If you have a cold, you can wash yourself

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Is it possible to shower and wash if you have the flu?

Many people have to deal with colds. However, not everyone knows the answer to the question of whether it is possible to wash yourself if you have the flu and how this will affect your general condition.

Table of contents:

Maintaining hygiene

Colds bring a lot of troubles: fever, aches and pain throughout the body, stuffy nose. Many people believe that during the period of illness it is necessary not only to tightly close all windows and doors so that heat does not escape, but also to cancel showers or other hygiene procedures to avoid hypothermia.

According to experts, this is a misconception. Flu is a viral disease. During illness, viruses become so active that the body releases a huge amount of toxins. And this leads to its poisoning and intoxication. To rid the body of them, all excretory organs work. The skin gets rid of toxins through sweat and skin secretions. This does not happen without consequences. On dirty skin, all pores become clogged with sebum. For this reason, she breathes poorly, and the person’s well-being worsens.

If you don’t wash, the products of the activity of pathogenic viruses will not be removed from the skin and the body will stop cleansing itself. This means that recovery will take much longer. Therefore, taking a shower when you have the flu is absolutely necessary. At this time, in addition to pleasant sensations, muscle tone increases and metabolic processes are activated. All this helps to more effectively resist harmful infections. But you need to carry out water procedures carefully so as not to get hypothermic when leaving the bathroom. If your body temperature is very high, it is better to avoid these procedures. Wiping with a damp towel will be sufficient until the temperature drops slightly.

The most common symptoms of the flu are pain and aches throughout the body. These unpleasant sensations prevent the patient from sleeping peacefully and do not allow them to relax. Since medications provide short-term relief, most people prefer to enhance their effect by taking a warm bath. It is very important to understand that a hot bath is not suitable in this case. The ideal water temperature is ° C. Warm water can relax muscles well, providing relief from flu pain. The effect can be enhanced by using a hot tub.

The benefits of warm air

The cold season contributes to a greater spread of colds and flu. This happens because it is during the winter that viruses intensify their activity. Taking a warm bath during illness helps steam air penetrate the nasal passages. Thanks to this, swelling of the mucous membrane is reduced, which makes it possible to breathe more freely. If you add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the water, the effect will be much stronger. Soda and salt can also be added to the water. This will enhance the therapeutic effect of water procedures.

Getting good sleep when you have colds and flu is the best way to speed up your recovery. During sleep, all the body's defense systems are activated, and it begins to fight the disease more effectively.

However, flu symptoms often interfere with proper sleep. Taking a bath or shower helps solve this problem.

After warm water, body temperature drops, a feeling of relaxation and drowsiness sets in, and nasal congestion decreases. All these factors help you fall asleep much faster.

Swimming when you have a cold or flu can help you better manage your symptoms.

But at this time you need to be very careful not to get too cold and run into even bigger problems. After completing water procedures, you should not be in drafts or near open windows. It is best to wrap yourself in a warm robe, quickly dry your hair and go to bed.

It is very important to note that if you have the flu, it is not recommended to take a bath or shower in the early morning. Experts have noticed that the time of day has a great impact on health. According to statistics, most often a stroke or heart attack occurs in the morning. Since colds greatly weaken the body, you should not expose it to unnecessary stress and risks.

Dehydration is the body's enemy

During illness, it is necessary to supply the body with plenty of fluid.

Drinking plenty of fluids makes it possible to cleanse the body and maintain its normal state. Fever and other symptoms can cause dehydration, so you should drink plenty of fluids both before and after your bath. It is better to give preference to warm green and herbal teas. It is better not to drink hot drinks. They will only irritate a sore throat and delay the healing process.

Source: http://respiratoria.ru/gripp-i-prostuda/mozhno-li-mytsya-pri-grippe.html

Is it possible to wash if you have a cold?

A cold is a viral illness with various symptoms. The main reasons for it are freezing, poor immunity and pathogenic viruses.

Is it possible to wash if you have a cold?

Yes, you can take a bath if you have a cold. Who came up with this myth? Doctors unanimously say that if a person has a cold, feel free to swim, but follow some rules. No one has canceled taking care of yourself and maintaining hygiene when you have a cold. And when you are sick for a week or more, then what, then don’t swim at all? Few people will be happy about this.

The simplest procedures in water can be made therapeutic. The bath strengthens joints and muscles, is very beneficial for skin breathing, and reduces back pain. Always during an illness, you sweat a lot, and water washes away excess sweat from the skin, and your body begins to breathe.

In folk medicine, there are many recipes for medicinal baths with the addition of medicinal herbs and essential oils. Taking a bath during a cold improves the patient's condition, provided there is no high temperature.

Consult your doctor, he will give you valuable recommendations.

When you have a cold, when taking a shower, follow a number of rules:

  1. The water should not be hot. The ideal water temperature is degrees.
  2. It is not advisable to take a long bath in the bathtub. Excess moisture provokes a severe cough.
  3. After a shower, in order not to get too cold, you need to put on warm clothes.
  4. To prevent your hair from getting wet, put a cap on your head in the shower. Wet hair takes a long time to dry, and a person can become hypothermic or feel chilled. If you need to wash your hair, dry it immediately with a hairdryer.
  5. It is better to take a bath or shower before bed, so that you can immediately cover yourself with a warm blanket.
  6. You can add herbs. They will serve as an inhalation that will clear the lungs of phlegm.

However, there are some contraindications when swimming can cause harm to the body. Let's look at who shouldn't bathe if they have a cold:

  • people with heart disease and blood vessels;
  • with varicose veins;
  • patients with heart failure;
  • for hypertension;
  • cerebral circulatory disorders;
  • with diabetes mellitus.

For these diseases, showering is not contraindicated. You can quickly rinse with warm water, and then a person with these health problems will not harm himself. Keep in mind that any water procedure is a strain on the heart. Hot water increases blood pressure and increases the load on blood vessels; in diabetes mellitus, it will lower blood sugar levels. However, please take a shower.

