How to Take a Cold Bath Comfortably
No one who has experienced the delightfully refreshing effects of a cold bath, and who appreciates the value of the tonic influence of this bath when taken regularly, will be willing to forego his morning cold bath even if it does require some little fortitude. Nobody enjoys the first sensation produced by immersion in a tub full of water at a temperature of sixty or seventy degrees. One is strongly inclined to make his stay in the bath as short as possible, and thus may lose some of the good effect which might otherwise be obtained. When the bath is taken simply for the tonic effect, the momentary contact of cold water with the skin is quite sufficient; but when it is desired to obtain strong alterative effects,—that is, if one is suffering from obesity or diabetes, and wishes to encourage the combustion processes by which fat or sugar are burned up, and thus the disease combated,—the good effects obtained depend upon the duration of the bath. The longer one remains in the bath, the greater the effects produced, as the bath abstracts heat, and thus stimulates combustion. By constantly rubbing the surface while the skin is in contact with the cold water, vigorous circulation may be maintained, and the sensation of chilliness greatly lessened. The effect of the bath is also accelerated by bringing a large quantity of blood to the surface to be cooled. Cold contracts the vessels, while rubbing dilates them; thus the effect of the cold is antagonized by the rubbing, and the free circulation of blood is maintained at the surface. The most disagreeable element of the cold bath is the intense impression made upon the temperature nerves when one first enters the bath. For many persons who are sensible to cold, the contact with cold water is not merely disagreeable, it is really distressing and painful, often giving rise to involuntary exclamations of distress. With persons who have strong powers of reaction this sensation quickly disappears, but with those in whom reaction is slow, most intensely disagreeable sensations continue during the whole period of the bath. There is no means by which the first impression of cold can be obviated; but by a very simple procedure the duration of this impression may be very greatly shortened. Here is the method:— Draw into the bath tub the amount of water required for the bath, making the temperature from seventy to seventy-five degrees. Persons who are not accustomed to cold bathing may use a little higher temperature at first, say from eighty to eighty-five degrees. If a shower bath is available, let the bather now stand in the bath tub, having previously wet the head, face, and neck with the coldest water obtainable, and expose the whole surface of the body for six or eight seconds to a cold shower at a temperature of fifty or sixty degrees, or pipe-water temperature, whatever it may be. After this short cold shower, the bather at once submerges himself in the tub, and to his delight he will find that the water feels warm instead of cold. If the surface is a little cold, so that the contact with the cold water of the shower is dreaded, a very hot shower may be taken for fifteen or twenty seconds before the cold shower. If the shower bath is not accessible, two pails of water should be prepared, one containing water at a temperature of from one hundred and four to one hundred and eight degrees, the other containing water as it runs from the cold-water faucet. While standing in the bath tub, first the hot water and then the cold water is poured over the body as quickly as possible. This will greatly lessen the discomfort of the cold bath. A cold bath taken every morning is one of the best means of fortifying the body against the depressing effects of heat, and preventing the loss of appetite, which, with many persons, especially those whose employment is sedentary, is one of the inconveniences of the warm season. The loss of appetite must necessarily follow the loss of energy. This indeed is an indication of a lowering of the vital powers, and should not be regarded as a trivial circumstance. A cold bath taken immediately on rising, followed by a brisk walk of fifteen or twenty minutes in the early morning air, is a better means of inducing appetite and good digestion than any or all of the drugs known to materia medica. Try it if you have never done so, and you will certainly be pleased with the result.—Good Health.