Many people enjoy sitting in a hot tub, especially after a hard work out. This is evidenced by the fact that almost 21 million households in the United Staes are homes to either a hot tub, pool or spa. Research on Finnish men, done in 2014, suggests that regular hot tub use can help people live longer lives. The study was conducted over a period or two decades. The New England Journal of Medicine recently released research showing that type 2 diabetes suffers can control their blood sugar levels easier when they sit in one for at least 30 minutes a day, six days each week. While the health benefits of this leisure activity may be easy to spot, the mental benefits of a hot tub may not be as easy to see.
1. People who spend time in hot tubs sleep better.
Insomnia is a really big problem for millions of people across the globe. It leads to a lot of medical and mental health problems. Getting better sleep after spending time in a hot tub or spa is one of the best mental benefits of a hot tub. After using a hot tub, people tend to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. The sleep these people get is also a better quality. Everything is better after a good night’s sleep.
2. Regular use of a hot tub can reduce your stress and anxiety levels.
This could be because people who spend time in hot tubs gets better sleep but people who regularly use hut tubs report less stress and anxiety. Some people attribute this to the combination of the massages provided by the jets, the soothing hot water and the way being submerged in water gives people a weightless sensation but it all works together to reduce stress and anxiety making this another one of the great mental benefits of a hot tub. Spending time in a hot tub is also more fun than taking a pill.
3. Hot tubs help people with chronic pain and arthritis.
This is probably something most people take for granted. Soaking in hot water can sooth sore muscles and reduce musculoskeletal pain but how is that considered to be one of the mental benefits of a hot tub? Chronic pain does a lot to the body but it also has a direct impact on the wiring on the brain. Pain changes a person’e chemistry as well. These changes impact their mood and can lead to depression, anxiety and addiction. Anything that helps with chronic pain will improve a person’s mental health and that is a great thing.
How does it work? The bubbles in the hot tub water are part of what creates that feeling of weightlessness (some is just being submerged in water, you get a similar feeling in a pool where there are no jets). This promotes relaxation in the muscles. The whole experience reduces inflammation as well. Inflammation, regardless of its cause, is a main source of pain in a lot of people.
4. Spending time in a hot tub can prevent and reduce tension and migraine headaches.
Both of these are terrible. Anyone who has either experienced one or been around someone who has knows the impact that has on a person’s mental health. This is another one of the mental benefits of a hot tub. It can be really hard to get effective medicine to prevent these headaches from happening or deal with the pain they bring when they do. New research suggests that spending time on a regular basis in a hot tub can reduce their frequency.
Migraine headaches can be triggered by tension headaches, which are often brought on by tension. By reducing the tension a person experiences, both tension and migraine headaches are prevented. People who suffer from cluster headaches also report some relief from time spent in a hot tub.
Spending some time in a spa or hot tub is a really enjoyable experience. Knowing the mental benefits of a spa may make the expense of buying one seem more reasonable. As science looks more and more at the mind/body connection, therapies like these become more and more available and accessible.
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