Pregnant women should also not take long baths. If a pregnant woman has a cold, she is allowed to take a warm shower, with the doctor’s permission, for no more than 5-10 minutes. A bath with hot water is strictly prohibited for her, as it can cause a miscarriage. If a cold has broken out on your lip, then following the general rules of personal hygiene, a shower will help the blisters heal quickly. If you have the flu, you should not take a bath or shower in the morning. Doctors have noticed that the time of day affects health. Colds greatly weaken the body, so it is not recommended to wash in the morning so as not to subject the body to unnecessary stress.

All the above tips applied to adults, but is it possible to bathe children with a cold?

It is simply not possible to protect young children from colds. Children should be exposed to a small draft, and a cough and runny nose are guaranteed. In this case, every mother always asks the pediatrician whether it is possible to bathe the child if there is a cough and runny nose, or is it better to abstain until the child gets better. Doctors always assure mothers that if there is no high temperature, then it is possible to bathe a child with a runny nose and cough. Just like in adults, procedures in water serve as a good way to get rid of viruses and toxins, bad microbes: they are eliminated through sweat, and water washes them away.

You can safely and even need to bathe your child if he has a cold, so don’t worry. However, the following recommendations must be followed:

  • It is better not to wash at high temperatures and on the first day of illness, so as not to get complications. For hygiene, do rubdowns;
  • If you have a runny nose, you can bathe children if there are no drafts in the bathroom. It is advisable to add sea salt to the water and rinse the child’s nose;
  • After washing, it is advisable to immediately cover with a blanket.

When children cough, it is necessary to wash them in warm water, adding to it decoctions and tinctures of medicinal plants that help treat colds.

During illness, you can also take a steam bath. Rubbing, inhaling with essential oils and using a broom are very useful. But don’t sit in the bathhouse for a long time; be sure to take a short break in the dressing room, especially if you feel unwell.

In this article, we dispel the myth that you can’t bathe if you have a cold, so bathe to your health, but don’t forget about the exceptions.

Source: http://prostudnet.ru/prostuda/mozhno-li-mytsya-pri-prostude.html

Is it possible to take a shower if you have a cold - the benefits and harms of water procedures

Everyone experiences colds and, as a rule, they treat colds at home. As a result, many myths have arisen around this disease. One of them is that during illness you should absolutely not wash yourself, since water procedures will only intensify the symptoms of the disease. However, doctors have their own point of view on this matter.

Colds: causes and symptoms

Features of the development of the disease

Colds are popularly called viral diseases with a certain set of symptoms. The most common causes of colds are hypothermia, decreased immunity and, of course, the pathogenic viruses themselves.

Hypothermia itself would not cause a cold without the virus. But when we freeze, our immunity weakens, making it easier for viruses to attack the body’s cells.

The main reason why people are afraid of getting ARVI is not its danger or complications, but an unpleasant condition when it is difficult to breathe, eat, and sleep. Often working people do not take sick leave due to a cold and they have to endure the illness on their feet.

There are a huge number of folk recipes against colds and advice on whether you can take a shower if you have a cold, how to eat properly and what to drink.

Everyone knows the signs of a cold. However, they may vary depending on the strength of the disease, the virus itself, the organism:

  • Cough and sore throat. A cold may begin with this symptom, or it may not occur at all throughout the entire illness. The throat turns red, hurts, it hurts to swallow and speak, there is a sore throat, a cough that gets worse at night.
  • Nasal congestion, sneezing, copious mucus discharge. A cold is not complete without this symptom. Nasal congestion manifests itself in different ways, for some it is a complete inability to breathe through the nose, severe swelling that only goes away with the help of sprays and drops, while for others it is a tolerable condition, when it is even possible to do without medications. Mucus secretion also has varying degrees. Sometimes the disease is limited to swelling.
  • Temperature. The temperature does not always appear, but if it does, then with ARVI it is low, 37.2 - 37.5. The elevated body temperature lasts about 2-3 days, after which it should subside. If it continues for up to a week, we can talk about a bacterial infection, which is usually treated with antibiotics.
  • Weakness, body aches. An unpleasant symptom when the whole body aches, fatigue, drowsiness appear, and it is difficult to react quickly and think. It usually appears on the second or third day of illness, and then decreases.

Showering for a cold: when and how to do it right

Water treatments and colds

Many people remember from childhood that mothers forbade washing during illness. No matter how long it lasted, you could only hover your feet, but not wash. Doctors consider such restrictions to be unreasonable.

When we have a cold, we sweat a lot, drink raspberry tea and other diaphoretics. Sweat clogs pores. It becomes more difficult for the body to eliminate toxins. Therefore, it is necessary to wash to cleanse the pores, but you need to do it correctly.

How to shower properly when you have a cold:

  • The water temperature should not be very high, preferably not higher than body temperature. This will avoid unnecessary overheating and increased heat.
  • You can take a shower and bath. We usually don’t stand under the shower for long, but we can lie in the bath as long as we like. But during illness it is not recommended to do this. Excessive humidity is harmful, it increases the formation of sputum, which can lead to a strong cough or increased flow of mucus from the nose.
  • It is possible and even beneficial to take a shower when it is hot. Doctors think so. A warm shower will help reduce the fever, relieve the condition and lower the temperature. However, it is advisable that it is just a shower and under no circumstances hot. After a shower, it is important to avoid hypothermia. You need to dry yourself thoroughly with a towel and put on warm socks and a robe.
  • When you're going to take a shower, don't forget your shower cap. Washing your hair when you have a cold is not as beneficial as washing your body. Hair takes a long time to dry, which leads to hypothermia, you can get caught in a draft and catch an even worse cold. If you wash your hair, immediately wrap it in a towel and then dry it with a hairdryer.
  • It is better to take a shower or bath not in the morning, but at night, so that after water procedures you can immediately put on warm socks and lie down under the blanket.
  • You can add herbs to the bath, for example, chamomile, St. John's wort. This is not only good for the skin, but will also serve as an inhalation to cleanse the lungs of phlegm.

