It's hot in summer and want to cool off in a cold shower? Don't be like this, especially the elderly, it's life-threatening!
Does a cold shower cool down faster than a warm shower?
When the weather is hot, people are more prone to sweating, the skin capillaries at this time are in a dilated state, if you suddenly take a cold shower, it will stimulate vasoconstriction, causing poor sweating, palpitations, headaches and other discomfort. Especially middle-aged and elderly people, as well as people with coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke history and arrhythmia, should try to avoid taking cold showers in summer. This "sudden cold stimulus" is another burden for the body.
If it's just to cool down, the effect of a cold shower is actually not as good as a warm shower. This is because cold showers will give the body the illusion of "the environment has become cold", so that the body's heat production increases and heat dissipation decreases, so cold showers are no cooler than warm showers.
Even seemingly healthy people may trigger hidden disease hazards in their bodies due to external triggers, so pay more attention when taking cold showers and try to take a step-by-step approach. In general, you can first pat the limbs with cold water, then wipe the chest and back with a cold water soaked towel, and finally wet the whole body with cold water, if you feel chills, you should shorten the shower time or increase the water temperature.
Note: No matter what kind of people, it is not advisable to take a cold shower immediately after strenuous exercise.
Is the warmer the bath water better?
Since taking a cold shower is not the best option in summer, is it better to take a hot bath for health?
For people with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, and coronary heart disease, excessive bath water temperature is also risky.
With the flushing of hot water, the capillaries of the whole body expand, a large amount of blood rushes to the body surface, and the blood of important organs such as the heart and brain is relatively reduced, which may induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents.
In summary, the water temperature should not be too high or too cold when bathing, and it is generally more suitable to control it at 38 °C ~ 40 °C.
5 times when it is not suitable for bathing
1. After high-intensity physical or mental activity:
After strenuous exercise, blood circulation is active, and taking a bath immediately will increase the burden on the heart and blood vessels, especially not taking a cold shower.
With prolonged mental activity, the brain has a very large demand for blood. If you go to the bath immediately, blood will transfer to the skin on the surface of the body, which may cause a rapid decrease in blood supply to the brain, leading to syncope.
2. When eating full or on an empty stomach:
After eating, the blood in the body is mainly concentrated in the digestive system, and when bathing, the peripheral blood vessels expand, which may cause a relative reduction in blood circulation in the digestive system, which is easy to lead to indigestion.
When fasting, the blood sugar level in the body is relatively low, and bathing increases blood flow to the skin tissue, reducing the amount of blood supplied to the brain, which may lead to accidents such as fainting.
3. After drinking:
Alcohol inhibits the activity of liver function and hinders glycogen release. When bathing, the consumption of glucose in the human body increases, blood sugar cannot be replenished in time, easy to produce dizziness, dizziness, general weakness and other symptoms, severe cases can appear hypoglycemic coma.
In addition, drunkenness can affect a person's sense of balance, and it is easy to fall in a slippery bathroom.
4. When hypotension or hypoglycemia:
When you have low blood pressure, low blood sugar, or when you are extremely tired, you can easily cause dizziness or shock due to lack of oxygen. Even if you must wash, do not stay in the bathroom for too long, pay attention to proper ventilation of the bathroom, and increase the oxygen content.
5. Before going to bed:
When you just take a bath, the human body will be slightly more excited and it is not easy to fall asleep immediately, so try not to take a bath before going to bed. According to a study published in the journal Sleep Medicine Review, bathing 1~2 hours before going to bed can speed up falling asleep for an average of 10 minutes.
When bathing, 2 small movements can keep you healthy
1. Massage the scalp:
Massage the scalp 1~2 times a week to help promote blood circulation and prevent scalp sagging and hair loss. While bathing, you can apply the shampoo evenly to your hair and gently massage and rub your scalp.
Specific actions:
(1) Use the index finger, middle finger and ring finger of both hands to start the massage in circles from the back of the neck depression, slowly move up to the hairline, and repeat twice;
(2) Place the palms of both hands at the temples and gently rotate and massage 5~8 times.
2. Rub your face:
Under the dual action of friction and water temperature, the blood vessels in the face expand when heated, blood circulation is accelerated, and the face is firm and rosy.
Specific movements: rub the face up and down with both palms until the face is hot, dry skin people should not be too heavy, and the speed should not be too fast, so as not to scratch the skin.
General Editor: Sha Guo | Source: Figureworm Creative