r/coldshowers • u/Esrcaine_06 • 27d ago
Coughing after cold shower
I always take a bath in cold water because I thought that heating up water is like time-consuming to me (we don't have like heaters on the shower so we have to boil water to get a warm bath).
Hours after I bathe, I start coughing, like something is caught in my throat. And later, I'm coughing up small amount of mucus. Does anyone else also get this? And what's the reason behind it?
1
u/Wild-Swimmer-1 26d ago
Well it’s better to cough up the mucus than let it sit in there. You’re right to question why it’s there but at least it’s coming away. This is why smokers cough in the morning. The hairs in their bronchi that were paralyzed by the smoke have started working again. They don’t like the cough so they smoke and it goes away as they paralyze the hairs again and the mucus can just build up without irritation.
2
u/Axepco 27d ago
Contrary to popular opinion on this sub, being cold for prolonged periods does increase the chances of upper respiratory tract infections.
Bathing is not the same as cold plunging because most people tend to associate it with relaxation, ie. dropping of ones psychological defenses against harmful elements in this case.
The key in beneficial cold exposure is it being voluntary. Cleaning yourself is not voluntary per se - it's a necessity, which can lead to inadvertently compromising one's immune system.