this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2024
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Showerthoughts

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But I'm sure a daily 8hr sleep in water isn't something our bodies are ready for. What are probable effects? Can we mitigate them?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago

My parents used to have a waterbed years ago. Temperature wise it was really great. Turn the temp up in winter for a cozy bed and down in summer for a cool sleep.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

When I was a teenager at one point I had a waterbed and left the heat off. While not the same thing, it was effective at stealing body heat. I have no idea whether it was a good idea though

[–] [email protected] 18 points 4 months ago (2 children)

A few months ago, I bought some fake/vegan leather shoes and they didn't quite fit. So, I figured, I'd try the old leather shoe trick, where you fill them with water, put them on and let them dry+shrink to fit your feet.

And it actually kind of worked. But I had decided to just leave them on for basically the rest of the day. And that wasn't a great idea.

My foot soles had soaked with water and gotten wrinkles that carved about a centimeter deep. Even after taking the shoes off, I was in pain for a few hours. It felt like the soaked skin was constantly pulling on my flesh, because their shapes didn't fit together anymore.

So, yeah, I imagine, the same would happen, if you bathed for 8 hours. You could somewhat mitigate it, by covering your whole body in vaseline or some other form of fat.
I guess, you could also try bathing in rapeseed oil or such directly...? I'm not actually recommending this, though. 🫠

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I'd imagine the effect was exasperated due to the pressure your feet are under when walking, whereas in a bath the weight is distributed and you're mostly buoyant. Its probably fine.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I actually didn't do much walking in them. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon/evening, with me mostly seated in an armchair and my legs put up, so the wet shoes didn't soak my furniture.

Personally, I even thought a bit of pressure might have stopped my skin from bloating quite as much.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 4 months ago

Willingly giving yourself trench foot is wild

[–] [email protected] 18 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Things growing in the water would be an issue. And highly treated water will damage your skin. There'd also be a chance of drowning every night. You could mitigate with a dry suit but that kinda ruins the point.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (2 children)

A risk, really? Who wouldn't wake up coughing if they accidentally inhaled a mouthful of water!?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Besides all the potential medications you'd wake up panicked, in water (likely swallow more), and may in your panick fail to get out of whatever tub setup you have. It isn't common but people do drown in bathtubs (not just infants who've been left alone).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

People who take Ambien, Lunesta, or trazodone. Anyone who drinks too much and doesn't realize it. Anyone on opiates for pain.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Hmm... You make a very drown-y point.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

I'd never heard of this before. A fan with a little flat vent that shoots under your sheet. I don't have any interest in that, but learned something new.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Wtf. This is a thing? They've electrified everything now.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Fan isn't fun and we aren't on c/windmillthoughts though.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I think there may also be some medical consequences. I really don't know of there's long-term effects, but being in water constantly dehydrates you. It's the reason your skin gets wrinkly when you've been in the bath a while: your body thinks you're over-hydrated and tries to expel water through your skin.

Take that with a grain of salt; I read it somewhere years ago, and really have no idea of it's accurate, true, or whether it'd make a difference health-wise in any case.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

It's actually a reflexive response by your body caused by the constriction of blood vessels in the skin, improving grip on wet surfaces. If you have nerve damage to the hands, feet, or related areas of the spine, the wrinkle reflex won't function.

Related article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-our-fingers-and-toes-wrinkle-during-a-bath/

Only your kidneys handle the expulsion of excess water, so what you read isn't accurate.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago

I suspect our temperature regulation goes out of the window too as our bodies are used to be mainly in the air (not conducting, nor conserving, nor dense) and built a range of mechanisms to cool itself or maintain the livable temp to the main organs first. Sauna is a great example in how we survive hot air at temps nearing a boiling point of water by oversweating, while water makes this ineffective and a spilled coffee can cause severe burns. If there's a chance for the bathbeds, the reaction of the body to the temp should be considered too.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

The problem is the direct contact to the water, a blanket with water running through it in a circle with a heat spreader or a different cooling device would solve that and would reduce the amount of water by a lot. The blanket would be a bit heavier but by that it would double as a weighted blanket too.

Instead of a blanket the same could be built into the mattresses, not really a water bed but a bed with water cooling.

Devices, for example computers, get cooled like that.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 4 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (4 children)

There are cheaper options with rather fewer features. Link updated from below, thanks! https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006953014233.html

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Thanks, I looked for a proper share link as editing on mobile is a PITA.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Huh, just noticed my link shows the price at 100 euros, but the bloated one shows it for 121 euros

Nvm different size was pre-selected

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Yea link not working but have me curious if you can get a working one edited or respond.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

That ridiculous link isn't working, at least for me.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I was really interested in this when I saw the ad for it, then I saw the price.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Even worse, IMO, than the high initial price is the fact they charge a subscription to continue to use the cooling cover you already paid an arm and leg for.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 months ago

There goes my million dollar idea 😭

But cool, literally, that something like this exists. On the other hand, it is not really rocket science 😀

[–] [email protected] -4 points 4 months ago (4 children)

What heat? It is like 15 degrees in fucking July here -_-

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Well, it's been over 100° fahrenheit here for the past month. I think that's like 35° C? And with >60% humidity the heat index is closer to 130°F

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Same mate, I was waiting for our traditional European summer heat wave and the Indians and Americans took it all for them :(

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago

I'm holding out hope for another 2 days towards the end of August! We just gotta believe!

[–] [email protected] 18 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Lokal temperatur is not the same as global temperatures, it can be cold in one place and blazing hot in another...

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

No way, really!? I always thought it was simultaneously the same temperature everywhere!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That explains a lot, I am happy that I was able the help you.😎😄

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

My life has been a lie!

But seriously OP doesn't state where they are. You cant just presume everyone lives in the same place :p

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I mean they presume that people experience heat. We all know the weather changes, it's a bit patronizing to be like "well u know its not always hot, on this post about heat".

We know lmfao.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It's a heated sleeping tub for you then (:

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Staying in water that long would be hell, imagine the prune fingers! D: