# Are long hot showers unhealthy?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-hot-showers-unhealthy/132099>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-hot-showers-unhealthy/132099 "2002-10-13T15:40:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-hot-showers-unhealthy/132099/1 "2002-10-13T15:40:52Z")

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Having noticed that the vast majority of my personal vices aren’t good for me, I ask: Is it unhealthy to take long showers?

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**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-hot-showers-unhealthy/132099/2 "2002-10-13T15:55:32Z")

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Other than the temperature having the usual effect on weak hearts I can’t think of anything wrong with it. Unless by long you mean days in which case you may have a problem.

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-hot-showers-unhealthy/132099/3 "2002-10-13T15:56:38Z")

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If you healthy, not in the strictest sense, unless you’re staying in the shower to avoid going to work or dealing with personal problems.

QtM, MD

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-hot-showers-unhealthy/132099/4 "2002-10-13T16:55:48Z")

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[Heat shock proteins and showers](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&as_qdr=all&q=+%22heat+shock+proteins%22+showers). Some people have reactions.

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**Author:** ![fergusj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5e925/32.png) [@fergusj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fergusj)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-hot-showers-unhealthy/132099/5 "2002-10-13T19:48:08Z")

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I have read that long hot showers can dry out your skin excessively (see this [example advice](http://www.chw.healthinkonline.com/dohealth/member/SelfCareWellness/vitWellness.asp?wellID=590)). And I have personally noted that I tend to have itchy skin after a long hot shower during cold weather and this may be caused by skin dryness.

## Hot showers do tend to dilate your blood vessels as the body rushes blood to circulate through the skin to deal with the high temperature. But I have no idea what such sustained dilation might do to you.

Fergus