1% Thursday: Cold in the Summer, Hot in the Winter

It’s amazing just how well it seems to work for some people.  Particularly those who haven’t been sleeping well, or who have trouble getting to sleep.

The trick?  Take a hot bath/shower during cold weather, and a cold bath/shower during hot weather.

Hot and cold showers have been claimed as the sources of all sorts of health benefits.  But in this case, it’s the rise and dip (or dip and rise) in body temperature before bed that seems to have something to do with the benefits – helping you properly relax and sleep.  Some people may want to try the cold version all year, particularly if your house is well heated.  Cold probably works the best of the two.

Now, we’ve talked before about being careful with extremes.  You probably won’t want to jump directly into a hot or cold bathtub, especially if this has triggered migraine attacks for you in the past.

Instead, warm or cool it slowly, either by making use of the faucets/taps and changing the temperature, or by actually adding a bag or two of ice to the tub (in the case of a cold bath).  Experiment, and see what works best for you.

It can be a bit of a challenge to get used to, but you’ll be surprised how great you feel when you get out and head to bed.  Try it for a few days, and you may discover that the extra rest may be just what you need to make life a little easier to handle.

What is 1% Thursday?

Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better.  Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge.  Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!