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If you have bathed in water that is too hot, at best it is just unpleasant, but often it can also be dangerous. In this health tip, we show you what hot water does to your body and how you can respond appropriately.
Bathing in water that is too hot: Why it can be dangerous
Our body needs an operating temperature of around 37 degrees Celsius. If the body temperature is below or much higher than this, it is dangerous for the body. If the temperature is too high, doctors refer to this as hyperthermia—if it is too low, they refer to it as hypothermia.
- If the body gets too warm, it tries to release excess heat. The body has two mechanisms at its disposal for this purpose.
- First, the blood vessels dilate. This allows the body to release more heat through the skin.
- Second, it uses the principle of evaporative cooling. A fine, moist film of sweat forms on the skin. When this evaporates, it cools the skin. This is why you sweat even in summer when temperatures are high.
- When you bathe in very hot water, your body heats up significantly. However, the skin cannot release heat in hot water. Although the blood vessels dilate significantly, they cannot release heat to the hot water.
- Sweating also cannot cool the body, as the warmer water prevents your body from releasing body heat.
- Since your head is above water, your body will try to regulate its temperature through this area. However, this area is not sufficient to cool the large surface area of your body.
- In principle, a very hot bath puts your body into an artificial fever. This can rise significantly depending on the water temperature.
- An important tip: never bathe for longer than 42 degrees Celsius. You would run the risk of developing a fever of 42 degrees, which would cause your body proteins to coagulate.
- The strong dilation of the blood vessels causes your blood pressure to drop. This can lead to fainting. If you faint in the bathtub, you could drown. Incidentally, this is not uncommon in everyday life, despite the jokes that are often made about it.
- The effect of hot water on the skin should not be underestimated, especially in babies and small children. Depending on the water temperature, scalding can occur all over the body. However, this can also happen to adults.
Bath water that is too hot: What you can do
If you are sitting in a hot bathtub and notice that you are feeling dizzy or nauseous, get out of the water immediately.
- To avoid fainting, get down on the floor as quickly as possible. Keep your legs slightly elevated.
- As soon as you get out of the hot bath, you need to prevent your body from cooling down. This may sound contradictory at first. However, after leaving the hot water, your body tries to cool down as quickly as possible. It therefore releases a lot of heat.
- If your skin is bright red from the hot water, you may have a first-degree burn.
- It may sound exaggerated, but if you have bathed in water that is too hot, you should call a doctor if you experience symptoms such as severe nausea or circulatory problems such as dizziness or physical tremors.
- Circulatory problems can also occur some time after the hot bath.
- If you have accidentally bathed your child in water that is too hot, be sure to consult a doctor.
