“Swimming” in the air corresponds to human nature. “Like a fish in water,” said, in particular, a German scientist of the 18th century. G. Lichtenberg, - a person lives, constantly surrounded by another liquid - air. Bathing in the latter may be more appropriate than a cold water bath."
Air baths have a beneficial effect on humans. Thanks to them, he becomes more balanced and calm. Increased excitability disappears imperceptibly, sleep improves, vigor and a cheerful mood appear. Air baths have a positive effect on cardiovascular system- help normalize blood pressure and better work hearts.
Air is not only a supplier of oxygen. Forming wind, its flows have a significant impact on natural processes and phenomena. From the wind - hurricanes and storms, disturbances in the sea, soil erosion, all kinds of destruction...
Another thing is air currents of moderate strength. It is they, of all natural factors, that are considered the most “gentle”, safest, for everyone. available procedures. It is air, according to scientists, that is most universal remedy hardening, C air baths Doctors recommend starting systematic hardening of the body. Don’t put off this simple, but at the same time extremely useful undertaking.
An air bath can be general, when the entire surface of the body is exposed to air, or partial, when only part of it is exposed (torso, neck, arms, legs). Hardening effect air flow is primarily due to the temperature difference between them and the surface of the skin. The layer of air located between the body and clothing usually has constant temperature(about 27-28 °C).
The difference between the skin temperature of a clothed person and the surrounding air is usually small. That is why the release of heat by the body is almost imperceptible. But as soon as the human body is freed from clothing, the process of heat transfer becomes more intense. The lower the ambient temperature, the more cooling we experience.
Air baths, according to their effect on the body, are divided into lukewarm (over 22 °C), cool (from 20 to 17 °C), cold (from 16 °C and below). This division, of course, is conditional, designed for the “ordinary” person. In well-hardened people, the feeling of cold naturally occurs at a lower temperature.
Exposure to cold air over a large surface area of the body causes a certain reaction in the body. At the first moment, due to the large transfer of heat, a feeling of cold arises, then the blood vessels of the skin dilate, blood flow to the skin increases and the feeling of cold is replaced by a feeling of pleasant warmth.
Take air baths in a lying, reclining, or moving position. To get a good reaction, it is recommended to undress quickly - so that the air immediately affects the entire surface of the naked body. This will cause a quick and energetic reaction in the body. During cool and cold baths, it is beneficial to perform vigorous movements. However, if during an air bath it becomes cold, goose bumps and chills appear, immediately get dressed and do a short jog and a few gymnastic exercises. Beneficial after air baths water treatments.
Thanks to perfect thermoregulation mechanisms, a person easily tolerates temperature changes and can adapt to different climatic conditions. For it, the optimal relative air humidity is 40-60%. Dry air is easily tolerated by everyone. High air humidity is unfavorable: when high temperature it contributes to overheating of the body, and at low temperatures - hypothermia. It was also found that at high relative humidity air, for example, is colder for us than at low temperatures. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that water conducts heat better than air.
When hardening, air speed must be taken into account. In cold, but calm, windless weather, we are warmer than in warmer, but windy weather. Why? The fact is that when there is wind, the layer of heated air near our body - the so-called boundary layer - changes all the time and the body heats up new portions of air. When there is wind, therefore, the body spends more heat than in calm weather. Wind causes an increase in heat transfer from the body. At high temperatures (up to 37 ° C) it protects a person from overheating, and at low temperatures - from hypothermia.
The combination of wind with low temperature and high humidity air.
These and other properties of air flows must be taken into account when hardening. In damp and windy weather, for example, the duration of exposure to air should be reduced. In rain, fog and at an air speed of over 3 m per second, procedures for outdoors It’s better not to do it at all.
For healthy people, the first air baths last 20-30 minutes at an air temperature of 15-20 °C. Subsequently, the duration of the procedures increases each time by 5-10 minutes and is gradually increased to 2 hours.
When hardening with air, never let yourself get chills. As soon as you feel your body cooling down, go for a run and do several general development exercises. It is recommended to complete cold air baths by vigorously rubbing the body, if possible - warm shower.
