How Taking a Bath Could Improve Your Health
Ice baths and cold plunges might be all the rage these days, but don’t sleep on taking a bath that’s hot: According to experts and research, a long, hot soak in the tub can have plenty of health benefits too.
“The mind and body are intrinsically linked, constantly exchanging information and responding to one another as we move through the world,” says Sarah St. John, energy healer and founder of Grey Wolfe, a spa in London. “Our emotions affect our bodies, and our bodies affect our emotions. One way to face and release those negative energies from our bodies is with healing ritual baths.”
Here’s why a long, hot soak may be just what the doctor ordered.
Taking a bath can reduce stress and anxiety.
Irregular fluctuations in circadian rhythm—the daily biological changes that affect our body and brain and tell us when it’s time to wake up and when to sleep—often occur in people suffering from depression and anxiety. Changes in these rhythms also mean changes in core body temperature. Bathing, as well as being a relaxing ritual in itself, is a great way to raise body temperature and in turn kick-start the body’s circadian rhythm to get it back on a more regular footing.
A study, conducted by the University of Freiburg, in Germany, found this to be the case when it assessed 45 people with diagnosed depression. “Floating in the bath can also replicate the feeling of being in the womb, making you feel safe and comforted,” says St. John. If you’re constantly feeling in a state of stress, your cortisol levels are likely to be elevated. As well as causing disruptions to your sleep patterns, too much cortisol can negatively affect everything from skin and digestion to the nervous system. “Most of us feel so relieved after emerging from a nice, long bath, because it naturally lowers our cortisol levels,” adds St. John. “Cortisol is the so-called stress hormone, so when there’s less in our system, we feel more at ease.”
Taking a bath can increase feelings of happiness.
In addition to lowering cortisol, a warm bath can calm the nervous system by encouraging the body to release neurotransmitters like serotonin, which contribute to feelings of contentment and well-being. “Your skin releases endorphins in response to the soothing warm water the same way that endorphins are released when you feel the sun on your skin,” adds St. John.
