Bathing is hard!

[Rebeccare]

I am always completely wiped out after taking a shower, and I imagine that many of you experience this, too. I bought a bathrobe so that I could stay warm and covered as I collapse into bed and rest before getting dressed.

I don't know if the fatigue comes from the physical strain of standing up for a while (or, on some days, sitting up in my shower seat), raising my arms to wash my hair, and the other motions of bathing. Or maybe it comes from my body temperature going up from the hot water, and then going back down (but it feels so good to be in hot water when it's so cold out). Either way, it's really been interfering with my functioning lately.

Does anybody have any suggestions, either for preventing post-shower fatigue or for dealing with it once it happens? I hate having to skip bathing, since it's one of those things that makes me feel human.

 

[Heartl]

Same

 

[Pyrrhus]

Try a bath chair. (Just google “bath chair”)

I’ve had one for years and I would not be able to bathe without it.

Also a must: grab bars in the shower.
I can’t tell you how many times I fell in the shower before I finally installed grab bars...

 

[Moof]

The same thing happens to me – I think it's the hot water, but that's just an instinct.

I've only been able to get around it by showering less often, and just having a wash instead. Theoretically, that should take about 80% of the effort of having a shower, but it feels more like 20%!

 

[Sushi]

I don't know if the fatigue comes from the physical strain of standing up for a while (or, on some days, sitting up in my shower seat), raising my arms to wash my hair, and the other motions of bathing.

I don't know the set up you have in your bathroom, but have you ever tried washing your hair bending over the sink (so that you can separate the jobs and use less energy for each)? I have a faucet that is tall and arches up and around (and my counter is high) so it is easy to bend over and wash my hair in the sink using my elbows for support.

 

[Wolfcub]

I think it does take quite a bit of energy to have a shower. It is quite vigorous....scrubbing arms, back, legs, feet etc.
I notice it more whereas I didn't used to think about it.
What I can't do so happily any more is take a bath. I used to love a warm bath in the morning especially on a cold day and it always used to soothe any aches or stiffness.
Now I start to feel queer even running the water and swirling it with my hand.
In my case, I think it's the hot water. I even have to take my shower quicker and have the water cooler than before which isn't as nice. Now it's just a "get clean" job but it used to be a pleasure.
But it could just be the energy you spent doing it @RebeccaRe that makes you wiped.

 

[xrayspex]

same

 

[Rebeccare]

I'm not happy that other people have the same problem, but at the same time it's good to know that I'm not alone.

Try a bath chair.

There are some days when I wouldn't be able to shower without my handy chair! That's definitely a good tip for people who get worn out showering. My chair is a model that folds up for easy storage, which unfortunately means that it doesn't have a back (which I guess makes it a stool).

I've only been able to get around it by showering less often, and just having a wash instead.

What does your 'having a wash' routine entail? Maybe I should substitute some showers with sponge baths or other ways of quickly washing.

I have a faucet that is tall and arches up and around (and my counter is high) so it is easy to bend over and wash my hair in the sink using my elbows for support.

My sinks are pretty low so I can't take this advice, but it is very good advice for people who have taller faucets, short hair, and who are able to bend over without too much difficulty!

 

[Moof]

What does your 'having a wash' routine entail? Maybe I should substitute some showers with sponge baths or other ways of quickly washing.

It is a sponge bath, really – a through wash of the bits that most need keeping clean, then quickly sponging over everything else, followed by a flannel to wipe the soap off. It only takes a few minutes and so much less energy than showering. I don't do my hair, though, which is cropped very short and is fine with just a couple of washes a week.

 

[Anchoress]

It is a sponge bath, really – a through wash of the bits that most need keeping clean, then quickly sponging over everything else, followed by a flannel to wipe the soap off. It only takes a few minutes and so much less energy than showering. I don't do my hair, though, which is cropped very short and is fine with just a couple of washes a week.

I do the same. I have in the rental neither bath nor shower so have reverted to my long ago Lancashire childhood of washing in a bowl or bucket by the fire. Restful and works fine. Also almost no hair here either

 

[Moof]

I have in the rental neither bath nor shower so have reverted to my long ago Lancashire childhood of washing in a bowl or bucket by the fire.

I'm from Yorkshire, and we had an outside closet and no bath or shower. We moved into a council flat with indoor facilities when I was 12, and we were so excited – then we realised how bloody cold an unheated bathroom can be! We longed to be back in the tin bath in front of the roaring fire, toasting one side until our skin went all corned beef, then turning round to do the other side. I was in my mid-30s before I lived in a house with central heating.

Until the day my Dad died, he always washed at the kitchen sink when he came home from work. They had a nice bathroom with a power shower, and he no longer did manual work anyway, but old ingrained habits stick...

 

[Anchoress]

My earliest memory is of sitting in a tin bath in front of the fire that was where we cooked, ... a happy one... That was in Wigan. .... kindred spirits We moved to a house with bathroom when I was 3. No shower and one bath and hair wash a week on Saturday nights... I do admit though that for ten years I lived on another island with a back boiler that heated the water gloriously ( peat) and i revelled in a deep long hot bath every night, then fell into bed. Was the same when I was first in Ireland. Since then, as i hate showers, washing it is and never use central heating even if it is there.
A lot is cost. Here the dwelling ( as in demountable dwelling ie modular) the solid fuel ( turf of course) heats the water and the place is small...
The council did promise me a bath but I have not taken that seriously and am not worried. Fine as I am and it does not wear me down

I'm from Yorkshire, and we had an outside closet and no bath or shower. We moved into a council flat with indoor facilities when I was 12, and we were so excited – then we realised how bloody cold an unheated bathroom can be! We longed to be back in the tin bath in front of the roaring fire, toasting one side until our skin went all corned beef, then turning round to do the other side. I was in my mid-30s before I lived in a house with central heating.

Until the day my Dad died, he always washed at the kitchen sink when he came home from work. They had a nice bathroom with a power shower, and he no longer did manual work anyway, but old ingrained habits stick...

 

[jesse's mom]

@RebeccaRe , I have the same trouble! The last time I took a shower and washed my hair my blood pressure shot us like crazy, I think it might be the heat. I do not close the door to my rooms and let the himitity out as well. I am at an age that my hair does not get greasy anymore, thankfully!

Since you can get in and out of the house have you considered getting your hair shampooed and blown out at a salon, you can go to a reasonably priced one if you are only doing a wash and blowout.

I have to break my routine up, I wash my hair once a week. sometimes I just sit down in the tub and use the long shower head without letting the water get deep. I rarely get my legs shaved and my hair washed at the same time. When I am really sick and hurting i ask my daughter to do it for me. My husband will at times, but I have to get my hands in there and scrub my scalp. He is bald so he hasn't a clue how to get in there!

I just wash my face and such daily,(think sponge bath) sometimes I have to rest or sit down and brush my teeth later.

Best of luck finding a new routine!

 

[Rebeccare]

Since you can get in and out of the house have you considered getting your hair shampooed and blown out at a salon, you can go to a reasonably priced one if you are only doing a wash and blowout.

It's good to know that's an option, but it seems a bit of an indulgence and probably just as exhausting as showering. Although I would love to see what my crazy curly hair would look like blown out...probably very strange!

When I am really sick and hurting i ask my daughter to do it for me.

When my mom broke her right wrist she used to ask me to shave her legs for her. She asked my dad first, but he grew a beard in 1967 and hadn't touched a razor since, so it was a bit of a disaster. Thankfully it's winter so I won't have to worry about the legs for a while!

I'm from Yorkshire, and we had an outside closet and no bath or shower.

All I can think of is:

Please forgive me--as an American this sketch and Downton Abbey are my only frames of reference for Yorkshire! I guess I'm quite lucky to have grown up with running hot water and an indoor bathroom. Although bathing by the warmth of the fire does sound lovely.