Great opportunities for hardening the body is year-round training in the open air, practicing all types of sports associated with the hardening effect of air.
A certain hardening effect is also observed when wearing light clothing allowing air to circulate underneath. In city conditions, for example, with moderate frosts and short stays outdoors in winter, instead of a fur coat, it is better to use a demi-season coat, an insulated sports jacket, and, if possible, avoid warm scarves. It’s not for nothing that people say: “The frail one wears a fur coat, the healthy one wears a fur coat.” However, exercise reasonable caution when doing so. The consequences of such “hardening” as walking down the street, say, without a hat, can be very disastrous.
Particular attention should be paid to nutrition, as it is a fundamental factor in human health and prosperity. Food should be light, varied and simple. Eat as many raw vegetables and fruits as possible. To strengthen healing effect during hardening and to prepare the body for the start of hardening procedures, it is recommended to carry out a health course using dietary supplements 1-2 times a year.
When hardening children, mothers and fathers should first of all take into account the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the child’s body and the imperfection of its thermoregulatory apparatus. How smaller child, the more sharply this feature is expressed.
Children's body due to insufficient development nervous system does not adapt well to temperature changes environment. They are more likely to experience a disturbance in thermal equilibrium.
Moms and dads must strictly adhere to the basic principles of hardening that we are talking about, taking into account age, health status, general physical development and others individual characteristics their kids. If the slightest signs of adverse effects of hardening procedures appear - lethargy or agitation, disturbances in appetite and sleep - you should immediately stop hardening and consult a doctor. By the way, when starting to harden your child, be sure to get specific recommendations from your pediatrician.
Try daily and persistently to instill in your children the habit of hardening procedures. Great value has your personal example. If parents themselves accept air and water procedures, then the child will follow their example without coercion. First of all, develop a love for fresh air in your baby.
Make sure that the room in which it is located is constantly ventilated. If outside air not too cold, then in the presence of children, open the windows and transoms all day. The room temperature should be 16-19 °C. With the onset of frosty weather, the windows are opened slightly only for a while, until the air temperature in the room drops by 1-2 °C. Gymnastics and outdoor games should always take place with the windows open.
Clothes are important. In no case should you pamper children, dress them up in a hundred clothes, put woolen socks, felt boots, and warm sweaters on them at home. A linen or cotton shirt, a bra with pants, and a woolen or paper dress (suit) are more suitable for this purpose. Shoes - shoes or slippers.
Clothes for walking are selected according to the weather. Excessive wrapping leads to overheating of the body, which in turn predisposes to colds.
Long stay fresh air — important element hardening. Even in winter, try to let your children go for a walk for at least 3-4 hours. During walks, it is useful to play outdoor games.
What are air baths? We all take them often, but we don’t know that they are called that. And air baths are walks in the fresh air, in any weather and at any time of day, even walks under the moonlight your own garden- these are already air baths.
Normal stay in the fresh air is an air bath, because the air envelops the body from all sides, we immerse ourselves in it, inhale it, and it gives us vigor and strength. Everyone knows how beneficial any fresh air is for a person; after being stuck in stuffy offices and apartments, you really want to break free into the air. Walking, jogging and even airing rooms brings pleasure and improves health. Taking air baths is one of the ways to harden the body, and it is useful for people of all ages, starting with babies.
If you start walking in the spring and continue them in the winter months, then with a gradual decrease in air temperature, the body hardens, the immune system is strengthened and the body’s protective functions increase.
But ordinary stay in the air will become a truly healing air bath, which has a healing effect on the body, if you follow certain conditions and rules. The human body perceives air baths differently, it all depends on weather conditions, wind strength, air temperature, and humidity.
Taking air baths has a calming effect on the nervous system, saturates the blood with oxygen, facilitates breathing and increases the overall tone of the body. It is noted that after air baths a person sleeps well and his appetite increases, this is noted as for childhood, and for adults. But for walks you need to choose places away from roads; ventilation will be of little use if your balcony or window faces a busy highway.
If you haven’t taken a walk for a long time, then you need to start taking air baths gradually, then the body will perceive it favorably. You should start your walks at warm time year, the air temperature should not be lower than 20 degrees Celsius. First you need to choose a day with good, calm weather.
