Batting for Bathing

Isn’t it interesting people seek shelter from rains, but can sit in a bathtub full of water, pools of water, etc. etc.  for me it is an essential part of being grounded and sensual and feeling myself.Top of Form

Somewhere I like to think this feeling of being in a timeless zone is a memory of our embryonic stage  but that is for another day

As of now my muse is the bathtub. Simply because today is the tomorrow is bath tub day.

Most of us have a quick shower, and rush off but a bath is definitely more in there when it comes to personal hygiene and relaxation.

On the top of my mind  benefits of a hot water (you define your hot water)

Promotes restful sleep:  night sleep is one of the most neglected aspects of personal care good bath relaxes the muscle enough to get you to sleep the scientific impact is published in august 2019 sleep medicine reviews.

This could be because the warm water rises the body temperature and when you get out the temperature drops mimicking the circadian rhythm, and messaging the body to calm the bio-activity.

Hydration:    the water should be Lukewarm and not hot.  It allows the body to hydrate. Hot water can cause the skin to lose natural oils. The Dermatology Academy recommends keeping the temperature war and limiting the bath time to 10mnts. (should not exceed 20mnts.) the ideal time to moisturize is when the skin is damp. So that the lipids of the moisturizer trap the water and skin remains hydrate.

Relief for body and joint aches:    this is a form of passive heating it gives the same effect of gentle exercise, which manages low grade inflammation. For details do refer to the reviews in the Dec.2020 journal of applied physiology. If you are not comfortable with a bath, then a quick icepack can do the trick.  If  you are cardiac or diabetic patient it is safer to keep your dip around 5 mnts.  I am talking of cold bath, since cold water shock can lower heart rate and raise blood pressure.

Effect on blood pressure and hearth health:     exercise is replaceable by passive heat therapy or hot water immersion. But for geriatric cases there could be benefits due to reduced ability to exercise. A cohort study published in the Heart Journal May 2020 found that Japanese men who bathed in a tub more frequently had reduced cardiovascular events and mortality.

For people with low blood pressure, warm baths and sauna should be used with care, as the blood vessels dilate and there could be a tendency to dizziness and lightheaded ness. Details of this can be found in Harvard Health publishing. And Mayo clinic proceedings of August2018

Reduces stress and anxiety:   like I mentioned before, taking a warm bath helps to improve feelings of stress it reduces fatigue and physical pain. Despite showering being the most popular form of bathing, immersing in a bath has definite emotional health benefits.

Actually, December 5^th is celebrated each year as the Bathtub party day.  the day is all about self-care and fun with scented candles, rose petals, crowded flash round. It is a perfect day to let go all tension and stress.