 

[Wishful]

I've lived without indoor plumbing since 2003, in my small cabin in the middle of the woods. I got used to sponge baths. Since I don't socialize often, bathing is a bit infrequent (the wild animals don't complain). I do sometimes wonder if I have more B.O. than most people, even after a sponge bath, but I don't notice any odour unless it's summer and I've been doing something sweaty. Maybe my good bacteria keep odours in check since I don't disturb them too much.

An actual shower would be nice, but it's not enough of a issue for me to bother arranging even an outdoor bucket shower. A better heated area to wash in would be more welcome, but washing quickly is easier.

I know, you want a way to enjoy frequent showers. Can't help there, but at least it might help to know that other people don't consider daily bathing essential.

 

[Hufsamor]

For some reason I find hairdresser terrible exhausting.
It is less exhausting to take my very active 2,5 years old grandchild to the playground for a couple of hours, than to go to the hairdresser...
I keep my hair short, but I always wait far too long between I get it done, so most of the time I look like a troll

On the other hand...washing short hear is so much easier

 

[joanierav]

I am always completely wiped out after taking a shower, and I imagine that many of you experience this, too. I bought a bathrobe so that I could stay warm and covered as I collapse into bed and rest before getting dressed.

I don't know if the fatigue comes from the physical strain of standing up for a while (or, on some days, sitting up in my shower seat), raising my arms to wash my hair, and the other motions of bathing. Or maybe it comes from my body temperature going up from the hot water, and then going back down (but it feels so good to be in hot water when it's so cold out). Either way, it's really been interfering with my functioning lately.

Does anybody have any suggestions, either for preventing post-shower fatigue or for dealing with it once it happens? I hate having to skip bathing, since it's one of those things that makes me feel human.

For some reason I find hairdresser terrible exhausting.
It is less exhausting to take my very active 2,5 years old grandchild to the playground for a couple of hours, than to go to the hairdresser...
I keep my hair short, but I always wait far too long between I get it done, so most of the time I look like a troll
View attachment 29890
On the other hand...washing short hear is so much easier

 

[joanierav]

hi i agree with you. this is what works for me. first of all i dont like showers. i find taking a bath much easier and relaxing. i take a bath at night , put 2 cups of epsom salts in it and im good to go for an hr "spa". then i jump right into bed. i usually do this right before sleep time, at night. i absolutely love this, and it makes me feel good.

good luck, joanie

 

[Wolfcub]

I've lived without indoor plumbing since 2003, in my small cabin in the middle of the woods. I got used to sponge baths. Since I don't socialize often, bathing is a bit infrequent (the wild animals don't complain). I do sometimes wonder if I have more B.O. than most people, even after a sponge bath, but I don't notice any odour unless it's summer and I've been doing something sweaty. Maybe my good bacteria keep odours in check since I don't disturb them too much.

An actual shower would be nice, but it's not enough of a issue for me to bother arranging even an outdoor bucket shower. A better heated area to wash in would be more welcome, but washing quickly is easier.

I know, you want a way to enjoy frequent showers. Can't help there, but at least it might help to know that other people don't consider daily bathing essential.

Yes sometimes I go 2-3 days without a shower or bath. I just wash the "essential bits" while sitting on the toilet. I have to do it that way because I have small cracks between the floor boards and any other method means water goes through them....to a mysterious dark zone between floors!
Washing that way takes three minutes....no fuss....no wet floor..."Lady bits" all squeaky clean.

Even going 3 days without a shower doesn't make me smell any different. I still smell okay I have noticed. Plus I'm not perfume sensitive so use lavender essential oil and others under my armpits! So they smell rather nice.

I wonder if we wash too much nowadays. It can be very drying for the skin.

 

[Rebeccare]

I know, you want a way to enjoy frequent showers. Can't help there, but at least it might help to know that other people don't consider daily bathing essential.

It does help, I think. Maybe I just needed somebody to give me permission to change my standards. I've always thought of showering as an essential activity of daily living, but maybe it doesn't have to be. As long as I don't smell and look presentable, what does it matter how often I get wet? It's worth pondering.