What are the benefits of bathing? Many of us take baths to relax, we think of them as somehow therapeutic. After all, when you’ve had a hard day, doesn’t it just seem like the perfect remedy to run some hot water and let all that stress just be washed away by the warmth?
But what benefits does taking a bath have? It’s possible that our much beloved time for relaxation might also have a few benefits for our health overall.
Hot Water Bath Benefits for Your Mental Health
There are many kinds of hot baths you can take, but we’re talking about the traditional hot soak in warm water. For many people, it’s a cure all to a tough day; but aside from relaxation, does it have any real benefits?
It’s certainly cleaning and — just as the disease-riddled folks from the Middle Ages — that can help prevent infections and diseases (Cleaning Matters, Emerging Infectious Disease Journal). But oftentimes, baths in adulthood have little to do with cleaning and more to do with relaxing.
It’s true that baths, if nothing else, are good for your psychological well-being. One study found that taking a bath with lavender oil helped improve the moods of participants (Complementary Therapies in Medicine). Another study found that baths with lavender oil reduced negative responses about the future.
Another study found that warm showers and baths help to make people feel less lonely, as people associate warmth with being social (Emotion). So, essentially, taking a bath can be good for your mental health.
Hot Water Bath Benefits for Your Physical Health
And bathing can be good for physical health as well.
A lukewarm bath or shower lasting about 20 minutes can help to hydrate your skin. But it’s important to put a moisturizer on within three minutes of getting out of the tub in order to keep your skin from drying out instead (American Academy of Dermatology).
By heating up your skin, you can also increase blood flow to the surface of the skin, which promotes healing. And when your skin is soft and there is more blood flow, ingredients penetrate your skin better.
One study even found that those with Type II diabetes may benefits from hot tub therapy, which could be mimicked with a bath (Diabetes Health).
[Read More: The Great Shower Debate: Is Everyday Too Much for Your Skin?]
Hot Water Bath Detriments to Your Physical Health and People Who Must Be Careful
Bathing also has some downsides that many people don’t realize.
First and foremost, bathing in too hot water or bathing for too long can dry out your skin. Scrubbing too hard in the bath can also remove the lipid layer of skin and leave it dry and damaged.
Those with high or low blood pressure, those with heart conditions, and, depending on the heat even those who do not have these conditions could have problems that result in fainting (National Institute On Aging).
For expectant mothers, a hot soak can be risky if it raises your body temperature over 102 degrees. Going above that temperature has been linked by some studies to an increase in spinal cord injuries. So, it’s important to keep the tub temperature lower and take a bath that’s only about 10 minutes (American Pregnancy Association).
Those who are diabetic with neuropathy may also have issues with hot baths (Diabetes Health).
Bottom Line
Baths have some physical health benefits — mainly adding moisture to your skin and cleaning you — but they’re best for overall emotional well-being. If you’re pregnant, have a heart condition, have high or low blood pressure, or are diabetic with neuropathy, you should be careful when taking baths. Otherwise, they can be beneficial in making you feel good overall — and that may not be a concrete benefit, but it sure counts for something.
Just don’t forget the rubber ducky!