Contents:
- Medical Video: 8 Things That Happen When You Take Cold Showers
- Potential for hot baths to maintain heart health
- Why can a hot bath can maintain heart health?
Medical Video: 8 Things That Happen When You Take Cold Showers
After a day of work, your body must feel tired. One easy way to overcome this is to soak hot water. According to a study, regular hot baths at least five times a week can maintain the heart health of the elderly. Is that right?
Potential for hot baths to maintain heart health
Soaking in hot water is usually done by someone after exercising or tired of activities. Hot steam can relax the muscles in the body that are tense so that it helps you sleep better. However, the benefits of soaking hot water are not just that. Research shows that a routine of soaking with hot water is healthy for the elderly.
The research team in Japan led by Prof. Katsuhiko Kohara, from the Regional Innovative Faculty of Collaborative at Ehime University published his research on this matter in the journal Scientific Reports.
Prof. Kohara and his team involved 873 participants aged 60 to 70 years and asked them about the habit of soaking hot water in a sauna.
Then, the researchers assessed the cardiovascular health of the participants, by measuring the speed of the brachial pulse in the foot, which became the benchmark for atherosclerosis. It also measures the plasma level of type B natriuretic peptides, which are a benchmark for measuring heart load.
Furthermore, the researchers also recorded 164 participants who underwent at least 2 medical examinations. The results showed that participants who routinely soaked hot water at least 5 times a week had a beneficial effect on their heart, which reduced the risk of atherosclerosis and decreased heart load.
Other studies also show results that are not much different. People who routinely soak hot water, four to seven times a week have a lower risk of stroke and high blood pressure. The risk of both diseases decreased by around 60 percent and 46 percent compared to people who soaked hot water once a week.
Why can a hot bath can maintain heart health?
Researchers believe that hot steam can accelerate blood circulation to the heart and accelerate the heartbeat to be faster, the same when you are exercising. Besides that, soaking hot water regularly makes the body relax so that it reduces stress.
Hot steam can stimulate the skin to produce endorphins on the skin. Endorphins are hormones that encourage your feelings to be better and happier. Endorphins stimulated with hot steam are the same as endorphins released by the body when you are exposed to the sun in the morning. Well, when the mood is happy, stress will decrease.
All the effects of hot steam can help a person to maintain heart health. Hot baths also improve breathing ability for the better. Water temperature and pressure on the chest can increase lung capacity to take in more oxygen.
Prof. Jeremy Pearson, a medical director at the British Heart Foundation added, "The research is only an observation, there may be other supporting factors, such as a healthy lifestyle."
That is, maintaining heart health is not just a routine of soaking warm water. You really need to pay attention to your diet so that cholesterol levels and blood pressure remain controlled. In addition, you also have to exercise regularly, stop smoking, and have enough sleep.
You should also know that too long a hot bath can also cause dehydration and make the skin dry. So, make sure to drink water before soaking and not soaking for a long time.
