What causes shivering after a shower?
Vasodilation
- After exercising or taking a hot shower, skin blood vessels initially dilate to cool down the body.
- When you get out of the shower, this skin gets exposed to the much colder air in your bathroom.
- The blood vessels in the skin subsequently constrict to reduce heat loss and maintain core body heat.
- The rapid constriction of these superficial blood vessels sends signals to your brain that you're cold.
- Your brain then triggers shivering to warm up the body.