# Weird question about showers



## loopytheone (Jun 18, 2014)

And baths, actually, come to think of it. 

Whenever I have a bath or shower immediately afterwards I fell physically exhausted and faint with slight rapid breathing/heart rate for about half an hour afterwards. I also feel sick. 

Does anybody else get this? Because I have to sit down and recover after taking a shower or a bath, no matter what the temperature of the water etc. Any idea what might be causing this or if there is anything I can do to prevent it?


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## Saisha (Jun 18, 2014)

Not to scare you but when is the last time you had your BP checked or had a physical? This is something you should discuss with your doctor or nurse practitioner. It could even be caused by something you are using that you might be allergic to - not all allergy symptoms are sneezing, itching and watery eyes. Don't let it go too long - get it checked out soon. Please.


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## loopytheone (Jun 18, 2014)

Saisha said:


> Not to scare you but when is the last time you had your BP checked or had a physical? This is something you should discuss with your doctor or nurse practitioner. It could even be caused by something you are using that you might be allergic to - not all allergy symptoms are sneezing, itching and watery eyes. Don't let it go too long - get it checked out soon. Please.



Thank you for the reply!

My blood pressure gets checked fairly regularly and is usually low, I think it was about 100/45 last time I had it checked, a couple of weeks ago. We don't really have physicals over here but for one reason or another I have had a battery of blood tests over the last couple of months that showed nothing odd. Perhaps you are right about the allergy thing? I am no sure, it just seems so strange to me. 

Like I said, thank you for the thoughts on the matter. :happy:


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## Saisha (Jun 18, 2014)

You are most welcome  I hope you feel better soon!! Nothing wrong with having breath-taking moments in life but only for the right reasons


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## Tad (Jun 18, 2014)

Copied from a web page (so you know it is true!  ) underlines mine



> What is a low blood pressure reading?
> A low blood pressure reading is having a level that is 90/60mmHg, or lower.
> 
> Only one of the numbers has to be lower than it should be to count as low blood pressure. In other words:
> ...



So at a guess, your blood pressure tends to be low, and may drop even more from a shower or bath? But just speculation, I know nothing of the underlying biology.


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## luvmybhm (Jun 18, 2014)

hi loopy. i peeked online and tad seems to be in the right direction. it says that if you have naturally low blood pressure that when the hot water dilates your veins it can cause it to drop further. some of the ladies online seem to either take cooler showers or start hot and then finish on a cooler rinse. 

good luck and i hope they can find something to help you with this.


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## Gingembre (Jun 20, 2014)

Sounds like a side effect of low blood pressure, which can (as luvmybhm said) be exacerbated by warm showers/standing up after a bath etc.


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## loopytheone (Jun 20, 2014)

Thank you all for your replies! This is probably dumb but I had honestly never considered that it could be an effect of my low blood pressure! I will try having a cooler end to the shower, I do tend to have them quite hot as I get cold easily. 

Thank you again for the advice! :happy:


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## Yakatori (Jun 20, 2014)

Gingembre said:


> Sounds like a side effect of low blood pressure, which can...be *exacerbated* by warm showers...


Thread topic on serious health concerns and you bring stuff like that in here....


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## largebob280 (Jun 20, 2014)

From an Australian government heal web page on hypotension (low blood pressure):

"The heart pumps blood around the body through the blood vessels. Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted on the artery walls by the pumping blood. Blood pressure varies according to environmental demands. For example, it rises during physical exertion and drops in extreme heat. "​


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## loopytheone (Jun 21, 2014)

I tried having a luke warm shower instead of a hot one and sitting in front of a fan for the first half hour afterwards and so far I haven't had any of the weakness or dizziness! So thank you everyone for your advice!


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## Saisha (Jun 21, 2014)

loopytheone said:


> I tried having a luke warm shower instead of a hot one and sitting in front of a fan for the first half hour afterwards and so far I haven't had any of the weakness or dizziness! So thank you everyone for your advice!



Yea  So glad to hear this! I would still let your doctor know - just in case. (and yes, I'll quit nagging now)


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