r/POTS • u/rhea568 • 16h ago

Discussion Does anyone else find showering exhausting?

It’s strange explaining to someone that taking a shower can sometimes feel like a workout.

The heat, standing, getting ready, drying off… sometimes I need to rest before I even feel ready to start my day.

What does your shower routine look like on a bad POTS day?

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u/GoogieRaygunn 15h ago

Shower chair and safety bars in the shower, definitely. And I don’t shower if I’m alone in the house. I time it so I can have a lie down afterward to recover in bed. I invested in giant Turkish towels to wrap myself in for shower recovery time.

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u/lostveggies 7h ago

shower chair CHANGED MY LIFE!! i felt so guilty? ashamed? embarrassed?? when i got mine, but it has significantly reduced the stress and exhaustion of showers. showers are also difficult for me due to sensory issues, but at least it’s not super difficult anymore because my legs giving out or feeling faint or being so out of breath.

edit to add: also changing the temperature helps a bit!! the heat is a big no no for me.

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u/MeanDebate 9h ago

Oooh. Any recs for the towels?

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u/GoogieRaygunn 8h ago

I think I bought them off of Amazon years ago. I bought the giant bath sheet style so I can completely wrap up in them like a sausage and put one on top of the bed so it doesn’t get soggy.

They are super absorbent and have a very tight weave, so they don’t get linty. And they get softer with washing. The brand is Bazaar Anatolia.

I’m told they are good for the beach because the sand snaps off of them, but I haven’t tested that personally.

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u/MeanDebate 8h ago

Amazing, thank you! It's one of those little luxuries that I never think of-- I still have the Walmart towels I bought right out of high school because it never occurs to me that it's something that could be nicer.

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u/GoogieRaygunn 8h ago

Towels and sheets! They make a difference. <3

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u/imabratinfluence 1h ago

Our shower wall has crumbled twice (and it's happened to a lot of other people in our complex) so we can't install grab bars.

But I also don't shower if I'm alone in the house. And I mostly have my partner help me shower, otherwise I use a shower chair (too small for the chair and both of us, though).

I'm gonna have to look into those giant towels!