Stress and tension twisting your body and mind into knots? Slip
into asteamy, bubbling hot tub for an instant dose of calm.
Here's how it works: Heat dilates blood vessels, which in turn
lowers blood pressure. It also increases the flow of blood, oxygen and
nutrients and speeds the elimination of toxins. So a hot tub's
combination of warmth and pulsing water jets not only quiets a racing
mind, but also alleviates body tension, muscle soreness and joint
stiffness. In fact, the Arthritis Foundation touts hot-tubbing to restore
range of motion.
"You feel better, at least temporarily," explains C. Barton Moore,
M.D., M.P.H., health services director at Sanoviv, a healing retreat in
Baja Beach California, Mexico, "Sitting in a hot tub depresses the
central nervous system, so you don't get the same signals to the brain
that say you're hurt. Chronic pain is also a major risk factor for
depression, so anything you can do to reduce chronic pain helps to reduce
anxiety and depression. And in many cases, the chronic aches and pains
can all benefit from water therapy."
Not surprisingly, the National Sleep Foundation also recommends
taking regular dips a few hours before bed to enhance sleep quality. And
a small study published in the New England Journal of Medicine even
suggests that soaking for 30 minutes each day can lower blood sugar
levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Simply put, taking a bath lets you put everything else on hold--if
only for a little while. "You can't sit in front of a computer or write
notes in a hot tub--though I've seen some try," says Moore. "The point is
you're disengaged from the normal hustle and bustle of life long enough
to relax."
