Hot Tub Health Benefits

If you are looking at getting a hot tub, the chances are that you’re only thinking about how great the massage will be. But did you know that a great massage is just one small function your hot tub is capable of offering? It turns out that taking a dip doesn’t just relax your body - it heals it as well.

Improved Circulation

The circulation of blood through your body is such a fundamental part of your health that our basic understanding of it’s importance actually predates modern medicine. When you immerse your body in the water of your hot tub, the natural buoyancy of your body helps relieve the stress of the constant force of gravity: this helps reduce your blood pressure and makes your heart beat more efficiently.

This is the single most important health benefit you can get. Your blood contains; red blood cells which help fuel your body, white blood cells which kill harmful bacteria, platelets which help heal injuries and plasma which carries carbon dioxide to be expelled from your body. Increasing your circulation promotes your body’s natural healing abilities.

Improved Breathing

Most people don’t associate water with breathing; what you probably didn’t know is that getting in water is a great way to improve your breathing. Why? Because the extra pressure of water makes it slightly harder for your lungs to expand. If you plan on doing something that requires good breath control (such as an actor, singer, or an underwater escape artist would), you can use your hot tub as the ultimate breath training environment.

Your lungs also benefit from the increased blood flow, which is important because your lungs are also responsible for removing the gasses from your body; which range from simple carbon dioxide to gas anesthetics.

Healthy Bones and Joints

The perfect cure to help weary muscles and joints is to take the pressure off of them so they can heal and repair. There is no better way to do that than to get in water and float. In addition to allowing your body to rest, the increased blood flow helps refuel and rehydrate your muscles and bones.

Floating in water is also great if you have joint pain. In addition to being one of the oldest methods of relieving joint pain, some medical studies are suggesting that it may also help increase the production of synovial fluid, which helps reduce the friction between your joints.

Removing Body Toxins

One of the best benefits of sitting in hot water is how it helps your kidneys, the organs responsible for filtering the bad stuff out of your blood. The extra blood flow alters your renal hormones and makes your body remove toxins more efficiently.

Sharpening Your Brain

If you already guessed that improved blood flow is good for your brain, you get a gold star. But did you know that studies have shown that immersing yourself in water may also improve balance, give you better sleeping patterns, and even help promote brain functions in people with dementia?

Of course, the best way soaking in a hot tub helps your brain is that it helps you to relax. Don’t forget: you can’t ever be completely healthy without also having good mental health.

Reducing Inflammation

Inflammation is a major health concern that has only recently begun to be taken seriously by health professionals. It is the process by which your white blood cells and the substances they produce attempt to protect us from infection. It sounds good, but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Inflammation has been linked to heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, depression, obesity, and more. Inflammation is also caused by a class of autoimmune diseases such as Psoriasis and certain kinds of arthritis. Soaking in hot water has been recently shown to help reduce not only signs of inflammation, but also blood glucose levels.