Contraindications and common mistakes

Swimming during a cold can be harmful if you do not follow the rules or there are certain contraindications:

  • For example, people with heart and vascular diseases should not take hot baths at all, and especially if they have a weakened immune system or a cold.
  • People with varicose veins, heart failure, high blood pressure, and cerebral circulatory disorders should not take baths. However, showering is still not contraindicated. If you rinse quickly and not with hot water, there will be no harm.
  • It is worth remembering that any bath is a strain on the heart. Hot water increases pressure and increases the load on blood vessels. If your heart is already weak, replace the bath with a shower. It is useful during colds. If you choose a bath, do not lie in it for more than 20 minutes.
  • Bath and alcohol should not be mixed. We often hear advice such as “you need to warm up with vodka, and then immediately steam your feet.” This is completely false. It’s one thing to take a shower before bed, and another thing to take a thermal bath after drinking strong drinks. Alcohol does not cure diseases; it weakens the body and immunity. Sometimes they drink mulled wine to warm up, but this does not apply to viral diseases in full swing. Moreover, it is not recommended to take baths or steam your feet after drinking alcohol. This can lead to sudden changes in pressure.
  • You should not take hot baths if you have diabetes. They can cause low blood sugar levels. However, showering is also not contraindicated.
  • There is no need to get carried away with taking a bath during pregnancy. If a pregnant woman has a cold, you can take a warm shower or a warm bath for no more than 5-10 minutes with the doctor's permission. Steaming your feet and taking hot baths is strictly prohibited. They can cause a miscarriage.

Useful video - how to properly treat a cold.

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Comments (15)

Tatiana

03/14/2016 at 23:17 | #

I just now have a cold, but I’m afraid to take a shower. And a bath too. At this time, my temperature immediately rises from the shower and bath, and I get sick more. But I really want to lie in a hot bath!

Lily

03/15/2016 at 23:16 | #

I read that you should take a bath with baking soda at the first sign of a cold, that baking soda removes harmful toxins from the body and will help prevent illness. I haven’t tried this method yet, for some reason I’m afraid that the disease will develop more from taking a bath. Maybe someday I'll take a risk...

V-Teck

10/30/2017 at 11:25 | #

It’s better to eat soda in tablespoons - two packs, I think, will be enough. No toxins will ever come out, this way or that (if a person has so many toxins that they need to be removed, his liver has failed, and he’s in a bad way to live), but there will be fewer tales about magical, damn soda on the Internet.

12/22/2017 at 12:59 pm | #

Much more toxins are eliminated through the skin than through the liver.

03/27/2016 at 23:04 | #

When I have a sore throat or a cold in general, I give myself a bath with essential oils. This is usually eucalyptus or peppermint oil. I leave the bathroom healthier.

Naina

04/03/2016 at 23:26 | #

Although I myself grew up with advice not to bathe when you have a cold (and at the same time take a steam bath), I agree that a light rinse with non-hot water in the shower is helpful to wash off the perspiration. Of course, you need to wash your hair with caution.

Sophia

04/22/2016 at 23:33 | #

I think that a warm shower or a hot bath for a cold is not only not harmful, but even beneficial. I add 1-2 drops of fir oil to the water, for runny nose and cough - that’s it. The main thing is to avoid drafts!

05/23/2016 at 23:10 | #

I have always been tormented by this question of whether to swim or not to swim when I have a cold. There are a lot of disagreements on this matter. Well, I still think that there is clearly no need to swim at high temperatures.

The most beautiful

26.10.2016 at 09:15 | #

If I have a cold, I can only rinse off in the shower. I make the water at room temperature. Under no circumstances should you soar your feet if you have a fever! At the first symptoms, I try to take antiviral medications. If a cough starts, I take inhalations. In addition, I take Sinorm balm. The drug contains herbal extracts, so the balm is excellent for strengthening the immune system. The main thing is to start treating a cold on time. Usually after 3-4 days everything goes away for me.

Irina

12/23/2016 at 11:13 pm | #

When I have a cold, I try to limit my intake of water treatments. I have noticed more than once that after washing my hair, the healing process is somewhat delayed, it is better to wait a little.

Elena

07/29/2017 at 12:39 | #

For me, colds have never been a limiting factor for taking water procedures. On the contrary, when you take a warm shower, somehow you even feel better mentally, not only physically. So I'm in favor!)

08/19/2017 at 19:27 | #

I take a shower, but if you have a cold, you need to dry yourself thoroughly. Personally, a shower helps me a lot. After a shower, I definitely advise you to dress warmly and stay away from the sun, even if it’s summer

Mokina Sveta

01/18/2018 at 01:36 pm | #

I am against showering when I have a cold, and even more so when I have a fever. I think it’s better to wait until you feel better. If necessary, you can simply dry yourself with a warm, wet towel.

Irina

02/17/2018 at 08:16 | #

Hmm, very interesting about the shower. I take Ingavirin at the first sign of a cold, I feel much better, and then I take one capsule for 5 days and am cured.

Gregory

02/20/2018 at 01:23 pm | #

When I have a cold, even if I’m “sweating,” I don’t take a shower or bath. I still don’t leave the apartment. I just dry myself with a warm, damp towel or simply change the bed linen to dry and fresh ones and go back to bed.

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Why can't you wash when you're sick? Water treatments and colds

Patients often ask: “Why can’t you wash when you have ARVI?”