You should dress for walks as lightly as possible, leaving first open hands, then the legs and, if possible, half the torso. It is better to walk on the grass or sand barefoot, leaving a minimum of clothing on yourself.
You should start taking air baths for 10-15 minutes, gradually increasing the time spent in the air to several hours.
People who are weakened and chilly should start taking air baths in light clothing and combine a walk with or rounders, performing the easiest physical exercise. With a minimum of clothing, it’s great to work on the plot, in the country, in the garden, caring for plants, or walking in the forest. You can even take air baths while enjoying the fresh air.
After taking an air bath, it is useful to wipe yourself with a wet towel and pour cool water over your feet; these will be the first steps towards hardening. If there is a pond, river or lake nearby, or you are relaxing by the sea, sea air baths are very useful, walking along the seashore in any weather, inhaling fresh air from the river or sea.
In winter, if you can’t take walks, you can take air baths on the balcony or even in front of an open window. It is advisable to do this in the morning, performing simple gymnastic exercises, wearing a minimum of clothing.
Taking air baths is recommended for all healthy people of any age. The procedures are especially useful for people with hypertension, nervous system disorders, chronic fatigue and low immunity. If you have serious illnesses, such procedures can only be carried out on the recommendation of a doctor, although it should be noted that doctors nowadays rarely prescribe or recommend taking air baths; in the past it was very popular to prescribe such procedures.
Starting with air baths, you should gradually move on to sunbathing.
Air baths
There is probably no need to talk about the benefits of air baths. We all know from childhood how healing their effects are. Staying on the beaches sunbathing, swimming - all this charges us with vigor and health for a long time. Our body is saturated with oxygen, which means metabolism improves and the risk of diseases decreases. Even more beneficial are contrasting air baths, that is, alternate exposure and wrapping in warm clothes.
Contrasting air baths
| Procedure | Exposure time, sec. | Time to warm up in clothes, sec. |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 20 | 60 - 120 |
| 2nd | 30 | 60 |
| 3rd | 40 | 60 |
| 4th | 50 | 90 - 120 |
| 5th | 60 | 90 |
| 6th | 70 | 120 |
| 7th | 80 | 120 |
| 8th | 90 | 120 |
| 9th | 100 | 120 |
| 10th | 110 | 120 |
When performing these procedures, if possible, the entire body should be exposed. It is also necessary to remember that the clothes worn between exposures should be somewhat warmer than required for the season.
After completing the procedures, you should lie down for some time on a hard and level bed with a hard pillow.
When performing contrast air baths, you need to be naked in a room with open windows, and to keep warm - by closing the windows. Warm clothes should be warm, but you should not allow yourself to become overheated to the point of sweating. Someone must help a sick and weakened person.
It is best to choose the time of the procedure just before sunrise or before about 10 a.m.; you can also perform them in the evening, around 9 p.m. The procedures last 30 days, then there is a break for 3-4 days, then again 30 days of treatment. This should be done for about 3 months, and in case of liver disease or other internal organs treatment should be extended to a year.
Often during treatment, unpleasant sensations occur: skin itching, discomfort or stomach pain. This is temporary and indicates that the body has begun to self-heal.
You can take contrasting air baths outdoors if weather conditions permit. The technique is the same as indoors. You just need to remember that clothes to keep warm should be very warm; Warming time can be extended, but exposure time must be strictly observed.
The first session (from 1 to 40 seconds) should be lying on your back, from 40 to 70 seconds - on your right side, from 70 to 100 seconds - on your left side, from 10 to 110 seconds - again on your back.
When naked, you can rub the stiff parts of the body or do the exercise “ Goldfish", an exercise for the capillaries, as well as for the back and abdomen. After getting dressed, you need to lie down with your palms tightly closed over the solar plexus. And after completing the entire procedure, lie down for 10 minutes with your feet and palms closed. This procedure is performed an hour before meals or 30–40 minutes after it, and also no earlier than an hour after a bath.
The technique I propose not only enhances skin respiration, but also improves another function of the skin - excretory. Like the kidneys or other excretory organs, the skin removes blood from harmful substances through the sweat glands.
