Hot or cold showers can alleviate nausea symptoms, but you should experiment to see which option works best for you. Hot showers make you feel more relaxed, while cold ones will cause more stress.
However, the ultimate effects on whether you still need to vomit aren’t as straightforward.
What Is Nausea?
Nausea is a medical term that means you feel “sick” in your stomach (like you want to vomit). It can occur whether you have a full or empty stomach. People often experience nausea due to food poisoning, motion sickness, pregnancy, and a host of additional reasons.
Doctors can’t usually tell what’s wrong with you immediately if you tell them you’re nauseous. However, other symptoms, like severe diarrhea, headaches, or spending a long time on a boat, can help them make firmer conclusions.
How Does Temperature Affect Nausea Relief?
Temperature enables nausea relief for some people by calming an upset stomach and taming the vomiting reflex. Patients sometimes apply cool compresses (crushed ice) to their stomachs or go somewhere cooler where they can feel less stressed.
A cold shower could have a similar effect. Cooling the body quickly reduces the need to throw up. By contrast, a hot shower can sometimes have the opposite effect. Additional warm temperatures may make nausea worse (due to their relationship to thermoregulation, or the ability to maintain a steady body temperature).
Can Cold Showers Help with Nausea?
Cold showers help with nausea in numerous ways, but aren’t guaranteed. When the cold water hits the skin, it starts lowering the body’s temperature, reducing the feeling of being sick. However, it can also be distracting.
This sensation of being in a cold shower is so overwhelming for most people that it masks nauseous feelings.
If you are planning on using cold showers to deal with nausea:
- Keep the duration short; perhaps 1 to 2 minutes to prevent your core temperature from dropping too low
- Ensure the temperature is around 45°F to 55°F
- Monitor your reactions to see if it helps with nausea
Don’t stay in the shower for too long at this temperature, as it may make you too cold.
Can Hot Showers Help with Nausea?
Hot showers don’t work as universally for nausea as cold showers, but can benefit various subpopulations, like people with cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), like a hot bath.
Hot showers work by impacting the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls temperature regulation and vomiting. Shower heat can ease indigestion and tense muscles in some people, facilitating blood flow from the core to the periphery.
To safely take a hot shower to help with nausea:
- Keep your shower under 10 minutes.
- Use a shower chair if you feel unstable to avoid falling
- Ensure you have good ventilation in your bathroom (such as an extractor fan or open window)
- Maintain the water temperature around body temperature (95°F to 99°F)
How Do Personal Preferences Affect the Choice Between Cold and Hot Showers?
Of course, whether you take a hot or cold shower depends on your preferences and situation. Sometimes going hot makes sense, while other times, it is better to choose cold.
Choosing Cold Showers
Cold showers are ideal when you want to reduce inflammation or boost circulation. Cold water triggers the sympathetic nervous system, releasing feel-good hormones and increasing heart rate.
Athletes often choose this option to improve muscle recovery after exercise and cut muscle soreness. However, it may not be the best option if you have Raynaud’s disease or poor circulation.
Too much cold can cut off blood vessel supply to the body’s periphery (like the hands, nose, and feet), causing pain and damage. People often use cold showers in hot climates for a cool, refreshing effect.
However, cultural factors, such as viewing cold showers as spiritually cleansing, also play a role.
Choosing Hot Showers
Meanwhile, hot showers are best when you want to relax tense muscles. Many people find that they reduce stiffness, open up their airways, and improve blood flow to the skin, which is why they are popular among people with chronic pain conditions.
However, hot showers are risky for people with low blood pressure because they affect the distribution of blood in the body, taking it away from the core where it’s needed. Hot showers are popular in Northern Europe and North America, where low temperatures are the norm.
However, they can also have ritualistic significance, especially in places like Scandinavia and Japan that view them as more than hygiene enhancers.
How Can Shower Filters Improve Your Shower Experience?
Shower filters are an excellent way to improve your shower experience (especially if you feel nauseous). These devices connect to the flow and reduce particles from the water before they reach your body, including minerals and pollutants.
Critically, shower filters from Aquabliss can reduce chlorine, a substance that might make you feel worse. Reducing this gives you an odorless shower that won’t damage your skin or cause you to want to vomit.
What Are Other Remedies for Nausea?
Of course, plenty of other ways exist to deal with nausea. Herbal home remedies include ginger and peppermint. The former is a natural pain killer while the latter relaxes the stomach muscles, reducing the vomiting reflex.
Acupressure is another home remedy. This technique involves using the fingers to press on specific body parts to relieve nausea. You can also go to practitioners for this. If you tell them you have nausea, they usually focus on specific areas (often on the palms).
We encourage you to explore various remedies and their effectiveness. See what works for you and if you can reduce your symptoms. Go to the doctor for treatment and medications if you feel it is necessary.
So, Do Cold And Hot Showers Help Nausea?
Generally, cold and hot showers help with nausea. However, your choice depends on your personal preferences and what’s causing you to feel sick. Hot showers are best for relaxation, while colder ones reduce inflammation.
Go to our filter page or talk to us if you want to buy a filter for your shower to enhance the experience. Discover how reducing chlorine and other nasties from your water can change your life, even when you want to vomit.
