If you aren’t a professional athlete or just trying to wake yourself up in the morning, a cold shower seems pretty meaningless and not too appealing. Moreover, many of us probably think that we are doing ourselves a huge favor when we take that nice long hot shower after a rough day at work.

ALSO: One Chart Explains What Your Poop Says About Your Health

But actually, we might be doing more damage than good. According to Women's Health Magazine, logging too many minutes under a hot shower can lead to skin dehydration and red splotches and rashes on your skin. Therefore, here are five reasons the cold shower is more beneficial for you, according to Yahoo.

1. Boosts your mood

According to Yahoo, a study found that taking two to three minute cold showers regularly in 68-degree water over the course of two weeks improves your mood and can act as a way to offset depression. It has been proven that when you lower the brain's temperature it can produce therapeutic effects and reduce inflammation, which is a known mechanism in depression according to Psychology Today. This is part of the benefit to hydrotherapy, which is the external or internal use of water for health promotion and various diseases according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

2. Improves skin

According to Women's Health Magazine, hot water tends to remove your body's natural moisturizer: its oils. This then can cause the skin to dehydrate and become more sensitive. If you want the best results for beautiful skin, first cleanse it with warm water and gradually decrease the temperature, says New York City dermatologist Neal Schultz, M.D. The cold water will help tighten your skin, close pores and reduce any redness and puffiness under the eyes.

3. Gives your hair a great shine

Although hot water opens your hair's cuticles, allowing for dirt and other hair products that have accumulated in your scalp to escape, it often leaves your hair dry and brittle. (Hot water also allows any moisture that tries to settle in your hair to escape.) However, cold water is able to lock in moisture preventing the hair from dehydrating, which is the main reason that cold water gives your hair a better shine. In an interview with Daily Makeover New York lead colorist at Oscar Blandi Salon, Kyle White, talked about this process.

"Cold water will close the cuticle tight, sealing the shingle-like outer layer," White said. "which will cause it to reflect the most light and give off the most shine."

4. Great for sore muscles

Whether you are trying to repair your muscles after a tough workout or trying to find relief for that kink in your neck, cold water can do the trick, Yahoo reports. Cold water reduces inflammation, relieves muscle spasms and helps release tension in other parts of your body.

5. Reduces stress

According to GettingStronger.org cold showers are able to increase the body's immune system and build the body's tolerance to pain and stress. Exposure to colder temperatures has also been proven to raise blood levels and produce an adrenaline hormone, causing a state of alertness in the brain according to Psychology Today.

ALSO: How Your Bed is Making You Sick