When is the best time to sweat during confinement?

In many places in life, there is a custom of sweating on the full moon, but incorrect sweating can cause great harm to the body. Sweating does not mean expelling cold. You should pay attention to the sweating time after confinement. The longer the better, and it is not for the purpose of expelling moisture from the body. Do not stop drinking water during sweating. Replenishing water is to prevent dehydration.

Three Misconceptions about Sweating During the Full Moon

The first misconception: the longer the sweating time, the better.

After giving birth, a mother is most likely to suffer from blood deficiency and blood stasis. Prolonged sweating will lead to loss of body fluids, which will cause insufficient blood supply to the brain and cause dizziness after sweating. If the time is too long, it may cause heat stroke, headache, etc., so the sweating time should not be too long! Sweating should be based on the specific situation of the mother. Don't think that you have spent money anyway, so you should stay a little longer. The housekeeper has even heard of cases of people getting heatstroke due to sweating in winter, which is not worth the cost.

The second misconception: The purpose of sweating is to expel water from the body, so don’t drink water.

Sweating will cause the body's body fluids to be discharged. Of course, there are dehumidifying drugs in Chinese medicine sweat steaming bags, but it does not mean that you cannot drink water while sweating, nor does it mean that drinking water is not conducive to dehumidification. The housekeeper's advice is to prepare a large cup of warm water to ensure that the mother does not become dehydrated. We have encountered cases where mothers did not drink enough water and their milk supply decreased the next day.

The third misunderstanding: You must use rice wine or Jimo old wine to induce sweating.

It is a tradition for southerners to use rice wine during confinement and yellow wine to induce sweating. Modern science has proven that although alcohol can invigorate blood circulation, it can also inhibit lactation and can be passed to the baby through breast milk. Therefore, it is no longer recommended to give yellow wine or other alcoholic beverages during confinement. Especially for pregnant women who are intolerant to alcohol, it may sometimes cause drunkenness.