Can warm water therapy reduce stress?

[Paul Torres]

Hai friends,

I am an IT professional. My work is very tedious and stressful. Every day I reach home with a lot of stress and tension. One day my wife suggested me to check my blood pressure. When I checked I was shocked to see that my pressure is in border level. The doctor advised me to control my blood pressure or else it will affect my health. He prescribed me some medicines but I recently found an article titled how hot tubs can help reduce stress( http://www.soldapools.com/blog/hot-tubs/how-hot-tubs-can-help-reduce-stress/ ). The articles describe how warm water therapies can initiate positive physical and mental changes. Has anyone tried it out before? Is it a useful method to get rid of stress?  Should I go with the medicines or will hot tubs help me to get rid of stress? Your feedbacks would be very useful.

[Rickroebuck]

Hello, according to my thinking the stress and tensions of the life can be reduced through home remedies. But despite of natural solution people go for medicines and therapies. I had also suffered from severe tension few months ago, which badly affected my back and neck. I mostly spend my time sitting in front of PC and playing games. Due to which my back and neck started to pain, then i used a massarger (https://massageandspaclub.com/best-neck-massager/) which helped me out. As per my friends opinion, hot tubs also help in reducing the level of tension so it is better to use any massager or hot tub for reducing your tension.

All the best

[abrhamjacob]

If you want to get a maximum hydrotherapy, try saline hot tub! They really offer a great warm water therapy experience while also caring your skin. You will not feel any disturbing smell of chemicals like bromine or chlorine since it is used the processed salt as the chemical substitute. I assure you you will get both healthy benefits from warm water and salt to pamper your body. 

Hope this article will be helpful https://www.divesanddollar.com/saline-hot-tubs/

[wondertub]

Bathing would not likely be bad for our health, to say the least, since Japanese people live longer lives than most, and coincidentally bathe more too: Preventive and promotive effects of habitual hot spa-bathing on the elderly in Japan

They mentioned "balneotherapy" in that article, and there are other articles about stress reduction, rest, and recovery, relative to balneology... really (so are there balneologists)? Well, there's an association, anyway. Okay, so technically it has to do with mineral water, however one of the articles below puts it in context: "Balneotherapy causes local and generalized physiological effects in the organism, which are exerted through both physical mechanisms—mainly linked to heat therapeutic effects—and chemical and biological properties of the agents. While the former are well known, the latter are difficult to identify and assess. Indeed, as a result of the elevated application temperature—generally ranging from 38 to 42 °C—thermotherapeutic effects are the basis of these treatments."

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Balneotherapy is beneficial for stress and fatigue reduction in comparison with music or no therapy group. Geothermal water baths have a potential as an efficient approach to diminish stress caused by working or living conditions.—Stress and Fatigue Management Using Balneotherapy

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Balneotherapy is an effective complementary approach in the management of several low-grade inflammation- and stress-related pathologies, especially rheumatic and metabolic conditions... An important aspect of stress responses is that they have the potential to induce higher levels of stress tolerance and greater resistance to subsequent stress damage from more than one type of stress. In this way, mild heat stress can protect from oxidative stress or toxin damage.—Balneotherapy, Immune System, and Stress Response

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Balneotherapy and physical therapy improved self-reported sleep and functional status in patients with osteoarthritis aged 50 to 85 years. We may conclude that balneotherapy and physical therapy, which are used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, not only reduce nocturnal pain, but also improve sleep quality.—Effects of Balneotherapy and Physical Therapy on Sleep Quality

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The combined application of balneotherapy + exercise therapy, which are two of the recommended non-pharmacological treatments, may have superior and more sustained effects than administering either therapy alone.—Which Non-Pharmacological Treatment is More Effective on Clinical Parameters in Patients With Fibromyalgia: Balneotherapy or Aerobic Exercise?

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During bathing, several actions unique to bathing will be exerted on the body, including hyperthermic action, hydrostatic pressure, buoyancy, and viscosity of water.

 

The most important of these is hyperthermic action, which warms the blood in superficial vessels, thereby increasing the deep body temperature through circulation. With an increase in body temperature, heat-sensitive neurons are excited while cold-sensitive neurons are inhibited in the thermoregulatory center of the hypothalamus, causing inhibition of the sympathetic nerves and stimulation of the parasympathetic nerves, leading to vasodilatation and induced perspiration to decrease the body temperature. Heart rate will rise by 40% to 50%, and peripheral pO2 will increase while pCO2 will decrease, thereby stimulating metabolism and inducing elimination of metabolic waste materials, which in turn refreshes the body. In terms of hydrostatic pressure, it induces venous flow, thereby increasing cardiac output and improving metabolism. Also, a habit of immersion bathing in hot water was shown to be associated with strengthened immune function.

 

Movement of an object through liquid with viscosity like water can produce more somatosensory input than the movement through air, which has relatively low viscosity, and the resistance against the movement causes expansion or extension of skin to induce stimulation, which helps mechanoreceptors adapt quickly, and to contribute to proprioception; also, the effects of the buoyancy and resistance of water can enhance the function of the proprioceptors of whole body parts.—Comparison of the Effects on Dynamic Balance Ability of Warming up in Water Versus on the Ground

 

Lastly, the downward force of gravity is reduced by buoyancy during bathing, which may in turn lead to the improvements seen in the POMS constructs of tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, and anger-hostility, suggesting positive effects of stress relief, refreshment, and relaxation from immersion bathing.—Physical and Mental Effects of Bathing

Interesting, and other than that, I gather it's important to stay sober and hydrated (with electrolytes and all) since thermoregulation (like sweating) is involved in the process of bathing, and passing out in a deep tub is something to prevent by avoiding imbalances, like dehydration. The highest risk factor for people having an adverse reaction to bathing is an extreme difference in temperature between the water and the air (especially in winter). So that's a kind of stress you'd want to reduce while bathing, perhaps by having an indoor hot tub, or warming up in a shower before getting in, and sitting partially immersed before getting out... there are other studies I linked about this in a topic to do with tub temperature. Just as an article above differentiates between severe heat stress and heat therapy, the activity of bathing is usually stress reducing, although it can be extremely stressful to homeostasis (as in life-threatening), especially if you're not careful. For instance, "A woman who knows or who may not yet be aware that she is pregnant should be advised of the recommended limits of exposure."

[AlexisJack]

Yep, sometimes our body needs to cool down by bathing with warm water just like drinking a hot tea. I guess it also helps in regulation or blood circulation. There is also more disadvantages with cold water.