Why shouldn't you take a bath during your period?

Of course, a contrast shower in the morning is a great way to wake up, gain vigor and strength, and give the body freshness. However, evening is bath time! It is she who can provide incomparable pleasure to those who are looking for a way to relax and enjoy a state of relaxation

You need to take hot baths wisely. Both doctors and professional cosmetologists give a huge number of recommendations on this matter.

1. Monitor the water temperature. Ideally, it corresponds to your body temperature or is no more than 37-38 degrees. A bath that is too hot increases your heart rate and is not always beneficial. If you want to enjoy a hot bath (at temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius), remember that it is better to lie in it for no more than 5 minutes. At the same time, leave your shoulders and chest on top of the water. Otherwise, the load on your heart will be harmful for you and there is a risk of weakness and dizziness.
2. You should not take a bath if you have a cold. It is better to replace this procedure with a warm short-term shower until complete recovery.
3. You can safely stay in water whose temperature is equal to your body temperature for 15 minutes. But you shouldn’t stay in cooler water for more than 2-3 minutes. Cold baths stimulate the central nervous system and heart and have a beneficial effect on the overall tone of the skin.

Conducted research

To begin with, they conducted a serious meta-analysis, examining the results of more than 5 thousand studies on possible interactions between sleep and body temperature. During the course of this work, one interesting detail was revealed: it turns out that the main regulator of body temperature, the hypothalamus, approximately an hour and a half before sleep, reduces it by 0.2-0.3 ° C.

According to scientists, in this way it slows down the metabolism and sends a signal to the body that it is time to reduce activity and prepare for rest. At the same time, various biologically active substances are released into the blood, including the sleep hormone.

The researchers decided to find out what would happen if at this moment the body’s plans were disrupted and the body was artificially heated, which is easiest to do with hot water. The experiment involved several hundred volunteers who took a hot bath with a water temperature of 40-42°C an hour or two before bedtime.

The process of going to sleep was monitored by special equipment. The time of falling asleep, the number of awakenings, the relationship between different phases of sleep and its total duration were assessed. It turned out that the bath helps speed up the process of falling asleep by 10 minutes, extend the total duration of sleep by about half an hour , which is especially important for those who suffer from insomnia, and also increase the number of slow-wave sleep phases considered more “restful .

More on the topic:

• How to get rid of insomnia at home: simple rules
• Meditation is good for sound sleep
• Why do people have dreams: reasons, functions, interesting facts
• Lullabies: why they are needed and the history of their origin

How does a bath work?

Depending on what you add to the water while bathing, a bath can have completely different effects on the human body.

1. Soda baths. To prepare such water, you need to dissolve a pack of regular baking soda in a warm bath (temperature no more than 38 degrees). Time in a soda bath will not be in vain for you: your skin will become smooth, get rid of excessive dryness, and you will be able to calm down if your day has been full of emotional events.
2. Bath salt. Doesn't have to be purchased in a store. You can use regular table salt in a proportion of 500 grams per standard bath of water. This type of salt helps strengthen the body, cleanses the skin, and increases its tone.
3. Sea salt in the bath. Useful for those who experience severe fatigue or suffer from joint pain. In addition, sea salt improves skin condition. If you suffer from skin diseases, be sure to consult with your doctor whether you can take a bath with sea salt and how to do it without harm to your health.
4. Bath with pine needles. Requires preliminary preparation. Small coniferous branches in quantities of up to 500-600 grams are brewed in three liters of boiling water. After half an hour, the resulting infusion is added to a cool bath, the water temperature in which is 35 degrees (no more). A pine bath helps allergy sufferers, soothes the skin, and relieves allergic manifestations on its surface.
5. Honey baths. Take before bedtime. It is enough to add 2-3 tablespoons of honey to the water. This water will relax the skin, make it soft and silky, and help you fall asleep quickly.
6. Milk bath. You can use dry milk mixtures, which are poured in the amount of 1 glass and dissolved in water in the bathroom immediately before use. A milk bath gives the skin elasticity and softness and helps strengthen it.
7. An oil bath has different effects on the body depending on which essential oils you choose. Do not overdo it with the amount of oils in the water and watch their combinations. It is enough to add 4-5 drops of essential oil to hot water. Under the influence of high temperature it will gradually evaporate, saturating the air in the bathroom with a pleasant aroma.

Decide for yourself which baths to take. This should depend on your wishes and your state of health.

Why is a hot bath so good for our sleep?

According to scientists, this effect can be explained quite simply. Faced with the impossibility of lowering the temperature, the hypothalamus increases its activity - physical and biochemical methods of cooling begin to work with a vengeance.

When the effect of hot water stops, it is impossible to return the biologically active substances already released into the blood. As a result, the person receives a double dose of “natural sleeping pills.”

The experiment showed that the time for taking a “sleeping pill” bath should be strictly 1 or 2 hours before bedtime, and the water temperature should be 40-42°C. A cold shower before bed interferes with falling asleep and makes sleep restless, this was also found out during the study. This happens due to the fact that the body is forced to increase its temperature before going to bed, and this is not physiological.

