Is there a "correct order" for bathing? 10 bathing taboos when the weather gets cold, you must know!

Now that the weather is getting colder, there are many details that need special attention when taking a bath~

When taking a shower in cold weather, pay attention to these 5 points

When taking a shower in cold weather, try not to wash your hair first and then your body to prevent brain problems. Because of the cold weather, blood pressure changes greatly before and after taking a shower, which can easily cause a stroke.

When the body is cold, blood vessels will constrict and blood pressure will rise. When you go into the bathroom to take a shower, your body temperature will rise rapidly and your blood pressure will be even higher. When the body gets used to the water temperature, your blood pressure will begin to drop. This kind of high and low blood pressure can easily cause a stroke.

Here are some suggestions for bathing when it’s cold:

Drink a glass of warm water before taking a bath to warm your abdominal cavity.

Make good use of various electric heaters and turn them on 15 minutes before taking a bath to warm the entire space.

Turn on the shower to fill the bathroom with steam and increase the temperature. Then use the shower to spray the back of your neck for 1 minute to maintain your body temperature and stabilize your blood pressure.

When taking a shower in cold weather, you can wash your face, hands and feet first, then rinse your body after you adapt to the temperature, and finally wash your hair.

Even if you think you are healthy, once you are over 40, it is important to keep the bathroom warm when taking a shower, especially in cold weather, the bathroom temperature should be kept around 25 degrees.

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It is not advisable to take a bath in these situations

1. Don’t take a shower on an empty stomach

You must not take a bath on an empty stomach, but after a full stomach. Of course, you should not take a bath right after a meal, but it is best to rest for an hour. Taking a bath after a meal can provide sufficient energy and avoid physical discomfort such as weakness, dizziness, shock, etc. caused by hunger.

2. Don’t take a shower after eating too much

It is not recommended to take a shower immediately after a meal. Gastrointestinal motility during a full meal requires a greater amount of blood. However, when taking a shower, the blood will be transferred to the skin, and the blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract will be reduced, affecting digestion. Over time, this may cause gastrointestinal problems.

3. Don’t take a shower after drinking

Under the stimulation of alcohol, blood vessels will dilate slightly, and the result of dilation is lower blood pressure. In this case, taking a bath may cause blood pressure to drop more significantly when blood is transferred to the surface of the body. Lower blood pressure indicates that the blood supply may not be able to meet the change in body temperature, and fainting is likely to occur at this time.

4. Don’t shower after exercise

Don’t take a hot bath immediately after exercise, because the body will be stimulated by hot water, which will cause the blood vessels in the muscles and skin to dilate, further increasing the blood flow to the muscles and skin, leading to insufficient blood supply to other organs, especially the heart and brain. Especially for people with high blood pressure or coronary heart disease, once it causes a serious lack of blood supply to the heart and brain, it is likely to cause an acute attack of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

5. Don’t take a bath if you have a cold or are weak

When the elderly have a cold and are weak, accidents are prone to happen when taking a bath. They must wait until they have recovered before taking a bath. If they must take a bath, they must be under the care of their family.

6. Don’t take a shower after a massage

When bathing, hot water on the skin will accelerate blood circulation on the body surface, causing congestion on the body surface. Similarly, when massaging, the blood and qi will be filled on the body surface in a short period of time, which will also cause relative ischemia and hypoxia of the organs throughout the body, causing dizziness, nausea and other discomforts, and even fainting. The elderly and weak should be more cautious before and after massage to prevent the onset of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

7. Don’t take a shower after cupping

You should not take a shower immediately after cupping. The skin is more sensitive and fragile after cupping, and taking a shower at this time can easily cause skin damage or inflammation.

8. Don’t take a shower after taking insulin

Diabetics should not take a shower right after injecting insulin. Taking a shower can speed up blood circulation and insulin absorption, which can easily lead to hypoglycemia and dizziness. In addition, the bathroom floor is slippery, which can easily lead to accidents. It is recommended that patients take a shower half an hour after injecting insulin.

9. Don’t take a bath that’s too hot

If the bath water temperature is too high, a series of uncomfortable symptoms may occur, such as palpitation, chest tightness, dizziness, etc. In severe cases, low blood pressure or even shock may occur. For people with chronic diseases such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and coronary heart disease, taking a bath with water temperature that is too high is a dangerous behavior. With the hot water flushing, the capillaries of the whole body expand, and a large amount of blood expands the blood vessels on the surface of the body, and the blood flow to important organs such as the heart and brain is relatively reduced, which may cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents.

10. Don’t scrub too hard

As the largest organ of the human body, the skin is the first line of defense. If the skin is cleaned frequently, the sebaceous glands will not have enough time to secrete enough oil, which will cause dryness, flaking, and cracking. It may even reduce the skin's resistance and induce or aggravate skin diseases.

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Source: Health Times

Review | Tang Qin, Chief Researcher, Science Popularization Department, Chinese Medical Association

Editor: Yang Yaping