Hot shower: All its benefits

A hot shower offers several benefits to our health and is highly recommended daily. From mental to cardiovascular health, let’s see more details here.

Modern spas try to imitate the hot springs that people used in the past for therapeutic, religious and cultural purposes. They were not just a soothing place, but because the waters came directly from the earth and contained minerals such as magnesium, potassium and lithium, they were thought to be able to cure everything from arthritis to indigestion. Although we don’t currently see the hot bath as a healing tool, we certainly feel relief after a few minutes of relaxing in the tub.

Although there is not much research on the soothing properties of enjoying a hot bath, those that have been done provide us with important information about its benefits.

A hot shower improves mental health

You may have realised that a hot bath is enough to reset your day and move on with a new perspective. A small study with 38 participants published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports that it can indeed positively impact our mental health.

In fact, a hot bath is more effective in reducing stress and improving mental health than a simple shower.

A separate study with 45 participants reports that taking a hot bath twice a week can lead to “clinically significant improvement in depression severity”, provided the person continues their usual mental health care at the same time.

Improves cardiovascular health

Hot baths may improve cardiovascular health. At least that’s what a 2020 study from Japan published in the journal Heart supports. Researchers observed more than 30,000 people aged 40 to 59 over 19 years and found that participants who took frequent hot baths appeared to have a reduced risk of cardiovascular events.

There is also research suggesting that regular hot baths may have a positive effect on a person’s vascular health, i.e. the blood vessels, veins and arteries responsible for blood flow. For example, a small 2016 study from the Journal of Physiology reported that after eight weeks of testing, hot baths appeared to be associated with lower blood pressure and increased arterial health for 10 participants.

Hot baths may also increase vasodilation, which improves circulation. Improved circulation comes with numerous health benefits.

Reduces muscle and arthritic pain

This is because warm water can help the tissues of the musculoskeletal system to relax, which helps the pain to go away faster.

This is especially true for mineralized water, such as that found in natural hot springs, or in our bathtubs after we add water-soluble mineral sources, such as Epsom salts, according to a 2021 study in Ethiopia with more than 1,000 participants published in the journal Inquiry. Researchers found that bathing in hot springs for three or more days can have significant therapeutic effects on patients with musculoskeletal disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Its main benefits include relaxation of the body, muscle recovery and healing and pain reduction. Joints and stiff connective tissues can also be relieved after a hot bath.

Prepares the body for sleep

Since a hot bath helps some people to relax, it is not surprising that it also helps us to sleep better. Taking a bath at night can help you fall asleep without waking up during the night, increasing the overall quality of sleep, which is vital for the body to prepare for the next day.

In fact, according to a study on the effects of bathing on sleep, a hot bath or even a warm footbath or shower before bedtime for at least 10 minutes can improve sleep quality.
Improves skin quality

Did you count bathing in your skincare routine? If not you need to start doing it. Bathing in warm water opens pores, allowing skin to be rinsed more effectively, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Plus, it softens the layers of dead cells on the outer surface of the skin so they can be easily peeled off with a towel.

Once again, research on the dermatological benefits of bathing is limited, but the 38 participants in the small 2018 study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine cited above reported improvement in their skin condition after two weeks of regular hot bathing.