The total area of the human skin surface is from 1.7 to 2.6 square meters. m. The approximate number of sweat glands is three million. The number of sebaceous glands is approximately 250 thousand. The sebaceous glands secrete products of intestinal fermentation, iodine, bromine, antipyrine, and salicylic acid.
The sweat glands secrete 600–900 g of sweat per day, and sometimes even up to 1400 g. This depends on the external temperature, the amount of liquid poured, renal failure, the intensity of blood circulation, conditions such as excitement, fear, anger, which increase sweating. During the development of subacute diseases, instead of an attack of fever, night sweats appear.
Sweat contains mineral salts, fatty acids, urea; lactic, formic, acetic acids. In a normal state, about 1 g of urea is released with one liter of sweat; in a sick state, the amount of urea increases significantly. During illness, the sweat glands increase their activity to rid the body of toxins and other substances that cannot be excreted by the kidneys, lungs and digestive tract. Their intense work during an acute period of illness is reminiscent of the efforts of sailors who pump water out of the hold of a shipwrecked ship.
The size of the sweat glands is not the same: some of them can reach 3–4 mm, others do not exceed 0.1 mm. There are approximately 500 glands per square centimeter of body surface, which means the total sweat-secreting surface area is about 5 square meters. Comparing these numbers, you can understand how important the excretory function of the skin is for the body. By enhancing the excretory function of the skin, we help cleanse the body of harmful substances.
Try licking your shoulder with your tongue after exercise, and you will feel the acrid taste of a mixture of acid and salt, much more unpleasant than the taste of pure salt. Moreover, sweat is poisonous. It is enough to allow an animal to ingest a small amount of sweat to cause its death.
Studies that were carried out to find out the causes of poor health or even fainting that occur during a long stay in a room filled with people showed that the reason for this is an increase in the content of toxic products in the gases emitted human body, and not a lack of oxygen, as was previously believed.
So for healthy life cells from it must be removed toxins. Nature has created several ways through which these wastes are removed: lymphatic, venous vessels and ducts of the sweat glands. For tens of thousands of years, when primitive man ran all day in search of food and sweated all day, all three channels worked at full capacity. Modern man less mobile, moreover, he is constantly protected by clothing, often made of artificial, breathable fabrics. Therefore, a person carries all those poisons that could come out with sweat within himself. As a result, the circulatory and lymphatic systems, and therefore the liver and kidneys, work under overload. As a result of such unnatural overload, people develop liver, kidney, bladder and other organs. Therefore, in addition to carrying out medical procedures I recommend not spoiling your skin by wearing too warm clothes, and taking them off more often in the open air.
We are machines powered by air. Oxygen is not only a purifier for our body, but also one of the greatest suppliers of the energy it needs. Fresh air and sunlight bring vital energy to all life on Earth. Remember what a plant looks like when it grows without sunlight, without fresh air - it seems lifeless. Every tiny leaf of grass, every vine, tree, bush, flower, fruit and vegetable draw their life from solar energy. Everything living on Earth depends on solar energy and its intensity. Our Earth would be a lifeless, cold place, shrouded in eternal darkness, if it were not illuminated by the magical rays of the Sun. But the Sun gives us not only light, solar energy transforms into human energy.
It has long been known that the skin is closely related to the body’s defense reactions. Clinical observations confirm that skin perform a protective function in febrile diseases. The skin can certainly be called a graveyard of microbes. And sunbathing, spending time in the fresh air and especially playing sports in nature help improve the protective functions of the skin.
It must be remembered that the effect of air on the human body depends primarily on its humidity: the same temperatures are perceived differently. So, high humidity air at its high temperature contributes to overheating of the body, and when doing physical exercises in these conditions, overheating occurs faster. Therefore, if it is hot and humid at the same time, be careful during exercise, carefully control your sensations, it is especially important to detect the state of unpleasant intense heat.
At low temperatures The moisture in the air dampens your clothes and skin, and you may feel chilly. This condition should also be alarming. Thus, spending time in the fresh air should not be uncontrolled, although many believe that no special technique is required for taking air baths.
The same applies to sunbathing. Very often, people, trying to tan as quickly and as much as possible, do not follow the rules for sunbathing, and as a result are forced to sit at home or in the shade for a week, or even more, due to the burns they receive.
It should also be remembered that if exposure to air has virtually no contraindications, then sunbathing can only be taken after consultation with a doctor. There are many reasons why sun exposure should be reduced to a minimum. This applies to some heart diseases, tuberculosis of internal organs, etc. Staying in the sun is very tiring for weakened people who have recently suffered infectious disease, as well as those who are no longer young. Elderly man Having spent the whole day on the beach, you may feel palpitations, shortness of breath, and unpleasant profuse sweat.
An even, good tan can be obtained by using fractional exposure to the sun, that is, in small doses, taking breaks. And you don’t need to think that tanning occurs only under direct rays of the sun; The skin also acquires a dark shade when taking air or sunbathing in aerosolariums, protected from direct sun rays special floors, tree crowns. The healing effect occurs after taking small doses of solar radiation, and this effect is much ahead of the appearance of our beloved chocolate color skin. Even in cool weather, you can tan in clear weather, you just need to take shelter from the wind. But remember that tanning without medical advice will not always benefit you.
The basic principle of sun hardening is gradualism. At first, sunbathing can be taken for up to 3 minutes; after 1–2 days, their duration increases by 2–3 minutes. Thus, the duration of the procedure is increased to 50–60 minutes.
Sunbathing is best done in the morning. The most useful tan is May. And a few more tips. Sunbathing is allowed only 2 hours after eating. It is best to take them on an empty stomach or immediately before meals. Some people mistakenly believe that the more tightly the head is wrapped, the better it is protected from the sun's rays. But all kinds of turbans made from towels or hats made from newspapers interfere with normal heat exchange. A light white Panama hat is more appropriate in this case.
Certainly, air procedures are not limited only to staying outdoors in the warm season. There are many hardening procedures that accustom a person to cold air. Don't wear clothes that are too warm and expose your skin often. Of course, you shouldn’t test the limits of your body’s endurance out of the blue, but constant training increases your safety margins.
Life human body can be thought of as metabolism, and metabolism is only possible in the presence of oxygen. Moreover, we should all be interested in not experiencing oxygen deficiency, and from here a simple conclusion follows: we need to provide the skin with free access to fresh air as often as possible and in no case overheat it. There is even such a thing as thermal pollution. When we keep our skin clogged and overheated, we open the door to disease.
From the book Cleansing the Body. The most effective methods author Gennady Petrovich MalakhovAir baths The healing power of fresh air lies in its richness in oxygen, light ions, phytoncides and other substances beneficial to the body. By irritating the nerve endings of the skin, air improves breathing and blood oxygenation, and its movement
From the book Healing Breathing for Your Health author Gennady Petrovich Malakhov From the book Antibiotic Plants author Gennady Petrovich MalakhovAir baths Aerotherapy, or air treatment, is the dosed effect of fresh air on the human body. This type of treatment and recovery is not contraindicated for anyone. The famous Russian doctor T. A. Zakharyan was absolutely sure that in terms of strength
From the book Tibetan monks. Golden healing recipes author Natalya SudinaBaths In Tibetan medicine, baths are prescribed from the waters of natural hot and cold springs and reservoirs, as well as artificial baths. Baths are prescribed for gout, rheumatism, tightening of the limbs due to swelling of the legs, for joint tumors and edema; for lameness caused
From the book Purification. Volume 1. Organism. Psyche. Body. Consciousness author Alexander Alexandrovich ShevtsovConclusions: Castles in the air are nicer than fundamentality. In mystical, and indeed any “special” understandings of consciousness, there is so much that is vague and unclear that they seem like castles in the air compared to the solid fortress of Science. But this is only until we begin to disassemble
From the book Oddities of our body - 2 by Stephen Juan From the book We and Our Children by L. A. NikitinAir baths My daughter immediately takes “air baths” - after all, she is wearing only a vest. After six or seven feedings of such “baths,” an hour and a half to two hours are gained on the first day. And later, after two or three weeks, after each feeding she also “walks”, most often completely
