules23030703