What’s not to love about a hot tub? We already know there are some serious medical benefits to your overall physical health – improving things like diabetes, your skin and can even help give your body a bit of a detox ahead of the summer. But what about the health benefits that you can’t see… but can really feel?
We’re talking of course about mental health. Looking after our mental health is so important so let’s explore a bit more about how regular use of a hot tub can really have some positive implications for your mental health and wellbeing.
1. WEIGHT LOSS
First, some of the physical. Many people are looking to lose weight or improve their overall fitness. Some research by physiologist Steve Faulkner found that spending an hour in hot water burned up to 140 calories… as much as a half-hour walk.
So a brisk walk followed by a soak in your hot tub can really help you lose weight, whilst also relaxing you.
The post-walk hot tub session will relax your muscles and improve your blood flow enabling you to recover from any physical exercise whilst still continuing to burn calories.
2. SOCIALISING
Owning a hot tub gives you the opportunity to spend more time with friends and family, in a different way. Inviting a couple of friends over for some drinks and chat in your spa can be brilliant for your mental health.
There’s a great sense of belonging that comes from spending time with friends or family members… being away from the screens of tablets, smartphones and TVs will mean you can focus on good, solid conversation, laughter and that wonderful feeling of just keeping in touch with people and having some enjoyable human contact.
3. RELAXATION
We bet you’ve had one of those really long days where you get through the door and think… I’d just love a bath? A hot tub takes that feeling one step further, thanks to the powerful massage jets that will ease the stresses and tensionsin your muscles and your body overall.
Anxiety causes stress – the two are often linked… so reducing the stress on your body can also allow your anxiety levels to drop.
That’s not just us talking, either. Scientific research from Washington State University in the USA looking into whether long-term immersion in hot water was good for your body. Leading researcher Dr Bruce Becker found that soaking in a hot tub for just 15-20 minutes puts your body into a deep relaxation state.
This research also found that the deep relaxation state gives you a better night’s sleep, because when you get out of the hot water your body enters a sort of ‘cooling’ period. This is very similar to the body temperature drop that we naturally experience when falling asleep.
Not sleeping well is often a byproduct of stress, anxiety and other mental health afflictions… so a better, deeper sleep will result in a better state of mind overall.
4. HORMONAL RE-BALANCE
Time spent relaxing in a hot tub results in a combination of both increased blood flow and relaxation of your breathing. These combine and increase the serotonin and dopamine levels in your brain, whilst also decreasing epinephrine and cortisol levels.
The end result: we see an increase in our ‘happy’ hormones and a decrease in our ‘stress’ hormones. This fantastic hormone re-balancing is very helpful in the fight against anxiety, stress and even depression.
We hope this has been a useful way of telling you three of the ways that a hot tub can improve your mental health and your overall mental wellbeing. To browse our range of hot tubs, click the button below.
