Installing a hot tub or a hot tub spa in your backyard is a great way to turn it into a true resort, and a getaway in the middle of the every day. But, hot tubs and spas do more than just add great ambience and a perfect way to relax; they also have many health benefits associated with them and can even help people with certain conditions and disorders such as diabetes and arthritis.
Those who suffer from the pain of arthritic joints will find the soothing heat provided by tubs and spas especially beneficial, as heat is a great treatment for this condition. Because the water is so much warmer, it will also raise the body temperature and cause the blood vessels to become larger. This can significantly improve circulation, which can also help with arthritic joints. The Arthritis Foundation suggests that those suffering from arthritis will find soaking in a hot tub for 10-15 minutes every morning will loosen joints when they’re most stiff, and that will provide lasting relief all day long. It’s not just the heat that brings such relief though. The buoyancy of the water also reduces body weight by about 90% so that it puts less stress on those sore joints.
Those who are suffering from diabetes might also find hot water therapy especially beneficial, and that’s not something based on myth either. The American Diabetes Association has published a study in The New England Journal of Medicine that shows soaking in hot water for 30 minutes every day for three weeks can have a positive effect on blood sugar readings, and can be very similar to the benefits one would find after exercising. Better sleep and general well-being are also two benefits diabetics will find after soaking in a hot tub for a little while.
Because hot tubs and spas are also known to lower blood pressure, the Mayo Clinic has now found that soaking in a hot tub can be good for those suffering from heart disease, especially for those whom exercising is out of the question. When a person exercises, their blood pressure climbs higher, and that can be dangerous for heart disease patients. However, one can get the same beneficial effects of a workout from sitting in a hot tub, but the Mayo Clinic shows that soaking for only 15 minutes will lower blood pressure, rather than increase it.
Of course, because hot tubs and spas stimulate the same effects felt from exercising, there’s another obvious health benefit to using them – they’ll help you lose weight! The New England Journal of Medicine has published a study in which a group of participants soaked in a hot tub for 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week, for a total of 3 weeks. At the end of the study it was shown that people lost an average of 3 ½ pounds – in just one week! That’s something that just about everyone can benefit from!
Because they’re so relaxing, it can be hard to believe that hot tubs and spas are actually good for you too. But it’s true, and these are just a few of the health benefits that come with soaking in a hot tub.