9 Health Benefits of Soaking in a Hot Bath

Hot baths have long been considered a self-care ritual. Relaxing by soaking in warm water is as ancient as it is common across cultures—from Japanese Onsens to Ancient Roman baths. It turns out, there is a myriad of health benefits to hot baths. They help reduce stress, relieve sore muscles, improve skin, and more. Take two hot baths a week for as little as two weeks to start seeing results. However, very young or elderly people may be at risk of burns and low blood pressure. If you have a health condition or concerns about hot baths, we recommend consulting a general practitioner for advice tailored to you.

Hot baths are simple in practice. You can choose to head to your nearest spa or create your own experience at home. Keep reading for a full list of benefits and our best advice.

Benefits of Taking a Bath

It Creates a Nighttime Ritual

There’s something about filling a bathtub with water, prepping some bath oils and lighting a candle that immediately helps us disconnect. Incorporating the practice as part of your nighttime routine can also help your brain associate this ritual with bedtime. Getting into a consistent routine of taking a hot bath before bed will signal to your mind and body that it’s wind down time for sleep. Just as we give our children bedtime routines, we can do the same for ourselves.

It Reduces Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

Baths are mindful in practice. They help ease the mind and help you connect with the present moment. A hot bath can create a great environment for escape and mediation from everyday stressors. Baths were found to improve both the physical and emotional aspects of life. They were found to improve mental health and lower feelings of stress, tension-anxiety, anger-hostility, and depression-dejection. Being immersed in water can calm the nervous system, improve your mood, and reduce anxiety and stress levels in the body.

It Soothes Sore Muscles and Joints

A warm bath may help release tension from muscles and loosen spasms. Specifically, a warm bath encourages circulation of blood, which provides the muscles with more nutrients and oxygen. This releases muscle tightness, relieves pain, and improves the elasticity of connective tissues.

It Enhances Sleep Quality

If you are looking for ways to improve your sleeping habits, know that a nightly bath may improve sleep quality. Studies have shown that a nightly hot bath (and even a hot foot bath if you’re unable to take a full bath) facilitates earlier sleep onset. Baths aid in sleeping more deeply by facilitating the body’s natural flow into sleep by lowering body temperature.

It Improves Skin

Baths may help soothe and calm redness for those prone to skin irritation. If you have sensitive skin, it is recommended to take lukewarm baths instead. You may follow the “Soak and Seal” method suggested by the National Eczema Association. Dry by gently patting a towel and leave your skin slightly damp. Then, apply moisturizer within three minutes in order to avoid dry skin.

If you’re concerned about dry skin from taking hot baths, adding Epsom salt and oils may help soften the skin and reduce dry patches. A study found bath oil to be an effective way of targeting dry skin when used in routine skin-care. It also helps those with most dry skin conditions.

It Helps with Congestion

Congestion can be due to a variety of reasons, from a common cold to allergies. Baths also get the blood vessels in your nose and face moving, which can loosen mucus blockage and relieve flu and cold symptoms. You may add essential oils to your bath for an additional booster. A hot bath may also help you breathe easier. Submerging in water past your chest can help with your oxygen intake.

It Improves Heart Health

Warm temperatures cause dilation of blood vessels, increasing circulation of blood to the heart. This is why hot baths are often considered to help improve heart health. In the same vein, the practice may help lower blood pressure.

It Lowers Blood Sugar

Hot baths may help burn calories and lower your blood sugar. Research has found that taking hot baths can help reduce peak blood sugar levels and cause energy expenditure to spike significantly. It is important to note that participants in the study bathed for a full hour in water heated to 104 degrees—you may need more than just a quick soak.

Important to note: Bathing for long periods of time at high temperatures is not recommended for everyone. Consult your general practitioner if you’re interested in partaking in the practice—especially if you have a health condition.

It May Boost the Immune System

Preliminary studies have shown that a hot deep sea water may have some ability to increase the CD8 lymphocytes and thus impact the immune cell distribution positively. In other words, hot baths may help boost your immune system. Having an elevated body temperature was found to help certain types of immune cells work better.

The bottom line? 

Soak in that bath.