Reference; http://seino-1987.jp/blog/6123.html
Modified and translated by CFJA
When should you refrain from bathing?
Many people are not aware that taking a bath is a physically exhausting activity for the body. It is dangerous to force yourself to take a bath if you are not feeling well or in good health. Many people are aware of stories about people having a heart attack or a brain haemorrhage after taking a bath while drinking alcohol, but not everyone realizes that taking a bath anytime we are not feeling well or in good health can also be detrimental. The body is weak when pain is occurring and when you take a bath at this time it is even more depleting when your body is trying to heal.
It is common to hear a person say, “I have a pain in my back and I thought it would get better if I took a bath to warm up or loosen it up”, but then the next day they are unable to move. Instead when you feel pain, your body is telling you that there is weakness and you should lay down and rest.
It is interesting because no one takes a bath when they have a fever, but some people take a bath because they feel cold and think it is a good idea to warm up without knowing that this is also counterproductive because taking a bath is physically exhausting and this weakened the body even more. When you experience pain, fever, chills or any other unpleasant symptom, you should consider them a “scream of the internal organs”. When these symptoms happen you should rest your body as soon as possible. If you feel uncomfortable without bathing, it is better to wash only your hands, feet and face and to wipe your body without washing it.
Incidentally, when wiping the body, it is better to use warm alcohol than hot water due to the reason that alcohol dries quickly, so heat is not lost, and the body temperature does not drop.
Another time when it is better not to bathe is when the body is extremely agitated. An example of this is immediately after running, when you are angry, or when you have been drinking. It is more dangerous to bathe when the blood is flowing quickly in the body or is concentrated in one place.
And finally it is also undesirable to bathe within 30 minutes of a meal due to the blood being concentrated in the stomach in order to process and digest your food. The amount of time is dependent on the size of the meal so if you have eaten a particularly large meal, you should also allow more time before bathing.
Self-care (養生) and taking a bath 1
Self-care (養生) and taking a bath 2
Self-care (養生) and taking a bath 3
Self-care (養生) and taking a bath 4
Self-care (養生) and taking a bath 5
Self-care (養生) and taking a bath 6