Exertion
A shower takes more energy than people tend to recognize.
You’re standing the whole time.
Most people aren’t impacted by this.
Greg Kessler/Getty Images
But for those with ME/CFS, even small amounts of exertion can be too much.
That’s due to a symptom calledpost-exertional malaise(PEM)a defining characteristic of this disease.
Symptoms of PEM may include severe fatigue, flu-like feelings, pain, and/or worsening of other associated symptoms.
But relaxation is not too helpful if you’re dealing with profound fatigue because of these issues.
If you are going to shower, avoid mornings, when you’re especially fighting to get going.
Temperature Sensitivity
Temperature sensitivityis associated with both fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.
Some people get so overheated that theysweat profuselyafter a shower.
Blood Pressure Drops
People with ME/CFS are prone to dizziness thanks to a symptom calledorthostatic intolerance.
Basically, that means they get dizzy upon standing up.
It’s sparked by an abnormal blood-pressure drop.
Heightened Nerve Response
The pressure of water hitting your skin can get your nerves riled up.
For some, it hurts while they’re under the spray.
Others might not hurt until after a shower when they feel the cumulative effects of stimulating their overreactive nerves.
Erroneous pain signals can cause widespread body aches.
The pain may be described as burning, aching, stabbing, or tingling.
This phenomenon is calledallodynia, which is pain brought on by something that wouldn’t normally hurt.
There’s a thermal form of allodynia that could make the heat of a shower even harder to tolerate.
Allodynia is almost universal in fibromyalgia and some people with ME/CFS experience it, as well.
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