Soaking In The Luxury: The Surprising Health And Relaxation Benefits Of Hot Tubs

Hot Tubs are a popular way of relaxing especially in urban areas of the world. The high end society particularly drools over the benefits of hot tubs. But it’s not a luxury lifestyle item only, it has many health benefits. That is why nowadays it is available in most of resorts, hotels, spas, health centers, alternative medicine centers, etc.

Before we move on to the benefits of hot tubs, let’s know some interesting things about hot tubs and how they came into existence. First of all they are popularly known as Jacuzzi for trade name or spas. They are used for hydrotherapy, relaxation, or pleasure. In the 4th century B.C. hydrotherapy benefits were taken by heating the stones and placing them in water to heat the water and then people immersing in hot water in Therma in Ikaria (Greece). In Japan, in 737 A.D Onsen was opened in Izumo, Shimane. In the 1940s hot tubs started appearing in the USA.

At the present day in terms of benefits of hot tubs, designing is a great key point. We are seeing new additions in hot tubs like from laser lighting to bluetooth connectivity, and fully automated systems in jacuzzi are a must nowadays. Safety-wise new jacuzzis are extremely safe and chances of electrocution are almost zero.

Hot Tub Health Benefits

Introduction of hot tubs in your life on a daily basis for hydrotherapy can improve your overall health. Hot tub health benefits are multiple in number which are as follows –

1. Relaxation — The first and foremost hot tub health benefit which needs to be acknowledged is the relaxation it gives to the person who takes it on a regular basis. In today’s time when our body and mind are under constant pressure and stress then relaxation becomes as vital as food and water. Hydrotherapy by hot tubs are a very effective way to provide relaxation. It helps in loosening the muscles, decreasing stiffness, swelling etc. by improving blood circulation. Thus help in relaxing the body.
   
2. Pain Relief — Well it is one of the most crucial hot tub health benefits, especially in the case of arthritis, fibromyalgia, lower back pain, and other conditions. Like, arthritis is characterized by joint pain and swelling with a decreased range of motion. Although the relief in joint pains by hot tub therapy is not long-lasting, it definitely helps in improving patients’ condition as well as it also helps in increasing the range of motion of joints. In Fibromyalgia, chronic pain and fatigue in the body are common symptoms. Hot tub therapy helps in decreasing pain, stiffness, and fatigue which helps in better life quality.
   
3. Stress Relief — as we all know that in today’s lifestyle stress and anxiety are very common. People are suffering from stress due to so many reasons like interpersonal relationships, work pressure, financial insecurities, individual appearance, etc. We are living far more complicated lives as compared to a few decades ago. Competition is extreme in all fields of life and this increasing competition with a feeling to prove one’s worth, we are just inviting diseases like stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, etc. Although there are many ways to beat stress and anxiety, hot tub therapy is one of the quickest and easiest ways out. You can have it in your own house or in a nearby spa alone or with your partner too.
   
4. Healthy Skin — Skin is the largest organ of our body and it needs rejuvenation regularly and hot tub health benefits will be incomplete without including the positive effects it provides to the skin. It helps in clearing the skin by increasing the perspiration which happens as more pore in the skin opens up due to the heat effect. This leads to an easy way out to flush oil, dirt and toxins from the skin. But be aware that too much frequent exposure to hot tub therapy can cause irritation, dryness, itching, eczema, etc. skin problems too.
   
5. Promotes Blood Flow/Circulation In Body — it is a well known benefit of hot tubs, that hot water promotes better blood circulation. This helps in the disappearance of symptoms like pain, tiredness, and numbness (in some cases) with regular soaking in hot tubs.
   
6. Sound Sleep – Sleep is an integral part of our daily routine. For the body to perform its function in harmony, 6-8 hours sound sleep is a must. But factors like stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain , muscle stiffness, etc can disturb your sleep pattern. But it is seen that people who immerse in hot tubs regularly have better quality of sleep as it helps in eliminating stress and fatigue.
   
7. Entertainment and Pleasure – nowadays spending quality time while doing something fruitful is a common thing, as we all are running against the clock. So, multitasking is good and essential too. So, relaxing and interacting with people at the same time is really interesting for people. Thus, places like public spas, hot springs, etc always attract attention on social and mental level. This helps in better social relationships with entertainment too.
   
8. Good for muscle relaxation – well the pressure system in hot tubs essentially provides muscle massage which in turn eases muscle contractions, spasms, and nerve compression too. Muscle at the joints also gets relieved thus improving range of motion of joints.

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Hot Tub Health Benefits In Weight Loss

In the last few years, we have heard how hot tubs are beneficial in weight loss. Well, directly it doesn’t help in the weight loss process as such because if you sit in a hot tub for one hour then you burn around 140 calories which is less than any physical exercise. But still, it is used for the weight loss process, especially in people suffering from health issues like arthritis, back pain, muscle soreness, etc. As immersing in water makes you feel so lighter that it becomes easy for such people to spend time in a hot tub and burn calories.

As weight loss is also dependent on many other factors like sleep, mental health, lifestyle, etc and hot tub therapy also improves sleep quality and reduces stress and anxiety. So, such factors also aid in the weight loss process via hot tub therapy.

Who Should Avoid Hot Tubs?

In certain conditions, hot tub is not recommended which includes:

● High Blood pressure patients and cardiac disorder patients are usually not recommended for hot tub therapy.
● Pregnant women should not take hot tub therapy as it is not good for both mother and baby in the womb.
● Skin injuries or allergies, any person who suffers from any kind of skin allergies or injuries like cuts, lesions, abrasions, etc should avoid to minimize the infection and its spread.
● UTIs, any person male or female suffering from urinary tract infection should avoid the hot tubs as it may increase the infection and can spread the infection to others too.

How Long Should One Stay In A Hot Tub?

According to researchers and various studies, the ideal time for a hot tub should be between 15-30 minutes. The time may be extended to 45 minutes too if you are enjoying moderate to mild temperature. There are some factors that also helps in determining the duration of hot tub therapy which are

● Temperature
● Age
● Climate

The side effects of staying too long in a hot tub are nausea, dizziness, headache, skin redness, breathlessness, lightheadedness, etc.

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Benefits of hot tubs or hydrotherapy are plenty if you take it regularly (2-4 times a week). It may range from relaxation to entertainment, from pain relief in arthritis to better sleep, from decreasing muscle soreness to weight loss. But for all these benefits the cleanliness and hygiene of hot tubs are also important. Also, one should take advice from a physician if you have any health issue or have a history of any major illness like blood pressure, heart attack, skin conditions, etc. before heading for hot tubs or jacuzzi. So, pamper yourself and enjoy health benefits too with high tubs.