Can a Cold Shower Increase Testosterone?

If you are thinking of taking cold showers to increase testosterone, let me tell you that there are conflicting views about it. While some researchers have failed to find any link between cold showers and increasing testosterone levels, others do advocate that having cold showers can lead to a drop-down in the temperature of your scrotum or testes resulting in better testosterone and sperm production.

Before I get any further, I think I should specify here that one of the best and proven ways to boost testosterone in men is with the help of natural testosterone supplements such as Testogen which is formulated with 100% natural ingredients including herbal extracts, minerals, and vitamins and has helped more than 118,000 men in more than 134 countries since 2014.

This is a supplement that helps your body produce more testosterone on its own and can help with both muscle building and your sex life. Not just this, it is one of the best recourses for men trying to get over the effects of andropause and low testosterone.

Arguments in favor – Cold Showers Boost Testosterone

Cold showers are known to offer a lot of health benefits and one of them is supposed to be a better working and a stronger immune system. Not just that, a lot of people think and vouch for its benefits when it comes to your hair and skin. As compared to warm water, a lot of people think cold water can help improve your skin and hair condition.

Cold showers have been used for increasing blood circulation and for enhancing testosterone. Now, this is what a lot of guys think. Let’s find out what the proponents of this theory say…

Blood Circulation is what matters!

The main crux of this cold shower therapy is to help your body pump more blood in order to keep your organs warm. In simple words, a cold shower can spike up blood circulation in your body since it will help blood flow faster throughout the body. Now, when I say that it is going to improve blood flow throughout the body, it means your genitals are also included.

More nutrient-rich blood to the genitals is definitely going to help boost your sex drive. This is because proper blood flow to the genitals is the most important pre-requisite when it comes to enhancing libido or sex drive in men. One of the common reasons why men who follow a sedentary lifestyle have poor sex drive is because of reduced blood circulation in their bodies.

But do cold showers increase testosterone?

Yes! The two main reasons include the following:

• First of all, improving blood flow to the testicles ensures a proper supply of minerals such as zinc so that they produce more testosterone.
• Secondly, your testicles are known to work and perform better in the cold! This is why you have your balls in between your legs rather than inside your body. According to experts, the temperature in your testicles is 2 degrees less than the normal body temperature which is optimum for the production of healthy sperm.

So, theoretically speaking cold showers can help boost testosterone production in your body by lowering the temperature in your testicles.

But does it actually work this way?

Arguments Against the effectiveness of cold showers

As a matter of fact, there’s no clinical evidence to back up the claim that cold showers can help increase testosterone in men. Even though they can help increase blood circulation, boost your immune system, improve skin condition, etc., claims regarding testosterone enhancement are not backed by any studies.

On the contrary, a study goes to the extent of suggesting that cold showers may, in fact, lower testosterone in your body.

In that case, you need to look at some other ways to help boost testosterone in your body.

Ways To Boost Testosterone in Men

Here are some proven and great ways to boost endogenous testosterone production in men:

1. Exercise, Lift Weights

One of the most effective ways to boost your T levels is with the help of strength training. There’s nothing that can beat a good exercise session with barbells and dumbbells when it comes to giving a boost to your T levels. It is important to understand that it is strength training and not a cardio session that is going to give the desired boost (in testosterone levels).

HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training is likely to be highly effective as well.

From my personal experience, I can say that squats and deadlifts work great to boost testosterone in your body. If you do a few sets of freehand squats (any formation that could include normal squats, goblet squats, jump squats, etc) before a chest workout, you will most likely get an amazing pump (with the main reason being the increase in your testosterone levels that came with squats).

How long should you workout?

One of the most important questions that need to be answered is – How long should your workout last?

If you are of the opinion that you can train for hours and hours or that a longer workout is going to give you a better testosterone boost then you need to know that your workout should ideally last between 40-60 minutes a session. This is because intense strength training is likely to boost testosterone initially but after an hour or so it may lead to an increase in your Cortisol levels which is likely to lower testosterone!

So, the next time you hit the gym, make sure that you wrap up your workout within an hour or so.

2. Eat Protein, Fat and Carbs

You are what you eat!

This is true and if you want to boost your hormones, you need to have foods that help increase their secretion in the body. So, if you want your body to produce more testosterone, you need to have foods that help increase endogenous testosterone production.

