The Health Benefits of Hot Tubs

​According to the International Aquatic Foundation, there are over 5,170,000 residential hot tubs in use across the United States today. Surprisingly, instead of declining in sales over the recession years, sales have increased slightly. Something more than a relaxing pleasure dip must be stimulating the hot tub crowd. There is. People are starting to get the message that there are positive health benefits to soaking in a tub of hot water up to your neck on a regular basis. Here is a list of some of those benefits:

​Better Sleeping Habits 
Hot tubbers know they tend to fall asleep faster after a late night soak in hot tub. 
Cold air temperatures can disturb your normal sleeping pattern. When your body is cozy and warm, we fall asleep faster and rest more comfortably during the entire sleep period. 

Deeper sleep itself has many positive benefits on our health. We tend to be in a better mood when we awake, are more alert and our body can metabolize food better while you are deeply asleep.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety 
Our modern life is filled with factors that cause stress and high levels of anxiety. Neither of these conditions is good for our health. 

Many studies show that the combination of hot, steaming water and agitated message jets can produce a sense of weightlessness within ourselves that can greatly reduce the stress on our bodies and anxieties that burden our mental well-being.

Pain Relief 
People who suffer from the pain induced by arthritis, carpal tunnel, tendonitis, and other body aches can often fine temporary pain relief from spending time in a hot tub. 

For tubs with a water jet features, the bubbles created by the jet action help make the soaker feel buoyant and weightless. When your muscles relax and the blood flow increases, you can feel a reduction of pain in the affected body joints.

In this relaxed condition, you experience a heightened flexibility in your aching body. Your strength increases and your physical motion range increases. These are the same benefits that hydrotherapy sessions give to persons recovering from the aches and pain of knee, back or other joint problems.

Lowers Your Blood Sugar Level
Early studies show that people who spend time in a hot tub on a regular basis may show a reduction in blood sugar levels for people suffering from type 2 diabetes.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a report that type 2 diabetics who do a full body hot tub soak for thirty minutes a day for six days a week over three weeks saw an average drop in blood glucose (BG) levels by 23 mg/dl. .

The belief is that the hot water temperature simulates some of the same effects as physical exercise, an effective form of treatment for type 2 diabetes patients.

Lowers Blood Pressure
Nothing has more of a negative impact on our health as we age than high blood pressure.
When you soak in water at a high temperature, your heart has to work harder and faster so your body can expel the excess heat. This action increases your blood flow and produces extra oxygen as your cells are being revitalized. 

The increased body warmth will cause cells to dilate. This is turn decreases the resistance against the heart which acts to lower your overall blood pressure.

So the next time somebody refuses to join you in a relaxing hot tub session because they say it’s unhealthy, you can now tell them why that’s not true. You can even add that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away…and so does hot tubbing!”