Many of those who often suffer from colds prefer to be treated at home. This approach led to the emergence of various myths around the common cold. One of them says that during illness one should not take water procedures. Allegedly, taking a bath can negatively affect the patient’s health, and can even significantly increase the symptoms of a viral disease. However, we should not forget that doctors have their own opinion on this issue.

So, why can't you wash when you're sick?

Causes of colds

When people talk about a cold, they mean a viral disease accompanied by certain symptoms. The most common and obvious triggers of colds are:

  • cooling the body too much (hypothermia);
  • decreased immune defense;
  • pathogenic microorganisms.

Hypothermia itself cannot trigger the development of a cold. But if a person is very cold, then his immune defense weakens and it becomes much easier for pathogenic viruses to penetrate the body and attack cells.

Almost every person is afraid of catching a cold. Not only can this disease worsen the patient’s well-being, preventing him from breathing and sleeping normally, it can cause very serious complications. This is especially true for those patients who cannot cure a cold at home, and therefore are forced to endure the disease “on their feet.” But why can't you wash when you're sick?

Symptoms

The symptoms of a cold are known to almost every person. First of all, this disease manifests itself as a cough and sore throat. The throat begins to hurt, turn red and eventually swell. It becomes difficult for a person to swallow saliva and food, and even speak. General discomfort and cough tend to worsen at night. The patient also experiences active sneezing, accompanied by the appearance of copious mucus and congestion in the nasal passages.

Nasal congestion can occur in different ways. If during this phenomenon one patient experiences severe swelling that inhibits free breathing through the nose, then he is prescribed to take various sprays and vasoconstrictor drops.

And if for another person such a condition is tolerable, then there is no need for him to use the above medications.

Mucus secretion can be of various types. Sometimes a cold can be limited only by swelling of the mucous membrane of the nasal passages. Water procedures can aggravate the situation.

With this disease, the general temperature does not always increase. Moreover, in a fairly large number of patients, the temperature fluctuates between 37-37.5°C. But can you swim at temperatures?

If the cold passes without any serious conditions, then it should subside after two to three days. Otherwise, it may last for a week or more, which is why the doctor may suspect a bacterial infection has entered the body. This course of the disease requires different treatment tactics and the use of a course of antibiotics that have a wide spectrum of action.

What worries a person?

Most often, during a cold, a sick person is worried about:

  • general weakness of the body;
  • painful sensations in muscles and joints;
  • feeling tired;
  • drowsiness.

The patient is bothered by body aches, which makes it difficult for him to react quickly.

Many people wonder why you can’t wash yourself when you’re sick.

How to bathe properly when you have a cold?

Every second person can say with confidence that during the course of the disease and if there is a runny nose, it is better to do without water procedures, including taking a shower. Many people express the opinion that at elevated temperatures it is necessary to steam your feet, but you should know that this cannot always be done. What do therapists say about all this? Should you shower when you're sick?

If, during treatment for a cold, a patient takes various antipyretic drinks and other medications, he begins to sweat heavily. And sweat can clog pores, making it difficult for the body to remove accumulated toxins and waste products. This is why it is very important to bathe when you have a cold. However, you need to know how to do it correctly. Only in this case can you get the maximum benefit from the procedure.

Water temperature

It should be remembered that the water temperature should not be too high. The optimal one is one that does not exceed the temperature of the human body. This is very important in order to thoroughly clean the pores and prevent overheating of the body.

Beneficial shower

It is very useful to take a shower. This type of bathing can:

But it is very important to prevent hypothermia after swimming. Therefore, you must immediately dry yourself with a towel, put on warm socks and a robe. Experts insist that the patient must wear a shower cap, because washing your hair during illness is not as beneficial as cleansing the pores of the body. The fact is that hair, especially long hair, usually takes a very long time to dry, and this can lead to hypothermia.

If the patient nevertheless decides to wash his hair, then the hair must be dried as quickly as possible with a hairdryer or wrapped in a warm towel.

Doctors also highly recommend water procedures before bed.

Contraindications

Not every patient is allowed by the doctor to swim while suffering from a cold. Sometimes water procedures can cause complications of the disease and aggravate the overall course.

The main contraindications for swimming are:

  • various diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
  • high blood pressure, varicose veins;
  • consumption of alcoholic beverages and ethanol-based medications.

If the patient has a history of various vascular and heart diseases, then taking a hot bath for a cold can put excessive stress on these organs. These people need to rinse their body very quickly. Is it possible to wash when you have a sore throat?

Harm of alcoholic drinks

It is contraindicated to combine alcoholic drinks with water procedures. Therefore, there is no need to follow the advice that says that before swimming you need to warm up with vodka. Until today, the use of alcohol has not helped cure any disease, since it is not a medicine and, moreover, can only weaken the immune system and the general condition of the patient.

But it happens that doctors advise drinking hot mulled wine in order to warm the body and prevent colds. But the recipe for this drink is designed in such a way that during the preparation of mulled wine, all alcohol vapors evaporate and only beneficial substances remain.

What could cause this?

After drinking alcohol, you should not steam your feet, because this can provoke:

  • changes in blood pressure;
  • increased sensation of heat in the body.

Also, taking a hot bath is not recommended for people suffering from diabetes, as this can cause a sharp drop in blood sugar.

You should not take a shower with hot water during pregnancy. Only with the permission of the attending physician can you swim in such a shower, but for 5-10 minutes. Also, pregnant women should not steam their feet, even in the absence of elevated temperature.

People often ask: “If you have chickenpox, when can you wash?”

Swimming with chickenpox is not only possible, but also necessary. This will help reduce the intensity of itching and soothe the skin. But water procedures are contraindicated at high temperatures.

Features of taking a hot bath

What about a hot bath? Can I take it during colds and flu? This adoption of water procedures is indicated for:

  • runny nose;
  • painful sensations in muscles and joints;
  • feeling of body aches;
  • cough;
  • headache.

