Do you really need a reason for a bubble bath?
Do you REALLY need a reason to justify a bubble bath?
It's really cold outside, you've already done all of your holiday shopping online and DoorDash has already delivered your dinner. You have a new book queued up on your Kindle and your Spotify playlist is completely on point.
So, get ready for the best news you'll hear all day: luxuriating in a long, hot bath has medicinal benefits. So, what's so great about getting into the tub?
Here are 8 reasons you should draw a bath tonight.
- Baths Can Elevate Your Mood
Obviously settling into warm water feels good, but that pleasure happens to have staying power. According to psychologist Neil Morris, who surveyed 80 people, bathing can diminish feelings of depression and pessimism because "Baths give you...a wonderful combination of isolation, quiet, and comfort." The feelings of closeness we receive from being submerged in warm liquid "gives Overall, bathing induces feelings of comfort and easiness, and that kind of security allows your mind, and subsequently your body, to relax.
- They Can Help You Sleep Better
At night our body temperatures naturally drop, which signals the production of melatonin—or the sleeping hormone. Soaking in a warm bath will raise your body temperature, and exiting will more rapidly cool it down, thus instigating the production of melatonin, and better preparing you for sleep.
- A Hot Bath Can Help Relieve Muscle Pain
Heat will get your blood moving, which is not only great for circulation but can also help sore or tight muscles to relax. The addition of Epsom salts in your warm bath has been proven to help reduce inflammation in your joints caused by arthritis or other muscular diseases.
- Baths Can Make Your Heart Healthy
Taking a regular warm bath can help reduce blood pressure, helping to prevent more serious heart conditions, like heart attack or stroke. By using heat to induce better blood flow and circulation, you're giving your body a mini workout. Which brings us to...
- Baths Burn Calories
Sure, a soak is no match for water aerobics or active hydrotherapy, but a good sweat induced by a hot bath can burn as many calories as a brisk walk.
- Baths Can Relieve Cold and Flu Symptoms
Steam from a hot bath works wonders for stuffy noses and bad coughs. Congestion is caused by inflammation in your nasal passages, and steam gets the blood vessels in your face and nose moving, thus loosening any mucus blockage. A temperate bath can also help your immune system ward off any unwanted invaders.
- Baths Can Soothe Irritated Skin
While scalding baths can make your skin more irritated, a warm bath—in combination with certain essential oils --like coconut, olive, or lavender, and also oatmeal—can better hydrate and heal dry or irritated skin. Plus, aromatherapy is great for regulating your mood or reducing stress.
- Baths Can Help You Feel More Awake
When you have a hot bath, you begin to sweat. That's a kind of activity in and of itself—so afterwards people tend to feel refreshed. And, even better: if you are feeling fatigued, a bath won't make you feel drowsy, but once you do go to sleep, it will aid in you sleeping more deeply.
So that's eight reasons that we at Waterhouse think you shouldn't really need because in our humble opinion, there's only one reason to take a bath...
Because you want to.
