Many people now use baths as a key component of their daily routine and a way to unwind. Lin Manuel Miranda uses a timer to ensure that his bath lasts exactly fifteen minutes, Mariah Carey bathes in cold milk, and the list goes on. What is it about these “magical” baths that attracts prominent people like Chris Hemsworth and Dua Lipa to take a soak?
Let’s dive into the health advantages of taking baths!
Reduces stress and increases serotonin
Baths produce a physically serene setting that promotes mental tranquility. Serotonin, the brain chemical linked to happiness, can be stimulated by unwinding in a warm bathtub. Warm water immersion also calms the neurological system and helps to lower tension, anxiety, and exhaustion levels in the body. Scientific research has also shown that lying horizontally, like in a bathtub, makes us feel calm, secure, and vulnerable. Bathing in a warm, liquid environment gives us an instinctual sense of security because it resembles the womb’s settings.
2. Soothes strained and sore muscles
Relaxing in the bath tub is a fool-proof method of healing the body as the water effectively reduces pain and inflammation in joints and muscles. One type of thermotherapy, or passive heating, therapy that can lessen the symptoms of conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis is taking hot baths. Additionally, warm water in baths eases the pain of stiff and strained muscles and enhances blood circulation. On the other hand, taking a cold water bath can also reduce swelling. Epsom salts are a different option that you can try as a way to spice up your baths and relieve tight muscles.
Additionally, bathing decreases blood pressure because hot baths and saunas widen blood arteries, facilitating improved blood flow throughout the body. Those who have elevated blood pressure may find it beneficial to take a hot bath at night.
3. Cleanses, detoxes, and nourishes skin
Baths with heated water help open pores and enable more thorough skin cleansing. Additionally, the heat may make you perspire, allowing toxins to leave your body and boosting your lymphatic system. Additionally, lukewarm water is beneficial for skin hydration, and moisturizing after a warm soak is advised to retain water in the outermost layers of your skin, preserving skin hydration.
4. Boosts immune system and relieves colds
When you’ve fallen sick or caught a cold, it’s advised to stay warm because heat boosts the immune system’s productivity. The inhalation of steam is a great way to treat cold symptoms; it clears up the nasal passages and inflammations, meaning that a hot, steamy bath is just right when you’re feeling under the weather.
5. Improves sleep quality
Body temperature and the circadian system, which controls your sleep cycle, are linked. Your body temperature naturally drops as bedtime approaches, and melatonin, a hormone that gets you ready for sleep, is also released. Pushing your body temperature to drop after getting out of a warm bath simulates the natural body temperature fall that occurs around bedtime which promotes better quality sleep by assisting your body in shifting into sleep-mode with more ease and comfort.
Photo by Craig Adderley on Pexels.com
People tend to forget to properly wind down and end up ignoring their physical and emotional health as they get increasingly burdened with hectic work and pressing deadlines.
Like Rachel Syme from The New Yorker writes, “We are constantly bathed in content, steeping in the lives of others. But a person in the tub is someone who has slowed down long enough to stew for a few minutes with themselves.”
Now that you’ve read about all of these advantages of taking bubble baths, light a few candles, turn on the hot water, and let yourself dream under the comforting liquid covers tonight.
sources: the new yorker, fork and melon, every day health, confabulations – being horizontal
Comments