But there are also important contraindications. As in the case of taking a shower, bathing in the bath should not be for those patients who have a history of vascular disease, heart disease, varicose veins, or high blood pressure and temperature.

Even if the attending physician allows you to swim if you have a runny nose or a cold, you must remember to follow the mandatory rules. For example, it is very important to monitor the temperature of the water in the bath, which should be warm, but not hot. The best temperature is considered to be from 35 to 37°C.

If the water in the bathroom is too hot, the patient may get sick and dizzy, and cold water can lead to complications of the disease.

Humidity in the bathroom

An equally pressing issue is the required humidity in the bath during bathing. The maximum figure is usually considered to be 65%. If this indicator is higher, then mucus may begin to accumulate in the respiratory tract, which will reduce the effectiveness of treatment for runny nose and cough.

If a person with a cold does not have the ability to track the humidity level, then swimming is allowed for no more than a minute. As a rule, this time should be sufficient to achieve a therapeutic effect.

Bath time

It will also be helpful to stick to a specific bathing time. It is best to wash your body before going to bed or just in the second half of the day. It is very useful after bathing for a runny nose and cold to drink warm milk with honey or mint tea.

If recovery is somewhat delayed, it is better to avoid taking a hot bath or shower. Also, when you detect the first signs of the disease, it is better to consult a specialist. Otherwise, you can forget about a quick recovery.

We reviewed information about why you should not wash when you are sick.

Source: http://www.syl.ru/article/355134/pochemu-nelzya-myitsya-kogda-boleesh-vodnyie-protseduryi-i-prostuda

Is it possible to take a bath if you have a cold?

In what cases is it possible and even necessary to take a bath for a cold, and in what cases is it strictly contraindicated? What effect do thermal procedures, including taking a bath, have at the moment when viruses attack a weakened body? What rules should be followed so that the procedure does not turn out to be useless, but brings tangible benefits?

As you know, baths have a beneficial effect on the body, especially if sea salt, herbs, essential oils and other medicinal ingredients are added to the water. The bath relieves fatigue, muscle pain, and also cleanses the skin pores of impurities. But is it possible to take a bath if you have a cold? Usually, during illness, we try to avoid water procedures until complete recovery, so as not to aggravate the cold or flu. Is this approach justified? Let's figure it all out in order.

Let's get rid of stereotypes!

Some doctors wonder: “Where did the myth come from that you can’t swim or take a bath during a cold?” Other experts have gone even further and argue that when you are sick, a bath is not only possible, but also necessary. True, there are a number of features here, which will be discussed further.

Sometimes colds last for weeks, and avoiding bathing in this case is simply unforgivable. Moreover, when you have a cold, a person usually sweats a lot (in particular, when taking diaphoretics). Sweat clogs the pores and prevents the skin from breathing normally. Therefore, bathing and bathing will benefit the patient. The only thing is that doctors do not recommend taking hot baths (they are not advisable for healthy people either), especially if you have a high temperature.

Follow the rules

As you already understand, doctors give the green light to take baths for colds. However, you need to understand that your body is fighting the disease, and therefore when taking baths you need to follow some rules so that the hygienic procedure does not cause harm.

Here are the rules to remember if you want to take a bath when you have a cold:

  • Do not combine a bath with alcohol. Many of us prefer to drink alcoholic drinks when we have a cold, such as mulled wine, grog and others. Firstly, let us immediately note that it is better to abandon the treatment of colds with alcohol in favor of proven folk remedies and pharmaceutical preparations for colds. Well, if you still decide to “skip” a glass of hot mulled wine, then under no circumstances do this in the bath, or immediately before taking a bath.
  • Don't bathe in hot water. This is especially important if you have a fever. Taking a hot bath can cause it to increase even more, which will aggravate the painful symptoms. The water temperature should be within degrees.
  • Limit the time you spend in the bathroom. This is primarily due to high humidity in the bathroom. Normally, indoor air humidity should be at the level of 40-65% (unfortunately, during the heating season it is much lower, which contributes to the development of colds). However, high humidity also negatively affects the patient’s condition. Due to high humidity in the throat and nasopharynx, mucus production increases, which can worsen a cough and runny nose. Therefore, limiting the time you spend in the bathroom and also keeping the door slightly open will help reduce humidity.
  • It is best to take a bath in the evening, and after it you need to go to bed, while putting warm socks on your feet. You can also drink a glass of warm milk with honey or herbal tea, such as chamomile, after your bath.

Medicinal herbs for baths

Social warmth is replaced by physical warmth, which is why in moments of loneliness a person tends to take a hot bath

Herbal baths for colds have a healing effect on the body. To do this, you need to add decoctions of medicinal herbs (mint, chamomile, sage, linden and others) to the bath. By taking such a bath, you are essentially performing inhalation, as you will inhale vapors of medicinal herbs, which will alleviate some of the symptoms of the disease.

Who are contraindicated for baths?

You should avoid taking baths if you have certain chronic diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, varicose veins, and poor circulation in the brain.

If you are allergic to certain medicinal herbs, then under no circumstances use them to prepare herbal baths.

Instructions for medications

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The information published on the site is for informational purposes only. Described methods of diagnosis, treatment, traditional medicine recipes, etc. It is not recommended to use it yourself. Be sure to consult a specialist so as not to harm your health!

Is it possible to swim and wash your hair if you have a cold or runny nose?

In our country, people often suffer from colds. Many of them prefer to be treated at home.

In this regard, a huge number of myths have arisen around the common cold. So, one of them says that you should not swim when you are sick.

Allegedly, water treatments have a negative impact on health and can seriously increase the symptoms of a viral disease. However, it should be noted that doctors have their own view on this issue.

Causes and symptoms of colds

Colds are popularly called viral diseases that are accompanied by a certain set of symptoms. The most common and obvious causes of the disease were:

  1. hypothermia;
  2. reduced immune defense;
  3. pathogenic microorganisms.