The question arises: what to do with the well-known folk method of dipping your feet in cold water before going to bed. Scientists are sure that this only confirms the rule, because this method helps in the heat, when the body itself cannot cope with cooling.

Why can’t you wash or bathe when you’re sick, when you’re sick?

Taking a bath is a beneficial procedure for the body that warms and relaxes the body. However, when a person gets sick, for example, has a cold, the issue of bathing becomes unclear. On the one hand, it is necessary to cleanse the body, even if a person has a fever, because the skin is also an organ and toxins accumulate on it, which can be absorbed and harm the person.

On the other hand, heating the body and raising the temperature during a cold is harmful. Therefore, it is important to remember that you can and even need to swim when you have a cold, but the water should be regulated correctly. Do not take hot baths under any circumstances. They are relevant for hypothermia, but if you have even a low temperature of 37 degrees, it can instantly jump.

IMPORTANT: In addition to the fact that when you have a cold, baths should not be hot, it is also necessary to reduce bathing time.

Is a cold a contraindication for swimming?

Interesting facts about sleep

1. A study conducted by Harvard University found that taking a half-hour nap (siesta) three times a week throughout life reduces the risk of heart attack by 37%.
2. 4 hours of sleep is the minimum time needed to reboot the body. But people engaged in heavy physical or mental labor should not sleep less than 7 hours.
3. Lack of sleep leads to increased levels of ghrelin (the "hunger hormone") and decreased levels of leptin (the "satiety hormone"), resulting in increased hunger.

Article updated 04/30/2020

The healing properties of baths

A bath is a great way to put your nervous system in order. By adding sea salt, a decoction of medicinal herbs or bath foam. You can not only have a good rest, but also improve your health.

A bath is an excellent opportunity to combat stress, relieve tension, and relax.

If you are an active, mobile person, then it happens that during the day there is no time to sit down and take a sip of tea, then relaxing in the bath is not only a pleasure, here, finally, there will be time to meditate, collect your thoughts and think about something important, come to some conclusion. -something decision. But you shouldn’t get too carried away with this, because...

When your nerves are in order, health problems will not arise. A bath with herbs has a strengthening effect on the immune system, relieves fatigue from the legs, helps fight varicose veins and is a good prevention of colds and cardiovascular diseases.

A bath will help with insomnia. If you soak in the pleasant aromatic water for 20-30 minutes, you will be able to forget about insomnia and sleep peacefully without waking up.

When is swimming prohibited?

It is not recommended to wash for people suffering from colds, if they have disorders of the cardiovascular system, varicose veins, or impaired blood circulation in the brain. In this case, water procedures are prohibited for people with high blood pressure.

People with a high body temperature and patients suffering from migraines should not bathe, since a hot bath can only worsen cold symptoms and provoke headache attacks.

Patients who are allergic to certain medicinal plants should avoid washing with herbal infusions.

A warm bath is healthier than a shower

To determine which is better - a bath or a shower, scientists from England conducted a special experiment. As a result, they concluded that a hot bath is healthier. After all, it not only relaxes and calms, but also slows down aging , and also prevents the development of diabetes .

In order for this water procedure to have the most positive effect on the body, you need to completely immerse your body in a bathtub filled with warm water, doing this so that only your head remains on the surface. If a person is in this position, his blood sugar and blood flow is activated. Also, when the body is exposed to warm water, the level of stress hormone in the body decreases, which promotes rejuvenation.

Meanwhile, taking a shower, under the influence of streams of water, a person only relaxes and gets rid of stress. But such a positive effect as when taking a bath is not observed.

In addition, prolonged exposure to running water can subsequently negatively affect your health. Recently, one of the famous American dermatologists, Marie Jahin, made an interesting statement: in her opinion, the longer you stand in the shower, the more damage will be done to the skin. Dermatologists say that you should take a shower for 5-10 minutes and it is advisable not to use soap. At the very least, it is not necessary to use hygiene products for every water procedure. Under normal circumstances, the body does not get so dirty that there is a need to scrub it with soap every day.

Scientists believe that a certain amount of bacteria to stimulate immune system . Water destroys not only natural oils, drying out the skin, but also those trace elements that prevent disease, scientists say. It is for this reason that standing under running water for too long is not recommended.

Dermatologists recommend washing only with cold water. This helps tighten pores and also stimulates blood circulation.

By the way, doctors categorically do not advise men who are trying to conceive a child to take a hot shower or bath. During the experiments, it was determined that a half-hour water procedure using very hot water reduces the number of sperm , and therefore significantly reduces the chance of successful conception .

Is it possible to take a bath during menstruation: is hot water dangerous on menstrual days?

During critical days, a woman should pay much more attention to hygiene than usual. But you should know that taking hot baths can have a bad effect on her well-being. It is necessary to remember some recommendations and precautions when caring for yourself during menstruation in order to avoid infection, loss of consciousness, pressure changes and other unpleasant consequences. It is also worth paying attention to whether you can swim on these days and how best to do it.

• 1 Why hot water is dangerous
• 2 How to wash properly during your period
• 3 Is it possible to swim on menstruation days?