How Hot Showers Help Prevent the Common Cold

Video Transcript

"Hi! This is David Jackel on behalf of Expert Village and I'm here to talk to you about taking hot showers as a way of preventing a cold. Now hot showers can help you out in multiple ways. First of all, it means that there is nice hot steam, which will clear out your respiratory system, help you loosen up mucus or anything else like that which does contribute to getting a cold. The hot steam can also kill germs and by being in the hot shower, you have some stress relieved, it helps your body relax and by relaxing you're less susceptible to catching a cold and of course it keeps you cleaned and that's always good if you want to fight off getting a cold. Take long hot showers on a regular basis, especially in the wintertime and I recommend doing it at least twice a day, usually in the morning and then when you get home from work. Also, a hot shower before bedtime will help you relax and help you get enough sleep which is very important. Because the steam is what is so good for you, a good routine is to start the shower and just be in the room and let the room fill with hot steam so you're breathing it in for a while and getting it into your system. A nice long hot shower can be like a sauna where you're getting all this good hot air which is going to kill the germs and it's going to open up your respiratory system and just boost your defenses."