Hypothermia itself cannot cause a cold. But when a person is cold, his immunity weakens, and it becomes several times easier for viruses to attack the body’s cells.

Every person is afraid of catching a cold. Not only does the disease worsen the patient’s well-being, preventing him from sleeping and breathing normally, it is fraught with dangerous complications. This problem is especially relevant for those people who do not have the opportunity to stay at home during the period of illness, and are forced to “endure” a cold on their feet.

The symptoms of colds are known to absolutely everyone. First of all, we are talking about cough and sore throat. The throat hurts, turns red, and swells. It is very difficult for a person to talk, swallow food and saliva. Cough and discomfort usually worsen at night. In addition, active sneezing begins, copious mucus secretion appears, and congestion of the nasal passages appears.

Nasal congestion can occur in different ways. If in one patient congestion causes severe swelling, does not allow breathing through the nose and forces the use of various:

Then another person’s condition is so tolerable that there is no need to use these medications.

Discharges can also be of different types. Sometimes a cold is limited only by swelling of the mucous membrane.

The general body temperature does not always rise during a cold. Moreover, in many patients it is within 37-37.5 degrees. If the cold proceeds without complications, the fever should go away after 2-3 days. When this does not happen, the temperature persists for a week or more, the doctor will suspect a bacterial infection. It requires different treatment tactics and the use of a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Even with a cold, as with the flu, a person suffers from:

It is difficult for the patient to react quickly; he is bothered by body aches.

How to shower properly when you have a cold

Almost every second person will confidently say that during a cold or runny nose, it is better to avoid water procedures and taking a shower. Many people talk about whether it is possible to hover their legs at a temperature, but this cannot always be done. What do therapists say about this?

When you have a cold, the patient sweats a lot because he takes diaphoretic drinks and other remedies. And sweat clogs the pores, making it increasingly difficult for the body to remove viral waste products and accumulated toxins. For this reason, it is imperative to wash your body when you have a cold! However, this must be done correctly. Only in this way can you get the maximum benefit from the procedure.

So, the water temperature should be low. It is optimal that it is no higher than human body temperature. This is important for high-quality pore cleaning, preventing overheating and even more intense heat.

It is necessary and beneficial to wash in a warm shower. This wash will help:

After swimming, avoid hypothermia. Therefore, you should quickly dry yourself with a towel, put on a warm robe and socks. Doctors insist that you should wear a shower cap when swimming. Washing your hair during this period is not as beneficial as cleansing your body. Hair, especially long hair, takes a very long time to dry, which leads to hypothermia.

If the patient decides to wash his hair, it needs to be dried with a hairdryer or can be wrapped in a bath towel.

Another recommendation is to shower at night.

Contraindications and common mistakes

Not every patient will be allowed by the doctor to bathe during a cold. Sometimes water procedures cause aggravation of the disease and the development of complications. The main contraindications include:

  1. diseases of blood vessels, heart;
  2. varicose veins, high blood pressure;
  3. taking alcohol and drugs based on it.

When a person has a history of heart and vascular diseases, bathing in hot water during a cold can cause excessive stress on these organs. Such patients need to rinse quickly.

It is prohibited to combine water procedures and alcoholic drinks. The advice that says that you need to warm up with vodka before a shower or bath is dangerous. Until now, alcohol has not been able to cure a single disease. It is not a medicine and, moreover, it only weakens the immune defense and the body as a whole.

Sometimes, to warm up or prevent a cold, doctors recommend drinking hot mulled wine for a cold. The same should be done if you have the flu. But the drink’s recipe is designed in such a way that alcohol vapors evaporate during the preparation of mulled wine, leaving only beneficial substances in it.

It is forbidden to hover your feet after drinking alcohol. This will provoke:

  1. sudden changes in blood pressure levels;
  2. increased heat in the body.

It is not recommended for diabetics to wash themselves if they have a cold or runny nose. This can cause a sharp drop in blood sugar levels.

You should not get carried away with hot showers during pregnancy. With the doctor's permission, you can take a cool shower, but not longer than 5-10 minutes. Such patients should not have their legs soared, even if there is no high temperature.

Features of taking a bath

What about the bathroom? Should you wash your body in a bath for colds and flu? Indications for such water procedures will be:

There are also important limitations. As with the shower, you should not wash in the bathroom if the patient has heart disease, vascular disease, varicose veins, or has high blood pressure or temperature.

Even if swimming when you have a cold or runny nose is allowed, you should not forget to strictly follow certain rules. So, it is very important to monitor the temperature of the liquid in the bath. The water should be warm, not hot. This is especially true for low-grade body temperature. Ideally, the water temperature should be:

If the bath is hot, the patient will feel dizzy and have a headache. Cold water will complicate the disease.

An equally pressing issue is the air temperature in the bathroom during bathing. The maximum indicator is considered to be 65 percent humidity. If this number is higher, mucous secretions accumulate in the respiratory tract. It reduces the effectiveness of treating cough and runny nose.

When the patient does not have the opportunity to control the humidity level, he can wash for no more than a minute. This time should be enough to achieve a therapeutic effect from the procedure.

It would be a good idea to stick to certain times for swimming. It is best to wash in the second half of the day, before going to bed. After bathing, if you have a cold or runny nose, it is possible and beneficial to drink a glass of warm milk with honey or mint tea.

After swimming, you should not go outside, especially in the cold season. You need to be in a warm room. Otherwise, hypothermia will occur again and the cold will get worse.

If you have a cold, it is better not to wash your hair and hair. As already mentioned, if you cannot do without it, you should wash your hair quickly. Afterwards the hair is dried with a hairdryer. It is dangerous to get into a draft with a wet head. A new round of colds will be guaranteed.

