Do Cold Showers Increase Testosterone? What Studies Show

Cold showers have not been shown to produce a meaningful or lasting increase in testosterone. The small human studies available either found no increase or observed a short-term decrease after cold exposure. A brief hormone fluctuation after a shower is not the same as treating testosterone deficiency.

You can take cold showers because you enjoy the alert feeling or prefer them after exercise. They should not be presented as a proven testosterone strategy.

Why do people think cold showers increase testosterone?

The claim usually comes from three ideas:

• Cold exposure creates a stress response and makes people feel alert.
• The testes normally function at a temperature below core body temperature.
• Short-term changes in stress hormones are assumed to affect testosterone.

These ideas sound plausible, but they do not demonstrate that a cold shower raises circulating testosterone, improves low-testosterone symptoms, or increases testosterone over time. Scrotal temperature and whole-body cold exposure are also not the same intervention.

What do human studies show?

Cold stimulation did not increase testosterone

In a study of 32 young men, cold-water stimulation reduced serum testosterone by about 10 percent during the test. Exercise performed in the same study increased testosterone, but the cold exposure did not.¹

This older study was small and measured an acute response, so it cannot answer every question about regular cold showers. It directly contradicts the common claim that any cold exposure produces an immediate testosterone surge.

Cold-water immersion after resistance exercise

A randomized repeated-measures study in 11 resistance-trained men compared 15 minutes of cold-water immersion with passive recovery after a squat workout. Cold-water immersion blunted and delayed the post-exercise testosterone response.²

This does not mean one cold shower will lower baseline testosterone. It shows that timing and context matter, and that the acute response is not reliably positive.

A direct cold-shower study

A small 2026 research communication followed 11 male athletes through a four-day cold-shower protocol and found no increase in salivary testosterone.³ The study was too small and short to rule out every possible effect, but it offers no support for the popular testosterone claim.

Acute hormone changes are easy to misinterpret

Testosterone varies throughout the day and can change with sleep, food intake, illness, exercise, and the timing and method of a test. A short-lived change after a stressor does not necessarily lead to more muscle, better fertility, improved erections, or relief of hypogonadism symptoms.

Useful evidence would need to show a reproducible improvement in properly measured testosterone over time, ideally along with meaningful clinical outcomes. Current cold-shower research does not meet that standard.

Do cold showers have other benefits?

Some people report greater alertness or an improved sense of energy after cold water. Research on cold-water immersion has also examined exercise recovery, soreness, mood, and adaptation. These are separate questions from testosterone.

Cold-water immersion may reduce soreness after some types of exercise, but repeated immersion immediately after resistance training may also interfere with some training adaptations. A brief home shower is not identical to prolonged whole-body immersion used in research.

Do not turn a personal preference into a medical claim. Feeling more awake after cold water does not prove that testosterone increased.

Cold exposure has real safety risks

A cool shower is usually very different from entering near-freezing water. Sudden cold-water immersion can trigger a rapid increase in breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure called the cold-shock response. The American Heart Association warns that this response can be dangerous, especially for people with cardiac disease.⁴

Use extra caution if you have cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, a history of fainting, breathing problems, neuropathy, or another condition that affects temperature sensation or regulation. Never perform extreme cold-water immersion alone.

Stop if you experience chest pain, severe shortness of breath, confusion, dizziness, numbness, or loss of coordination. Cold exposure is not a test of willpower.

What actually helps when testosterone is low?

First determine whether testosterone is truly low. The Endocrine Society recommends diagnosis only when compatible symptoms are present and testosterone is consistently low on repeat morning tests.⁵

Depending on the cause, a clinician may address:

• Sleep loss or sleep apnea
• Obesity and related metabolic illness
• Under-eating or excessive training
• Opioids, glucocorticoids, or other medications
• Prior anabolic steroid use
• Pituitary or testicular disease

Our guide to testosterone testing explains why timing and repeat measurements matter. Our article on testosterone and fat loss explains the two-way relationship between hormones and body composition.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a cold shower be to raise testosterone?

No duration has been shown to raise testosterone reliably. Recommendations for a specific time or temperature are not supported as testosterone treatments.

Do cold showers increase sperm count?

There is no strong clinical evidence that cold showers improve sperm count or fertility. Fertility concerns should be evaluated with a reproductive history and, when appropriate, semen analysis.

Should I avoid cold water after lifting weights?

An occasional cool shower is unlikely to determine your results. Research concerns mainly involve repeated, prolonged cold-water immersion immediately after resistance exercise. Athletes with specific recovery or adaptation goals may want individualized advice.

Can cold showers treat low testosterone?

No. They do not diagnose the cause, have not shown a lasting testosterone increase, and should not replace medical evaluation or treatment.

Bottom line

Cold showers are not a proven way to increase testosterone. Small human studies have found no increase, and some found short-term reductions. If you enjoy a cool shower and can use it safely, treat it as a preference or recovery practice, not hormone therapy.

Sources

1. Sakamoto K, et al. Effects of Physical Exercise and Cold Stimulation on Serum Testosterone Level in Men. Japanese Journal of Hygiene. 1991.
2. Earp JE, et al. Cold-water Immersion Blunts and Delays Increases in Circulating Testosterone and Cytokines Post-resistance Exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2019.
3. A Four-Day Cold Shower Protocol Does Not Increase Salivary Testosterone in a Small Cohort of Male Athletes. 2026.
4. American Heart Association. The Plunge Into Cold Water Comes With Risks.
5. Endocrine Society. Testosterone Therapy for Hypogonadism Guideline Resources.

Evidence reviewed August 2026. This article is educational and is not a substitute for individualized medical diagnosis or treatment.