From the book Diabetes Handbook author Svetlana Valerievna DubrovskayaAir baths Exposure to fresh air and natural solar radiation has a beneficial effect on the health of every person. Air stimulates the receptors of the skin and mucous membrane respiratory tract. This factor is widely used in medicinal and
From the book All about a child in the first year of life. Week after week author Alexandra Stanislavovna VolkovaAir baths Air hardening begins with regular ventilation of the room. The best way ventilation is through, it can be arranged in the absence of the child. When ventilating a children's room, lowering the temperature by 1–2° C is already hardening
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From the book Philosophy of Health by Nishi KatsuzouAir baths It has long been known that the skin protects a person from adverse effects from the outside world. It protects us not only from illness and injury, but also warns us against effects that are too strong for our body, such as extreme heat from
From the book Protect Your Body. Best Practices cleansing, strengthening and healing author Svetlana Vasilievna BaranovaAir baths Air is one of the main elements necessary to preserve life. All cells of the body need it. Air hardening is the softest and safest hardening procedure. It is recommended to start systematically with air baths
From the book Complete Medical Diagnostics Guide by P. Vyatkin From the book Black Corn. Revolutionary product for all diseases author Irina Alexandrovna FilippovaAerial roots black corn These roots, which black mother Sarah throws out in the second month of development, are quite terrifying. They are very intense purple, rather even eggplant, and look like the legs of a powerful spider that is hiding and waiting
From the book Healing Cold: Home Cryotherapy author Gennady Mikhailovich Kibardin2. Air baths Properly organized air baths allow you to train and harden your body. However, each season has its own characteristics. Let's start with autumn. Autumn period year has a more pronounced training effect on the body
Option 2. Hyperthermic baths and turpentine baths according to Zalmanov I don’t see any need to describe A. Zalmanov’s method again - in our time of availability of almost any literature, finding his “The Secret Wisdom of the Human Body” is not at all
The fact is that the layer of air between clothing and our skin usually has a constant temperature of 27-28°C. As soon as we get rid of clothes, the intensity of heat transfer and heat generation increases.
At the same time, they intensify metabolic processes, blood saturation with oxygen, muscle tone and nervous system, breathing improves. In addition, it is normalized blood pressure, sleep, appetite and even mood improve.
How to take air baths: step-by-step instructions
- The optimal time to start air baths is summer period, and in the morning hours.
- This can be done indoors with the windows open, or outdoors if there is no wind.
- Suitable air temperature for beginners is from 22°C. At first, 10-15 minutes is enough, then add 10-20 minutes every day, bringing it up to two hours.
- After this, you can gradually reduce the temperature. Air baths can be warm (more than 22 degrees), cool (17-20 degrees) and cold (less than 16 degrees).
- It is preferable to take an air bath while moving, and remove clothes quickly. If you feel chilly, get dressed.
- Sweating should not be allowed during an air bath.
- Try combining an air bath with gymnastics or barefoot walking.
- After the air bath, put on clothes a little warmer than you usually wear in this weather, and lie down on a hard surface with a cushion under your head.
- In addition to morning baths, you can arrange these procedures before dinner.
- Ideal if you can take air baths by the sea, in the mountains or near a forest. The air there is enriched with phytoncides - volatile compounds with antimicrobial properties. They are also beneficial for the lungs, heart, blood vessels and metabolism. On the coast, ozone is better absorbed, due to which the level of hemoglobin increases, the immune system is strengthened, and performance is stimulated.
- If it is cold outside, there is precipitation or fog, and strong wind, - air baths are transferred indoors to avoid getting sick.
Air baths are recommended for infants, but they should be carried out taking into account the difference between children's thermoregulation and adults. To ensure that your child tolerates air baths well, accustom him to fresh and cool air. Do not wrap your baby up either at home or on the street. Ventilate the room more often, make sure that the temperature does not exceed 19-20°C. Walk with him as much as possible.
People with poor health should start air baths for three minutes a day.
The duration of the bath course is usually a month, then a three-day break, and again a month of procedures, and so on up to three months. But if there are diseases of the liver or other internal organs, it is recommended to extend the treatment.