What to add to water

To wash your body with even greater benefits, you will need to add aromatic oils to the water. It will be possible to make a kind of inhalation that will have a positive effect on the patient’s well-being. Herbs and oils can be used:

The proposed plants are characterized by a powerful anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effect.

Additionally, you can wash in the bathroom with special additives. They will help you get rid of the disease as quickly as possible. It is good to use mustard powder. It is enough to dilute 100 grams of powder in one glass of warm water. After this, the mustard solution is added to the water bath. Mustard will help relieve coughing attacks, tone the body, and alleviate rhinitis.

It is useful to add a mixture of crushed garlic and ginger to the bath. This healing mass can strengthen the immune defense and eliminate multiple symptoms of colds. The recipe is simple: chop a small head of garlic, wrap it in gauze or thin cotton, and place it in a bath of water. Ginger is also crushed, brewed with boiling water and left to infuse for 20 minutes. After this, the solution is poured into a bath of water.

Wash your body and head in such healing water for no longer than 15 minutes. At the end of the procedure, it doesn’t hurt to rinse off in a warm shower and dry off with a towel. To enhance the beneficial effects on the body, it won’t hurt to drink after swimming:

  1. hot ginger tea;
  2. herbal tea (with medicinal plants);
  3. milk with natural honey.

In cases where the cold has persisted, you should refuse to take a bath and not bathe in the shower. You cannot do without a mandatory consultation with a doctor. If this is not done, you can forget about a speedy recovery and return to a full life. To understand what to do if you have a cold, we recommend watching the video in this article.

Of course you can swim! When you have a cold, you sweat a lot and that’s why it’s important to wash off this nasty stuff. I even wash my hair and see no reason to worry.

Source: http://stopgripp.ru/bolezn/prostyl/mozhno-li-mytsya-pri-prostude.html

Is it possible to take a bath if you have the flu?

Flu and colds are combined under one general term - ARVI. Taking vitamins, a healthy lifestyle and limiting contact with infected people will help avoid this insidious disease. If the disease still persists, every effort must be made to get better as quickly as possible and prevent the development of serious complications. Let's find out whether it is possible to wash when you have the flu and a cold, and whether water procedures will lead to a deterioration in your health.

General rules

It often happens that the disease does not go away for a long time. In people with weakened immune systems, cough, runny nose and other symptoms of a viral infection become protracted. In any case, it will take at least a week for complete recovery.

A sick person often sweats, which leads to clogged pores. Along with sweat, toxins produced by the virus are released. The question of whether it is possible to wash during ARVI disappears by itself, because dirty skin serves as a source of germs and bacteria. However, it is necessary to do water procedures taking into account certain recommendations:

  • the humidity level in the bathroom should not exceed 65%: the abundance of steam provokes the accumulation of mucous secretions in the upper respiratory tract, which will aggravate the cough and runny nose;
  • evening time is considered the most suitable time to wash if you have the flu, after which it is advisable to immediately go to bed in warm pajamas and socks;
  • the duration of water procedures should not exceed 20 minutes, since this period is quite sufficient for their therapeutic effect;
  • the air in the room should be warmed up, since hypothermia after washing is fraught with increased symptoms of the disease and the development of complications;
  • Drinking alcoholic tinctures or alcoholic drinks like mulled wine and grog before going to the bathroom is prohibited, as this creates additional stress on the cardiovascular system.

Thus, the question of whether it is possible to take a shower with the flu has received a positive answer. Staying under running warm water will not only bring cleanliness and freshness, but will also relieve fatigue, have a beneficial effect on the condition of joints and relax tense muscles. Now let’s find out whether it’s possible to take a bath if you have the flu.

Taking a bath: benefits and harms

Few people can deny themselves the pleasure of soaking in warm water with fluffy foam, sea salt and aromatic additives. In this regard, patients are often interested in whether it is possible to take a bath if they have the flu. This procedure will be beneficial if a person with ARVI fulfills a number of conditions.

Maintaining adequate temperature conditions is of great importance. Cool water will worsen the course of the disease, so it is better to postpone hardening until later. But is it possible to take a hot bath when you have the flu? This procedure is allowed if the patient does not have fever or chills. There is an opinion that a hot bath for colds and coughs will help relieve nasal congestion, ease breathing and reduce wheezing in the chest.

The optimal water temperature should vary in the range of °C.

A bath for the flu will be of great benefit if you add special ingredients to the water that help strengthen the immune system and mobilize the body's defenses. Aromatherapy has no less effect than inhalation. The following additives fall under this category:

  1. Essential oils of tea tree, eucalyptus, bergamot, sage, lavender, lemon. These aromatic agents have a pronounced antiviral effect and will speed up the patient’s recovery. They are allowed to be combined. The optimal single dose is 5-7 drops, since the oils have a high concentration of active ingredients.
  2. Medicinal herbs. Before taking a bath for a cold without fever, it is recommended to add medicinal herbal infusions to the water. For such purposes, dried chamomile, calendula, coltsfoot, eucalyptus, and thyme are perfect. Healing steams will help reduce swelling of the inflamed mucous membrane and cleanse the upper respiratory tract.
  3. A decoction of spruce or pine needles. It contains phytoncides - special biologically active substances that have bactericidal and antiseptic properties. To prepare the product, you need to pour 5 tablespoons of needles with a liter of boiling water. After 30 minutes, the healing infusion should be filtered and added to the bath.
  4. Ginger and garlic. Such ingredients have miraculous properties. Allicin in garlic has a detrimental effect on viruses and bacteria, and ginger root helps cleanse the body of their waste products. The grated cloves must be wrapped in gauze and placed on the bottom. Pour boiling water over 100 g of crushed ginger root and leave for half an hour, and then add the strained decoction to the water.

If you take such a bath for flu and colds at the initial stage of the disease, then you can hope that in the morning there will be no trace of the illness.

