Enjoy Hot Tub Therapy: Here’re Benefits And Precautions
Most of you spend too much time and money in a spa to experience the joy of jet massage. But do you know, the relief and pleasure you find in a spa after paying a huge amount of money, can be taken considering the hot tub therapy of your own. Surprised? Yes, it is something that can surprise you. Now you’re probably interested in learning more about hot water therapy, its benefits, and how it works. Wait, we will take you to the end of this article that contains almost everything about hot water therapy.
While a hot tub could be the best thing to relax after a hectic day, several studies have shown that immersing yourself in hot water can ease the pain, other poor health conditions and lead to a healthy lifestyle.
So without wasting time, let’s explore the benefits, precautions, and how you can take advantage of a hot water session.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Soaking In Hot Tub?
- Stress Relief
One of the most wonderful benefits of soaking in a hot water tub is the potential to help ease the tension and make you feel fresh. Having a hot water bath and massaging action after coming back from the office may help to get relief from all tension and make you stress-free.
For more stress-relieving effects, you can hot tub with music, low lighting, and aromatherapy.
- Improve Sleep
This benefit of hot tub therapy is widely recognized for having a more peaceful sleep. You can simply gain relaxation by soaking your body in hot water for some time if you’re experiencing restless sleep. A study showed positive results of body healing in treating insomnia in adults. The study was small and subjective but found that hot bath promoted significantly deeper and restful sleep.
- Pain Relief
Soaking in a hot water tub may help to relieve a certain type of pain by relaxing tense muscles, joints, and tendons. If you’re experiencing arthritis, the heat, and massaging action may help ease the stiffness and inflammation that cause pain.
Hot water supports your body and takes off the weight of joints, which helps improve flexibility and range of motion. These are some benefits that you can gain from a hot water bath.
- Muscle relaxation
If you’re looking for muscle relaxation, hot water and massage is the best natural remedy for doing so. Hot water tub and the massaging actions of the hot tub jets can effectively relax and soothe tight and tense muscles. This can help to ease the pains and aches.
A hot tub soaks before exercising lowers the risk of injury.
- Better Cardiovascular Health
It’s hard to believe, but yes hot water immersion may have a robust affect on vascular function and blood pressure. Taking a regular warm bath can improve your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. This is significant because reduced blood pressure helps in preventing more chronic heart disease. By having heat therapy, you’re giving your body a mini-workout, especially to those who’re less connected to exercise.
- Burn Calories
It is observed in some studies, participants soaked in hot water for an hour burned about the same number of calories as a 30-minute walk. It won’t replace exercise but help to boost metabolism and burn the fat from the body, particularly for those who find it hard to exercise.
- Improved Insulin Sensitivity
Some research conducted that thermal therapy using saunas and hot baths may improve impaired insulin sensitivity and effectively manage diabetes. This therapy eventually helps with obesity and diabetes.
- Relieve Cold & Flu Symptoms
Steam from hot water works as a wonder for stuffy noses and bad coughs. Congestion is caused by inflammation in your nasal passage and steam gets in your nose, thus loosening any mucus blockage. A warm bath can strengthen the immune system and helps to fight against viruses.
- Soothe Irritated Skin
A warm bath – in a combination with essential oils like coconut, olive, almond, oatmeal, or lavender – can nourish, hydrate, and heal irritated skin. Notably, never consider a scalding bath because it can make your skin more irritated.
- Evaluate Mood
According to the survey, bathing with warm water can diminish the feeling of depression. Bath gives you a wonderful combination of isolation, peace, and comfort. The feeling we receive from being submerged in a warm liquid is very comforting, can revamp our mood, and make us happy. Soaking in a hot water tub is the best way to evaluate your mood.
Who Should Avoid Hot Tubs?
There is no doubt that hot tub therapy can ease your pain and other several health conditions. But there are some situations in which soaking in hot water is strictly restricted. So if you have any history or currently having chronic health problems, consult with your doctor before having hot tub therapy. And avoiding hot tubs is especially important in the following situations.
- Heart Patients
Soaking in a hot tub can affect your heart rate and blood pressure. It could be beneficial for the person with cardiovascular disease but could be unsafe for others.
- Pregnant Ladies
It can be overheated for the ladies who are pregnant, which can be harmful to both, mother and child.
You should also avoid hot bath in the following cases:
- Skin injuries
If you want to take hot water therapy, wait until your injury area such as open sores, infected cuts, rashes get healed properly because it can cause irritation.
- Lower Blood Pressure
If you’re suffering from lightheadedness and fainting, you should avoid the hot tubs as the hot water could lower the blood pressure.
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Exposure to hot water may worsen your UTI symptoms.
When it comes to the benefits of hot water tubs, it is important to know how to take advantage of them and what precautions you should take while soaking in hot water. Because if you won’t follow the proper steps, you won’t be able to make the most of it. This is why we have brought some points on how to leverage hot water sessions for you.
How To Take Advantage Of A Hot Tub Session?
You can enjoy hot tubs anywhere, be it your home, gym, or any community place. Just make sure the tub is maintaining hygiene properly. The water should be clean and tested regularly. Also, you should not consider what social media, movies, and other Television programs show. This is not safe and ideal at all. Alongside, poorly maintained hot tubs can lead to skin infection and other health issues. Here is what you should do while soaking in hot tubs to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks:
- Water temperature
Scalding water may irritate your skin and lead to other skin issues. It is important to maintain the water temperature, which should be 104°F or 40°C.
- Stay hydrated
Hot tubs may leave you dehydrated and make you sweat, so don’t skip drinking plenty of water but avoid alcohol before or during the soak.
- Time Limit
Staying too long may lead to various health problems. At the maximum temperature, set your limit up to 10-15 minutes. You can stay longer at the lower temperature only if you’re used to it. Signs when you need to get out of the tub immediately include skin redness, shortage of breath, nausea, dizziness, or lightheadedness.
- Wash Afterward
Once you’re done, don’t go into cold water immediately as this could spike your blood pressure. Also, wash your bathing suit with soap and lukewarm water.
Regular soaking in hot tubs may provide several health benefits such as relief in cold & flu symptoms, muscular pain, evaluate mood, etc. These tubs are designed to provide health benefits, so make sure they are clean and properly maintained.
Also, consult your doctor before having such a bath, especially when you have health issues such as heart disease. So to reap the most benefits all we have to do is, be careful and follow all precautions.