First and foremost, you need to have more protein included in your diet. Protein is not just important to boost muscle growth in your body but is also important to help enhance testosterone. The best form of protein is red meat. Now, it might be high in terms of fat, but is it the single most source of protein that is rich in zinc too. Zinc happens to be the most important mineral that your body requires in order to produce testosterone and it is clinically established that your body absorbs zinc more readily from animal sources rather than plant sources.

So, go ahead and enjoy your steak!

The next thing to take care of in your diet is the essential fats such as Omega 3 fatty acids. A lot of guys think that they can do without fat in their diet. This could be a blunder as your body makes testosterone with cholesterol. As a matter of fact, all anabolic steroid hormones in your body are produced with fat. With low body fat, your body does not have the required fuel that it needs to step up its production of T or HGH!

Thus, it is a great idea to have foods that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and some of the best examples are olives, olive oil, fatty fish like sardines, salmon, etc., That being said, the trick is to have such fats in moderation rather than overdo them!

At the same time, it is essential that you cut down on foods that are rich in carbohydrates and simple sugars since they are known to spike up Insulin levels in your body. It is important to understand that Insulin and Testosterone do not gel with each other. As a matter of fact, high levels of Insulin are known to lower testosterone. Thus, if you are someone with a sweet tooth, you need to reconsider your food choices!

3. Minimize and Manage Stress

Research indicates that chronic stress can elevate Cortisol levels in your body. Now, what you need to understand is that testosterone and stress work in a see-saw manner. When Cortisol goes up, testosterone production in your body is likely to take a negative hit.

Not just this, stress and high levels of Cortisol in the bloodstream are also likely to affect your dietary pattern and make you consume more food thereby impacting your caloric intake. This may lead you to gain more weight and accumulation of excess body fat around body organs (ie., visceral fat). All this may have a negative impact on testosterone production in your body.

The simplest approach to avoid this from happening is to try and minimize stress. Some of the best stress-relieving techniques include yoga meditation, tai-chi, deep breathing exercises, etc. You must practice them on a regular basis to cut down stress levels. Not just this, it is also important to sleep tight and peacefully every night.

4. Get More Rest

As mentioned above, it is important to get adequate sleep each and every night. Your body needs time to recuperate after a grueling day and sleep is what it needs in order to have your energy levels recharged.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that it is during deep sleep that your body produces HGH or human growth hormone that is responsible for producing all the other hormones in your body including testosterone. Sleep disruption tends to affect the circadian rhythm that tends to affect HGH production in your body thereby resulting in lower testosterone levels.

Make it a point to hit the bed early, switch off all the distractions (cell phone, iPad, TV, etc.,), draw the curtains and sleep tight for at least 7-8 hours every night if you want to scale up your testosterone levels.

5. Avoid Estrogen-Like Chemicals

It is not just your diet or sleep or exercise that may affect your testosterone levels. There are certain other factors too. Some estrogen-like chemicals tend to your body and mimic estrogen, thereby lowering testosterone. You need to limit and eliminate their intake if you want to get the required T boost. Plastic is of the biggest culprits here. Using plastic bottles and food containers is something that you need to reconsider. You may also avoid using cosmetics and toiletries that come with parabens.

6. Cut Down Alcohol

If you think you can be on top of your game while gulping down beer and other drinks, you are grossly mistaken. Alcohol is not known to gel with testosterone in your body. As a matter of fact, experts have gone to the extent of saying that Alcohol and testosterone levels are inversely related. If you want to get a testosterone boost, you will have to put down that glass of beer that you enjoy and that includes being sober even on weekends!

7. Use Natural Supplements

When you are on the other side of 30, things begin changing in your body with your testosterone levels going for a dive. Every decade you lose 10% of your testosterone levels and by the time you are hitting 60, you are already 30-40% short of testosterone. Now, factors such as stress and sleep deprivation can further exacerbate things. Even though diet, exercise and enough sleep can help, you may also require natural supplements to boost your T levels once again(Check Testogen above).

Conclusion

It is a matter of debate whether cold showers can help boost testosterone levels or not. Personally, I feel that they may not have so much of an effect on your testosterone levels as compared to some of the other ways to boost your testosterone levels mentioned above. So, if you really want to get a T boost then change your diet, exercise regularly and try to include a natural testosterone supplement in your daily routine. I am sure you would be able to see and experience the results within weeks of doing so.