Sea salt also has healing properties. It will relieve muscle pain and aching joints, which often torment the patient during this period. Taking a bath during the flu is useful with sea salt and to relax the central nervous system. After such a procedure, sleep will be especially sound, which will allow the body to recover faster. To enhance the effect, you can add a few drops of iodine to the water.

Contraindications

There are a number of concomitant diseases for which bathing is not allowed. Taking a shower when you have the flu is the only right decision for these patients. This category includes people with pathologies such as:

  • arterial hypertension, since hot water dilates blood vessels and increases blood pressure;
  • diseases of the cardiovascular system, since during the procedure there is an excessive load on it;
  • insulin-dependent diabetes: taking a bath can cause blood sugar levels to drop to a critical limit, which can lead to glycemic coma;
  • inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system in the acute stage: cystitis, urethritis, STDs, since heating promotes the proliferation of pathogenic microbes;
  • benign neoplasms, such as fibroids, cysts, should not be exposed to high temperatures to avoid further cell division and malignant degeneration.

Taking a bath not only during the flu, but also in everyday life is prohibited for patients diagnosed with tuberculosis, embolism, thrombophlebitis, and varicose veins. The presence of extensive inflammation and purulent rashes on the skin also serves as an obstacle to this pleasant pastime. Hot water can cause hemorrhoids to worsen. An absolute contraindication to the procedure is the presence of an oncological process in the body.

Pregnant women are not recommended to take a bath during ARVI, so as not to create a risk of miscarriage. In this case, the expectant mother is recommended to stand for 5-10 minutes under a running warm shower.

What will happen if. High temperature wash

Upon closer examination of the question of whether it is possible to wash with a cold without fever, it turned out that following the rules of hygiene during this difficult period will only be beneficial. There is an opinion that fever and chills are incompatible with water procedures, and hot water will increase the heat. Let's try to figure out whether it's possible to swim if you have the flu and a fever.

In the first days of illness, when a person is tormented by a strong fever, he himself is unlikely to want to splash in the water. Of course, maintaining personal hygiene is necessary in any case. It is better to postpone water procedures until the patient’s condition is more or less stabilized. A weakened body is especially susceptible to pathogens of various diseases, and it is important to prevent the development of sore throat, pneumonia, and sinusitis. It is recommended to simply wipe the body of a patient with a temperature above 38°C with a damp towel.

Helpful tip: ethyl alcohol has the ability to regulate heat transfer. Rubbing the skin with vodka or ethanol will reduce the fever and alleviate the patient's condition. After the procedure, he should be thoroughly wrapped in a blanket.

The fair half of humanity is often concerned about the question of whether it is possible to take a shower during the flu, washing not only the body, but also the head. Owners of long braids are in danger in this case. You must wait until the fever subsides. Hair takes a long time to dry, and a small draft with reduced immunity threatens the development of serious complications such as meningitis or neuritis.

If you have a cold or flu, you can swim without a fever, but females are strongly advised to dry their hair with a hairdryer and avoid overcooling the steamed scalp.

Washing a child with ARVI

It is believed that immunity in children is fully formed only by the age of 16. Therefore, the child is more vulnerable to the effects of the virus. Complications of influenza and colds develop much more often in children than in adults and can affect the cardiovascular, urinary and central nervous systems. Let's find out whether it is possible to bathe a child with ARVI.

If the baby has not lost his appetite, the temperature has not risen, and the cold is accompanied by a wet cough and sneezing, then water treatments will only benefit him. Washing the body helps cleanse the skin of virus waste products. Swelling of the nasal cavity, trachea and bronchi is reduced, muscle tension is relieved, and sleep improves.

You can wash a child with ARVI with fever no earlier than an hour after taking an antipyretic drug. The thermometer before the procedure should show body temperature no more than 37.5°C. To avoid negative consequences for the baby, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

  1. Do not put your child in hot water. This will cause the baby's fever to increase. The flow of blood away from the head can cause a drop in blood pressure, which can lead to dizziness, tinnitus, and even fainting.
  2. Do not keep your baby in the shower for more than 5-10 minutes. This period is quite enough to wash off the sweat and not harm the patient. In this case, the temperature in the bathroom should not be lower than 25°C, and the water should be slightly warmer than usual, in the range of 37-38°C.
  3. After water procedures, the child must be wiped dry, dressed in warm pajamas and put to bed. A cup of hot milk with honey or tea with raspberries before bed will speed up recovery and further strengthen the immune system.

If a child is capricious, refuses to eat and is weakened by a strong fever, it is better to refrain from washing and pat his body dry with a damp towel. Rubbing the skin with vodka or ethyl alcohol is not recommended for children under 7 years of age. This rule especially applies to infants. Alcohol easily penetrates the bloodstream through thin skin and can cause intoxication.

Many mothers are concerned about when they can bathe their child after an acute respiratory viral infection. It will be allowed to put the baby in a bath with warm water as soon as his condition stabilizes and his temperature stops rising. This usually takes at least 7 days. It is useful to add decoctions of medicinal plants to the bath: sage, wild rosemary, eucalyptus, St. John's wort.

You should not bathe a child in hot water after the flu if you suspect a bacterial infection and the development of sinusitis or frontal sinusitis. In case of acute pharyngitis, which is accompanied by a barking cough, it is also not allowed to take a bath due to possible increased swelling of the respiratory tract and the threat of laryngeal stenosis. Contraindications to bathing a baby are wheezing in the chest and shortness of breath.

To summarize: washing with ARVI without fever is mandatory for both adults and children. If the patient has a mild fever, then it is allowed to spend 5-10 minutes under a warm shower. If you feel unwell, fever and chills, it is recommended to replace water procedures with rubbing. Bathing in the bath is useful during the recovery stage and in the absence of contraindications.

Source: http://gripptips.ru/protseduryi/mozhno-li-pri-grippe-prinimat-vannu.html