Air procedures are only the first step towards hardening. Having mastered them, you can safely move on to water ones.
All parents have certainly heard about how beneficial hardening is for the health of their child, starting from a very early age. Many people imagine hardening as an extreme dip in an ice hole, taking a contrast shower or being doused with ice water. In fact, in the case of infants these can be daily habitual procedures: walks in the air, doing gymnastics, air baths, swimming, water baths etc. The entire hardening process occurs with the help of air, water and sun.
Air procedures have virtually no contraindications and are equally useful for all children, however, consultation with a doctor and determination with his help optimal strategy hardening will be useful.
In fact, these baths are one of the most effective techniques hardening of newborns in early age. They pose absolutely no danger to the health and life of the baby, and are very easy to perform. The child is enough for certain time leave naked.
The main goal of this procedure is to activate the protective functions of the body of newborns, which will help cope with all the dangers in the dangerous environment into which they find themselves after birth. Protective, thermoregulatory and other functions of the child’s body are laid down at the stage of intrauterine development. To awaken, improve and strengthen them, hardening is required and, as one of the methods of this complex concept, air baths.
Many parents make mistakes by constantly wrapping up their child, immersing him in a hot and dry environment and creating a hothouse creature out of him.
At the same time, they may not even realize that they are thereby creating the preconditions for the atrophy of all protective functions of their baby’s body and leaving him completely defenseless against external viruses, bacteria and other dangers. So the child remains sick and weak for the rest of his life.
Basic methods of hardening
The baby can take air baths in various ways. The most common are the following:
- air ventilation in the room;
- finding the baby naked indoors;
- walks in the fresh air: wakefulness and sleep.
As for room ventilation, the best option cross ventilation is considered. In this case, the baby must be temporarily taken out of the room. To ensure free circulation of air from the street, you can open the window and door at the same time. When the room is filled with fresh air and the temperature in the room drops a couple of degrees, the child can be brought back. It is not worth dressing him in warmer clothes, as the entire effect of airing and taking a fresh bath will be lost.
The regularity of airing a child’s room in winter should be at least 4 times a day. The duration of ventilation in the cold season should be 10-15 minutes.
Walking in the fresh air should be done regularly. In this case, the time of year does not matter at all, since you should always go for a walk, dressing your baby in accordance with weather conditions, but don't mess around.
You can start taking your newborn out into the fresh air at 2-3 weeks of age. Be sure to ensure that the air temperature is not below -5 degrees. The duration of the first walks should be 10-15 minutes. Gradually this time can be increased, gradually increasing to 2 hours. It is best to take walks outside regularly 2-3 times a day in between feedings.
Babies under 1.5 years of age are recommended to sleep in the fresh air. During a daytime nap outside, you will notice how calmly and naturally he will rest, breathe evenly, and how pink his facial skin will become. All this indicates that the baby is comfortable and good at receiving air procedures. Discomfort will be signaled to you by restless behavior that acquires blue tint skin (if it's cold), as well as damp, sweaty skin (if it's hot).
Regarding the last method of hardening a child - taking a bath naked, it should be noted that in this way the following happens to the baby:
- heat exchange conditions are improved;
- oxygen absorption increases;
- the well-being of the nervous system improves;
- The baby sleeps well, eats and behaves calmly.
Babies under 1 year of age can be left without swaddling for some time. The room temperature should be normal from +18 to +20 degrees. Very appropriate to combine this procedure with gymnastics, and in the summer with sunbathing. The regularity of performing air baths is initially 2 times a day for 3 minutes, gradually increasing the time to 10 minutes.
It is very important not to ignore signs of hypothermia in a child, such as the appearance of goose bumps. At the first suspicion that the baby is cold, the procedure should be stopped.
Important hardening rules
The durability of the positive effect will be maximum if you follow the basic rules of hardening:
- carry out regularly and systematically;
- consistently lower the air temperature during hardening;
- It is best to carry out procedures when the child is in an excellent mood;
- it is necessary to exclude the possibility of hypothermia.
Thus, with the help of simple and very effective procedures, you can increase the protective functions of the child’s body.