What is your relaxation routine?
Do you sit in your chair after work and watch television? Do you like to read a book once your children are in bed after a long day shuttling between dance lessons and soccer practice? What about meditation? Or yoga?
There are so many ways to relax your mind, but are you really relaxing your body as well? Taking a long, hot bath can be a wonderful way to ease those small stresses in both mind and body.
So how good for you is a hot bath really? Actually it can be a great part of your wellness routine it turns out! Below I have listed a few reasons that you should pour that glass of wine, put on your favorite song, and draw a hot bath tonight.
1. Taking a bath can elevate your mood.
It's true! A study done in 2002 by the University of Wolverhampton found that a bath at the end of the day significantly improved the mood of their study's participants. Some of the factors that attributed to the elevation in mood were comfort, warmth, isolation and the position of the body.
2. Baths can help relieve Skin Conditions
There are many doctors that actually prescribe either medicated or oiled baths to help treat skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. By moisturing the skin through bathing you are also able to help wash away dead skin cells and prevent infection. Jason's MicroSilk® technology further adds to this benefit of bathing because the oxygen rich microbubbles both help to moisturize and bring oxygen into your skin lifting away impurities and leaving your skin plump and silky.
3. Taking a hot bath can help you to sleep better.
It's so difficult for many of us to get the reccomended eight hours of sleep a night that is ideal. One theory is that by taking a hot bath and raising your body temprature, your body will actually release more melatonin afterwards as your body starts to cool down. Melatonin is a sleeping hormone and the rapid cool down of your body will increase amount of melatonin your body produces and prepare you for sleep.
4. It can be good for your heart!
It is true! Taking a warm bath can help to reduce blood pressure some research shows. By reducing your blood pressure you can avoid more serious heart conditions like heart attack or stroke. By taking a hot bath you are using heat to help with blood flow and cirulation which is equivilant to a mini workout.
5. Hot baths burn calories.
Maybe not as much as more vigorous activities, but taking a hot bath and the sweat induced by it can actually help your body burn just as many calories as if you took a good walk!
There are so many things we can do to help relieve daily stress and improve our overall health. There is more to being healthy than just physical health of course, mental health is just as important. I hope you consider making bathing a part of your wellness routine!
Happy Bathing!
