## Why You Shouldn’t Take a Hot Shower After Scuba Diving
After a long dive, it’s tempting to warm up with a hot shower. However, this is one of the worst things you can do for your body. Here are a few reasons why you should avoid taking a hot shower after scuba diving:
### 1. It can increase your risk of decompression sickness (DCS).
DCS is a serious diving injury that can occur when nitrogen bubbles form in your body’s tissues. These bubbles can block blood flow and cause a variety of symptoms, including pain, paralysis, and even death.
Taking a hot shower after diving can increase your risk of DCS because it raises your body temperature. This causes your blood vessels to dilate, which allows more nitrogen bubbles to enter your bloodstream.
### 2. It can dehydrate you.
Diving can be a dehydrating activity, especially if you’re in the water for a long time. Taking a hot shower after diving can further dehydrate you because it causes you to sweat.
Dehydration can lead to a number of health problems, including:
Fatigue
Headaches
Muscle cramps
Nausea
Vomiting
Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Confusion
Seizures
Coma
### 3. It can make you feel sick.
Taking a hot shower after diving can make you feel sick because it can cause your blood pressure to drop. This can lead to symptoms such as:
Lightheadedness
Dizziness
Nausea
Vomiting
Fainting
### 4. It can damage your skin.
Hot water can damage your skin by stripping it of its natural oils. This can lead to dry, itchy, and irritated skin.
### 5. It’s not relaxing.
Contrary to popular belief, taking a hot shower after diving is not relaxing. In fact, it can actually make you feel more tired and stressed. This is because your body is already working hard to adjust to the post-dive environment. Taking a hot shower puts additional stress on your body and can make it more difficult to recover.
## What Should You Do Instead?
Instead of taking a hot shower after diving, you should:
Cool down slowly. Get out of the water and sit in a cool, shaded area for a few minutes. This will help your body to adjust to the temperature change.
Drink plenty of fluids. Drink plenty of water or sports drinks to rehydrate yourself.
Eat a healthy snack. Eating a healthy snack will help to replenish your energy stores.
Get some rest. If you’re feeling tired, it’s important to get some rest. This will help your body to recover from the dive.
## Conclusion
Taking a hot shower after scuba diving is a bad idea. It can increase your risk of DCS, dehydrate you, make you feel sick, damage your skin, and it’s not even relaxing. Instead, cool down slowly, drink plenty of fluids, eat a healthy snack, and get some rest.
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