If the body raises its temperature to kill bacteria, why is it bad to take a hot shower when you have a fever?
In: 91
Doctor here
It’s about expending energy. Your body is using up lots of energy to fight the infection. Any extreme temperatures both hot and cold from the outside will cause your body to expend energy trying to fight against this change in temperature as if tries to reach an equilibrium.
This means being cold or being too hot is wasting your body’s energy which it could be using to fight the infection.
It’s very much different from the internal thermostat which tells your body to increase its temperature SLIGHTLY to create a fever which kills the infection but hopefully has your enzymes still working well and good.
This is also why it’s recommended to only take fever lowering medication if your body temperature goes over 38,5C. Over 38,5C starts bring detrimental to normal bodily functions. 37 to 38,5C is usually the sweet spot.
In addition, getting yourself wet usually leads to some cooling through evaporation which again, causes your body to use precious energy reserves to heat you back up again.
Being under a blanket is different in this regard. It’s not sudden extreme temperature. Just a way for your body to not feel subjectively cold due to the difference between your body temperature and outside temperature. And if actually saves your body energy resources.
Just as not moving and staying in bed and sleeping works wonders for getting healthy too because it saves energy.
Also eating soup or other easily digestible things is a good idea. Why? Because digestion is an energy intensive process when you have to digest meat and veggies and fruit.
Why do people get drowsy when they fall ill? It’s their body telling them to stay in one place, conserve energy and slow the bleep down.
When I had covid with fever and chills, the only thing that made me feel cozy and slightly better was taking hot showers.
One thing i know is when fevered let your body do its thing. You know your body is working in protecting yourself
I didn’t know taking hot showers and fevers didn’t mix. I always take a long soak in a hot epsom salt bath when I have a fever, does wonders.
It isn’t bad to take a hot shower while you’re febrile! Where in the world did you hear that.
ur cells denature after a certain temperature. that’s why it’s important to keep track of a fever.
ELI5: ur cells die when ur body gets too hot.
Fever doesn’t make your body better at killing bacteria and it’s not bad to take a hot shower while having a fever, it just doesn’t feel good.
ever have a 101 degree fever?
feels like total shit right? thats only < 4 degrees above normal.
raising temp to kill bacteria also affects cells and stuff you DON’t want to kill.
like how chemo therapy is really bad for you.. but hopefully its worse for the cancer first before it kills you too.
so if you have a fever and take a hot shower, you are already near redline… dont push it
How about not showering when you have a fever?
For the last 20+ years when I have had a bad fever I always have a hot shower. I sit either on a plastic stool or on the floor resting my head on the cold tiles. This has helped me sleep and break the fever much faster. It almost always gets rid of the muscle aches, allowing me to sleep. Resting my head on the tiles is like a cold pack keeping my head cool while my body warms.
It works for me and I haven’t had any negative side effects that I’m aware of except a guilty conscious for using so much water.
Latest Answers