Where do you stand on the bath vs shower debate? While many people are staunchly pro-shower, others see showers as quick and convenient but would much rather enjoy a long soak in the bath.
Well, for all you bath lovers out there, we have some good news. Like dark chocolate, red wine, and so few of life’s other little pleasures, having a bath is great for your health. That’s right, as well as helping you get squeaky clean, lying back in a relaxing bath benefits both your physical and mental health in several different ways.
Want to learn more? Why not clear your schedule and indulge in all the above while you read more about the top bath benefits?!
- Baths Boost Your Mood and Relieve Stress
Sinking back into a warm bath is the perfect way to wind down at the end of a stressful day. But a relaxing bath benefits you far beyond that moment of pleasure.
The combination of warmth, comfort, and some much-needed solo time can help improve your mood and give you a more positive outlook. As well as reducing feelings of depression and negativity, being submerged in warm water takes us back to being in the womb. This association creates a sense of closeness, comfort, and security.
Specifically, many of the benefits of bathing relate to the way lying in warm water increases your core body temperature. This temperature increase calms your nervous system, improves circulation, and promotes the release of endorphins. As well as making you feel good, these endorphins help you to relax and release the stress and tension from your body and mind.
Lying back in a bath also forces you to stop trying to do a million things at once. Taking the time to relax and enjoy the ritual of bathing helps you feel more present and appreciate this time to yourself.
- Baths Help Ease Muscle Pain
Applying heat to your aching muscles is a great way to soothe away the pain. In a bath, submerging yourself in warm water extends these effects over a longer period of time while also supporting your body’s weight to relax into the water itself.
One of the oldest and best relaxing bath tips is to add Epsom salts to your bath to help relieve aches and pains. The anti-inflammatory benefits of bathing with Epsom salts in the water also help relieve joint pain for people with arthritis and other muscular conditions.
However, CBD bath bombs go one step further by combining Epsom salts, essential oils, and CBD to heal your muscles, soothe your joints, and even ease skin issues such as eczema. And, as these instructions on how to use a CBD bath bomb show, you don’t even need a bathtub to enjoy these amazing health benefits.
- Baths Can Help You Sleep Better
As well as helping to cut stress and relieve pain, another of the many benefits of bathing is that a warm bath before bed can also help you get a good night’s sleep.
Most scientists agree that encouraging your core body temperature to lower helps induce sleep. While sleeping in a cool room or opening a window can help, baths are an effective way to get the same results.
At night our body temperature drops, which then signals the production of the sleeping hormone, melatonin. Although soaking in a warm bath increases your core body temperature, it drops as soon as you get out of the bath. This sudden change in temperature encourages the rapid production of melatonin and helps you get to sleep faster.
- Baths Promote Good Heart Health
Research shows that taking a warm bath can improve your cardiovascular health in several ways.
The calming effect of a relaxing warm bath helps lower blood pressure which then decreases the amount of stress on the heart. Taking a warm bath also increases blood vessel dilation and decreases stiffness in the arteries.
All of these cardiovascular benefits and more can improve your circulation and blood flow, helping to prevent serious heart conditions such as a heart attack or stroke. Although, you should make sure that your bath temperature is warm rather than hot. Soaking in hot water can increase your heart rate and may not be the best choice for your heart health.
- Baths Are Great for Your Skin
Spending too long in the tub can turn your fingers pruny while bathing in hot water is very dehydrating. Some people assume this makes showers better for your skin but this isn’t the case. Both showers and baths can strip your skin of the nourishing oils it needs to stay soft and supple.
However, the beauty of a bath is that you can add in bath bombs, mineral salts, oils, and oatmeal to help moisturize and replenish your skin’s natural oils while you bathe. You can then use lotions after getting out of the tub to lock in this moisture and keep your skin looking and feeling great.
What’s more, warm baths also help your skin youthful by lowering the body’s cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can affect the body in many ways, including causing premature skin aging. But regular warm baths can help keep your cortisol levels – and their skin-aging effects – from getting too high.
Surprising Bath Benefits
Whether you’re a lifelong bath fan or an occasional soaker, we’re sure that these bath benefits will encourage you to lie back in the tub a lot more often!
From stress relief to a healthier heart, better skin to improved sleep, there’s a lot to be said for the benefits of bathing.
For inspiring insights into health and well-being, check out our other blog posts!