Do Cold Showers Help Headaches

Dealing with headaches, even the occasional one, can be a difficult and taxing process. These headaches can come quickly and without warning. They can last for long or short periods of time, and they can cause little or debilitating amounts of pain. Whatever the case, we know "just dealing with it" isn't the only option, and it shouldn't be the best you can do.

Most people who suffer from headaches go through a miserable process of combining treatments, testing solutions, and enduring. We're here to offer up another option. If you haven't tried cold therapy, now is the time to start.

Can Showers Help Relieve a Migraine Headache?

The short answer is that, yes, cold showers often can relieve headache symptoms, even something as intense as a migraine attack. Most of us have put a cold compress on an injury to relieve pain and inflammation. 

How Does a Cold Shower Help Relieve Headaches?

Everyone experiences headaches differently, and, unfortunately, there is no cure-all. However, cold showers help relieve headaches in multiple ways, which means there's a high chance of you finding relief with this method.

Block pain

Cold showers interrupt the pain pathways in your body. Sensory receptors are in all layers of the skin. When the body feels the cold water on areas that are bothering you, the pain signals are blocked in the wake of new stimuli.

Reduce Migraine

A cool shower may have the same effect on a migraine as an ice pack or a cool cloth. The cold temperatures reduce inflammation, which often reduces pain.

Cold temperatures cause vasoconstriction, which is a narrowing of the blood vessels. One of the most typical migraine drugs (triptans) causes vasoconstriction to lower the pain threshold. Though cold water and triptans work differently, they cause the body to react similarly, which often leads to similar results.

Improves Your Circulation

When cold water hits your body, it constricts the circulation that happens on the surface of your body, but it causes the blood in your deeper tissue to move faster because it's maintaining an ideal body temperature. This factor is exactly why experts recommend cold showers as a means of increasing circulation and blood flow.

Can Cold Showers Treat Headaches?

There is no evidence that cold showers will stop all migraine attacks or other, smaller headaches, but they can be used to help alleviate the pain, should one occur. It is best to limit your showers to 5-10 minutes.

What Are the Risks of Cold Showers for Headache Pain?

Just as extremely hot temperatures have their risks, so do cold temperatures.

Increase Blood Pressure

Due to the initial shock that comes with exposing yourself to cold water, there is a spike in blood pressure and heart rate. If you have pre-existing hypertension or other heart conditions, this spike could be dangerous. Discuss cold showering with your doctor before you go through with it.

Decrease Core Temperature

While briefly exposing yourself to cold waters is safe for most people, it's important to avoid staying in for too long. If your core body temperature is too low for too lengthy a period, it could get dangerous. If you experience signs of hypothermia such a intense shivering, confusion, or drowsiness, it is important that you get warm immediately.

Magnify Chills/Fever

Use cold showers with caution, and if you notice that you're experiencing chills or body aches, get out and get warm. Sometimes, the cold of a shower, though likely to improve headaches, could cause certain flu symptoms to worsen.

What Are the Risks of Cold Showers for Migraine Pain?

Migraine headaches are just more intense headaches that carry their own set of risks. Some of the risks have to do with increased pain, but all of them should be considered before moving forward.

Aggravating migraines

If you're prone to migraines that are triggered by temperature changes, a cold shower is only going to make the situation worse. Anyone who is commonly affected by migraines should ease into the process by starting with a cool shower and monitoring how their head feels.

Risk of Fall or Injury

Some symptoms of migraines include dizziness, blurred vision, and balance issues. Showers are slick which means the risk of slipping and falling increases every time you step in.

Intracranial Pressure Effects

With cold-induced vasoconstriction, there comes a small risk that intracranial pressure could severely worsen headache pain for those with conditions like aneurysms or chronic migraines.

Can a Cold Plunge Help Your Headache?

There have been multiple scientific studies done that show how cold plunging positively impacts the entire body. Headaches are no exception. A careful, curated approach to cold plunging can increase the health of your whole body.

Could I Build My Own Cold Plunge At Home?

You certainly can make your own cold plunge from the comfort of your home! In fact, it's a much more reliable way of ensuring you get quality than going with a pool company that might or might not be reputable.

DIY Pools and Spas has created a course that will walk you through every step of the process. You will never feel unprepared or left out if you do this course because the creator, Brandon, built it from the ground up by purchasing the necessary parts and figuring out the process on his own. It's designed to make the health benefits of cold plunging available to anyone who wants to start their journey towards a better life.

Conclusion

Headache pain is something none of us wants to live with. It's difficult to manage life when your head is fighting you every step of the way. That's why we're here to provide you with solutions. Taking a cold shower is the gateway to cold plunging, which is the first step on the road to health. If you experience headaches often, it might be worthwhile to join the ever-growing group of people who love and use their cold plunge every day.