Why is a bath in the whirlpool so healthy for body and mind?
Even the Romans knew about the benefits of splendid baths, where thermal or spring water flowed to strengthen the body. Did you know that the word “spa” is derived from the Latin proverb “Sanum per aquam“? This translated means something like “health through water” – and this also applies to the whirlpool, which provides a lot of relaxation, but at the same time has a positive impact on our health.
Why a bath in a whirlpool is healthy for us
Nowadays, scientists agree that a bath in a whirlpool is not only relaxing, but also extremely healthy. The interaction of the warm water temperature, the buoyancy, and water pressure as well as the frictional resistance of the massage jets in the whirlpool ensures better blood circulation and brings many other health benefits for our body. For example, the warm water temperature in the whirlpool causes our blood vessels to dilate and naturally regulates blood pressure.
At the same time, this also leads to better blood circulation to our internal organs, or to the blood being better distributed through our body. If you stand on your legs for a long time, after a while you may notice that at some point your legs feel significantly heavier. However, this does not happen when you take a bath in a whirlpool, as the water acts evenly on our body from the outside. Due to the water pressure the blood does not sink into the legs, furthermore the buoyancy provides a better relief of the joints as well as maximum relaxation.
Better supply of nutrients and lymphatic drainage
During a bath in a hot tub, the heat can penetrate deeper and deeper into our body – this can raise our body temperature up to 37 degrees (98,6 °F), which gets our pulse going, but at the same time lowers blood pressure. This means that our bodies can take advantage of a fast heart rate without the heart having to work too hard.
The higher heart rate and faster breathing support the breakdown of metabolic products in the body, which should be removed from the muscle tissue. This is because lactic acids accumulate in the fibers of our muscles when we exert ourselves physically. The intensified blood flow carries increased nutrients and oxygen to our tissues, which in turn promotes the overall recovery of our body and the removal of the accumulated lactic acid.
Massage in the whirlpool ensures optimal relaxation of the muscles
The pleasant and relaxing bath in the whirlpool is, of course, primarily due to the vibrations emitted by the water jets. Since these are directly transmitted to our body, they provide a slight loosening of our muscles as well as joints and ligaments. Especially, the numerous massage jets together with their individual effect on our body makes a bath in the whirlpool so healthy and effective.
On the one hand, there are pure water and air jets, but also combinations of both. This is because a pure water jet without air is somewhat harder, while pure air jets are perceived as particularly soft. Depending on personal needs and the respective body area, softer or even harder jets feel more relaxing to us.
Simply leave the stress behind with a relaxing bath in the whirlpool
Even if you try it often – sometimes the strains and stresses of everyday life are not so easy to fade away. This is definitely not healthy, because if our body is under stress, our heart has to pump more intensively and thus exert itself more. At the same time, our breathing becomes shallower and faster, and digestion often suffers as well. This shows that stress can have an extremely negative effect on all processes in the body.
Here, a bath in the whirlpool can be a soothing relaxation and a break from everyday life, which you allow yourself in between. The tranquility of the bubbling water in combination with the warm temperature helps to switch off, sleep better and simply forget about stress for a few hours.
A bath in the whirlpool can also help you fall asleep
Especially people who suffer from sleep problems or often still feel restless in the evening can benefit from a bath in the whirlpool. After all, our bodies can fall asleep more easily when our core body temperature is reduced. Although hot baths initially cause our body temperature to rise slightly, they also ensure that it drops again by a few degrees after the bath. If we take a 15-minute bath in a whirlpool and the water temperature is between 36 and 40 °C (104 °F), our body temperature will drop afterward. As a result, it is much easier for us to fall asleep after a relaxing bath in the whirlpool.
This shows: A bath in the whirlpool has a positive benefit not only for our mind, but also for our body, which can definitely have an effect on our health.
