Hot Tub Health Benefits

A great hot tub can help to enhance your life in many ways.

Beyond providing fun for friends and family on late nights, as well as intimate experiences for you and your lover, incorporating a hot tub into your life can help to reduce your stress levels, improve your sleep quality, ease any pain that you are dealing with, and increase your flexibility.

Of course, we’re not here to provide you with any medical advice, though what we can tell is that there are many hot tub health benefits that might be beneficial for you. Here are some of the top benefits of hot tub therapy that you can take advantage of!

HOT TUB HEALTH BENEFITS

What are the benefits of hot tubs, you ask?

There are plenty of them.

While it would take a whole ton of articles to go through them all, we’d like to at least list off some of the top hot tub health benefits.

#1 WEIGHT LOSS 

Studies have shown that sitting in hot water for long periods can burn up to 3% more calories than sitting and watching TV on your living room couch.

Beyond the physical benefits, hot tubs can promote an alert mind and a healthy body, each of which is critical when you are looking to lose weight.

Plus, those reduced muscles can relax your mind, which can minimize restlessness so that you can get better sleep. Better sleep will help your muscles to recover faster for future workouts.

#2 AFTER WORKOUT 

Soaking in the hot tub before your workout can help to loosen up your muscles before you get in the groove. With that said, some of the best and most beneficial hot-tubbing takes place after your workout.

A hot tub after workout can help your body to rejuvenate after feeling stiff from exercise. There is nothing better for increasing blood flow, relaxing muscles, and stimulating healing than heat therapy. Soaking in the hot tub after a workout can be incredibly beneficial to get you back on track the next day.

There have been many studies that show how heat therapy can control healing. It can also prevent any additional muscle damage after exercise. When it comes to therapeutic home tools, your hot tub is one of the best around. A recent New York Times article has shown that muscles recover best after exercise when they are exposed to heat.

#3 LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE 

There have been many studies out there that show hot tub sessions can lower blood pressure. If you suffer from hypertension or you are at risk for severe heart disease, sitting in a hot tub can be great for you!

We highly recommend speaking with your doctor to see if soaking in the hot tub can help to increase your heart rate, which can, in turn, lower your blood pressure. This can also help to improve your cardiovascular health, which we will discuss a bit later in the article.

#4 ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Arthritis is one of the most common causes of joint swelling and pain, which correlates to a decreased range of motion.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis, which is the result of cartilage loss between your bones.

The pain then comes from the friction between those bones.

There is also Rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disorder that causes pain throughout the entire body. The swelling and stiffness pain results from the immune system that wrongly attacks the joints. This chronic pain can seriously chip into one’s life.

Luckily, time spent in a hot tub can help to provide relief from arthritis. A study back in 2007 about hot tubs for arthritis showed significant pain reduction after a two-week period of hot tub therapy for patients with arthritis. In a similar study on patients with Rheumatoid arthritis, many patients said that hydrotherapy helped to reduce their overall pain and tension.

While a hot tub isn’t going to cure your arthritis, it can help to provide temporary pain relief.

#5 SALT WATER HOT TUB BENEFITS 

Compared to regular hot tubs that use tap water, mineral water, or spring water, saltwater tubs have some unique benefits. As hydrotherapy is becoming a more accepted practice in the medical community, many medical professionals are turning to saltwater hot tubs for the best benefits.

Saltwater can help to soften your skin with a mixture of minerals and enzymes. Additional salt can also help to increase the buoyancy of your hot tub, which has its added benefits as well. A good soak is saltwater has all of the same benefits of a hot tub with regular water, though it can also help to extract bad fluids from your skin. These bad fluids are at the root of inflammation and swollen joints.

As an added benefit, saltwater doesn’t need as much chlorine, meaning the cleaning process is much easier. Saltwater tubs work to generate chlorine in a continuous fashion thanks to electrolysis.

#6 ANXIETY & STRESS

Whenever you get home from a stressful day at work, you know that you can spend a good 15 minutes in the hot tub to make sure that you are well-rested before you go to bed. There have been tons of studies on the correlation between hydrotherapy and the emotional state. With a mixture of soothing massage from the jets and warm water, you can relax and slip into a calmer state.

Taking a bit of time every day to slip into that state is great for relieving anxiety symptoms.

#7 LOWERS BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS FOR DIABETICS

There have been a few studies that show how regular hot tub bathing can help to reduce blood sugar levels and blood glucose levels for diabetics. Even those taking hot tub baths for a minimum of 20 minutes a day for a few days throughout the week can help to make a pretty big difference. That was the case for those who didn’t make changes to their exercise routines or diets. Though it isn’t going to cure diabetes, it may help just a bit, which is better than nothing!

#8 INJURY

When you are trying to lose weight and be healthy, you need to exercise. Unfortunately, exercising can be pretty difficult if you have an injury. High-impact cardio can result in serious injury, injuries which can ultimately lead to weight gain as you are inactive during the long healing process.

Hot tubs can help to relieve pain and promote healing for bad injuries. This is thanks to improved circulation from hot water and pressure, which helps your blood to flow freely to the injured area. Accelerated blood flow translates to quicker healing. Your body needs your circulatory system to be intact to provide quick healing.

We recommend consulting your doctor or physician before you try to address any injury, as they might have different measures to expedite the healing process.

