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A hot shower can be the right thing because it can help the body relax after a tiring routine. However, hot baths are known to worsen hypertension and cardiovascular problems.
Now, to find out more about the effects of a hot shower, let’s look at the following explanation.
Is it true that hot showers can worsen hypertension and cardiovascular disease?
Reporting from Healthgrades.com, several potential complications can occur from excessive exposure to hot water, especially if you have cardiovascular disease.
Cardiologist, Curtis Rimmerman, MD, said that hot showers risk causing harm to patients with heart disease.
When you soak your body in hot water, the temperature rises but your blood pressure falls. The release of sweat from the skin usually helps cool the body. However, when taking a hot shower, this natural cooling mechanism does not work.
Usually, this condition does not cause problems. However, if you have cardiovascular disease, it can put a strain on your heart. People with cardiovascular disease can experience low or too high blood pressure to the point of fainting.
Heat can cause blood vessels to widen, which then lowers blood pressure so that the heart has to work harder, which is indicated by a fast beat. Apart from a fast heartbeat, other symptoms that may be felt are dizziness, nausea, and heart attack.
However, this happens depending on the condition of the heart, arteries and blood vessels in response to heat exposure. Please note, hot baths can also interact with high blood pressure medications.
The blood pressure medications commonly prescribed are diuretics, which can cause fluid and salt loss. For this reason, if you get hot from taking a hot shower, you will most likely experience dehydration.
Other side effects of taking a hot shower
Apart from the potential to trigger hypertension and cardiovascular problems, there are other side effects from bathing in hot water. Some of the side effects or impacts of bathing in hot water include the following:
Can dry out and irritate the skin
Health expert, Dr. Jacqueline Schaffer, MD, said that hot water causes damage to keratin cells located in the outermost layer of the skin, namely the epidermis. By disrupting these cells, it can create dry skin and prevent moisture locking in.
Makes certain skin conditions worse
Hot showers are also known to worsen certain skin conditions. Therefore, higher temperatures, including hot showers, tend to dry out the skin easily and worsen conditions such as eczema.
Makes skin itchy
For this reason, taking a hot shower can make the skin feel even more itchy. Dermatologist Adam Friedman, MD, said that heat can cause mast cells, which contain histamine, to release their contents in the skin and cause itching.
Precautions to remember when taking a hot shower
If you want to take a hot bath, but have hypertension or cardiovascular disease, it’s a good idea to remember some precautions. Precautions to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular problems from worsening when bathing in hot water, namely:
Talk to a doctor
If you have a health condition, such as heart disease, ask your doctor whether it is safe to take a hot shower. Be sure to follow your doctor’s advice to prevent further health harm.
Avoid taking hot showers for too long
Exposed to hot water for too long or frequently can increase the risk of hypertension or cardiovascular disease. Apart from that, avoid bathing in water that is too hot because it can cause blood pressure to rise very high.
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