Is it suitable to take a hot spring bath when you have severe influenza?

Which influenza patients should not take a hot spring bath?

Generally speaking, hot spring bathing is not prohibited for colds, but hot spring bathing is not recommended for influenza virus infection. In particular, people with the following conditions should avoid taking a hot spring bath:

1. People with fever or high body temperature: taking a hot spring bath will further increase body temperature, affect the heat dissipation mechanism, and increase the risk of heat shock.

2. People with poor cardiopulmonary function: taking a hot spring bath will affect the cardiovascular system, and may increase the burden on people with cardiopulmonary diseases.

3. People with wheezing and unstable blood pressure: The high temperature environment of the hot spring may cause the heart rate to accelerate, blood vessels to dilate, and blood pressure to further decrease, increasing the risk of shock.

What are the risks of taking a hot spring bath for severe influenza?

When influenza develops into a severe case, the patient may have symptoms such as high fever, rapid heartbeat, and low blood pressure. At this time, taking a hot spring bath may accelerate the heartbeat and increase the burden on the heart; in addition, the heat of the hot spring may dilate blood vessels, causing the already low blood pressure to further drop, resulting in more unstable blood pressure and shock.

After the influenza virus infects the human body, it will cause a series of uncomfortable symptoms, such as fever, cough, fatigue, etc., and the body is in a relatively weak state. When taking a hot spring bath, the temperature of the surrounding environment is high, which will cause the blood vessels on the surface of the body to dilate and the blood circulation to accelerate, which will further consume the body's already limited energy, causing the body to be more tired and not conducive to physical recovery.

Moreover, the places for hot spring bathing are usually crowded and relatively closed environments with poor air circulation. The influenza virus is highly contagious. In such an environment, it is easy to spread the virus to others, and it may also be infected with other bacteria again, aggravating the condition.

If the warming measures are not in place during the hot spring bathing process, the body will quickly dissipate heat after coming out of the high-temperature hot spring water, and it is easy to catch a cold, making the condition worse.

Generally, cold doctors will not specifically prohibit hot spring bathing, but hot spring bathing may cause some cardiopulmonary burden, so if the patient has poor cardiopulmonary function, it is usually recommended not to take a hot spring bath during a cold, especially when there is a fever, hot spring bathing will increase the body temperature, making it more difficult to dissipate heat, and it is easy to produce heat shock or increase the cardiopulmonary burden. Therefore, if the patient has a fever or poor cardiopulmonary function, or even has symptoms such as wheezing, it is best not to go to the hot springs to avoid aggravating the condition.

If influenza patients feel unwell, they should closely observe changes in blood pressure and heart rate, and seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid developing more serious complications.

Vaccination for high-risk groups to prevent severe illness

In recent days, due to the big S effect, many people have rushed to get vaccinated to reduce the risk of severe illness, especially patients with chronic diseases, such as obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and elderly people over 65 years old, should actively get vaccinated to reduce the chance of influenza complications of pneumonia, encephalitis, and myocarditis.

During the influenza virus infection period, you should rest more and ensure adequate sleep so that the body has enough energy to fight the virus. Keep the indoor air circulating, drink more warm water, and eat a light and nutritious diet. If your physical condition allows, you can do some soothing activities appropriately. But if you have doubts about whether you can take a hot spring bath, it is best to consult a professional doctor to ensure your health and safety.