#9 INSOMNIA

In a recent study, many women suffering from insomnia spent time soaking in hot tubs before bedtime, which helped lead to better and more restful sleep throughout the night.

With reduced anxiety and stress levels, falling asleep becomes far easier. A hot tub is a perfect place to escape before bedtime, as it helps to melt away any feelings of stress that may have been plaguing you throughout the day.

As many know, a more peaceful frame of mind can help lead to a more peaceful sleep.

#10 RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME

Spending some time soaking in the hot tub can help to ease pains and cramping. These pains and cramps are symptoms of RLS, better-known as Restless Leg Syndrome. Restless Leg Syndrome gives people a strong urge to move their legs due to sensations, including pulling, itching and creeping.

These symptoms are often worse during the nighttime while one is resting, hence the name. It can cause difficulties falling asleep as well, which can gravely impact your health and work.

Restless Leg Syndrome can be treated in many different ways, including leg massages, exercise, walking, and soaking in the hot tub. A good soak in the hot tub can help to ease the cramping and pain that comes from Restless Leg Syndrome. 

#11 FIBROMYALGIA

Just like arthritis, there are many experts that say spending a good amount of time in your hot tub may help to reduce painful symptoms that are caused by fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is chronic fatigue and pain throughout the body that can cause serious disruptions in one’s day-to-day. From work to sleep, fibromyalgia can impair one’s life in very unfortunate ways.

Hydrotherapy from hot tub sessions has shown to improve physical pain and sleep quality caused by fibromyalgia. Like a snowball effect, this hydrotherapy has helped to improve anxiety, stiffness, fatigue, and depression, each of which is an effect of fibromyalgia.

Of course, we recommend speaking with a medical professional before taking any sort of medical advice, as we cannot assure you that spending time in the hot tub will relieve or manage your Fibromyalgia symptoms.

#12 HELPS RANGE OF MOTION

As we get older, we tend to lose our range of motion due to many reasons, including muscle tightness, genetics, reduced activity level, injuries, and other medical conditions. If you use a hot tub regularly, you can help to restore any flexibility that was lost over the course of your life.

Warm water helps to create what professionals refer to as hydrostatic pressure on the body, which is essentially pressure due to fluid weight. Hydrostatic pressure helps to promote mobility by reducing joint inflammation. Water buoyancy can help to relieve muscle tension, which, in turn, will allow your muscles to become more flexible.

You can even practice stretches when you are in your hot tub as well! 

#13 DEPENDENCY ON PAIN MEDS

A survey by the American Society of Addiction Medicine shows that drug overdose is one of the leading causes of accidental death in the U.S. According to a more specific survey, 20,000 overdoses were in correlation with prescription-pain relievers. Unfortunately, t the root of the problem is chronic pain.

Hydrotherapy is a non-pharmacologic way to find pain relief. Essentially, it does not rely on pain medication to benefit any pain you have. Many people are dependent on pain medication because they are simply in pain. Of course, we recommend consulting your doctor on this matter, as there are many prescription drugs that are necessary for certain medical conditions. Of course, spending time soaking in the hot tub is a great complementary activity alongside any necessary pain meds.

#14 KNEE & BACK PAIN

There are studies that show that more than 80% of American adults suffer from lower back pain, or have suffered from lower back pain at one point in their lives. There is no question that lower back pain can reduce someone’s quality of life, no matter if it is acute or chronic. Even mundane activities, such as doing chores, grocery shopping, going to work, or playing sports, can become a painful process.

There have been tons of hydrotherapy studies on people living with lower back pain, many of whom said that their symptoms were reduced. Of course, just like with every other medical condition, we recommend consulting a physician to see if your symptoms can be eased through hydrotherapy.

Hot tubs can also help to reduce knee pain through gentle exercise and stretching routines. The hot water can stimulate blood flow to help reduce swelling and inflammation in the knee joints.

#15 CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

There are many studies out there that point to increased cardiovascular health through the use of hot tubs. When you are up to your neck in wonderful hot water, you can get a serious cardio workout. Many don’t even realize that the pressure on the body from the jets can help to increase your overall cardiac volume. Your heart has to work extra hard when you are in the heart tub to help keep your body running normally, which in turn, will make it much stronger.

#16 REDUCES HEADACHES 

Having constant headaches can make life incredibly difficult, especially for those who are trying to pursue active lifestyles. Despite what many people try, there are not very many easy remedies for treating headaches. Even medicating these sorts of things doesn’t work in the long run.

Beyond relaxation, sleep, flexibility, cardiovascular health, and everything else, hot tubs can help to reduce headaches. Hot tubs can dilate your blood vessels, which can decrease head pressure. As warmth and relaxation kick in, you’ll notice your headaches melting away. If you are someone that suffers from nauseating headaches, we recommend hopping in the hot tub every once in a while.

NEXT STEPS

Plus, a high-quality hot tub can help to add beauty to your backyard and zen to your space.

We hope that this article has given you the necessary information and motivation to get yourself a brand new hot tub. The health benefits of a hot tub are almost endless, and we’d love nothing more than for you to be able to take advantage of them.

If you would like to take the next step and get your own hot tub, the best bet is to compare the top brands so that you can compare quotes and save. 

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