Top 5 Health Benefits to Owning a Hot Tub

When it comes to buying a hot tub, there are many reasons why people take the plunge and make the investment. Most folks purchase a hot tub as a way to spend more time with family and friends. Others simply want a little time to themselves.

It might surprise you however, to learn that some people actually purchase a hot tub for its lengthy list of health benefits. For example, many athletes have used hot tubs for years! They call it hydrotherapy. It means that they use the hot water generated by a hot tub (or spa) to promote circulation and reduce chance of injury.

Whether you’re an athlete, or just looking for a great way to feel better, using a hot tub regularly will definitely help. How? We’ll tell you! Keep reading to learn about the top 5 health benefits to owning (and using) a hot tub.

1. A Good Night’s Rest

Sleep disorders are no laughing matter as they affect a significant percentage of the American population. If you’ve ever suffered from insomnia you’ll know that eventually, it gets to the point where you’ll try anything to get a good night’s sleep.

The problem with not getting enough sleep trickles down into all other areas of your life. It increases anxiety, depression and mood swings. Not getting enough sleep also prevents you from focusing on your job or any other task you might try to tackle during waking hours.

So, how does owning a hot tub help?

Many sleep experts will tell you that dropping your temperature before you go to bed will help you to get a deeper, more relaxing sleep. It’s recommended that you take a quick, 15 soak in your hot tub at least 90 minutes before you try and fall asleep. This will help to drop your body temperature.

2. Improve Your Mobility

Many Americans also suffer from chronic pain caused by things like, arthritis. These chronic illnesses can limit or decrease mobility, which causes an individual to feel frustrated. While there are different types of arthritis and chronic pain, they all have a negative impact on the individual affected.

Owning a hot tub will help to increase your mobility because the water is warm. Warm water helps to reduce inflammation and joint pain. In turn, mobility increases. To get the most out of your hot tub soak, you should incorporate a few different elements including,

• Keep the temperature warm, between 92 – 100 degrees. If the water is too hot it can make your heart work too hard to keep you cool.
•  Be sure to move your arms, legs, fingers and toes. This will help to increase mobility.
•  Keep your soak to a maximum of 20 minutes to prevent dehydration.
•  Drink plenty of water before and after you use your hot tub.

For more information, the Arthritis Foundation provides a few online hot tub tips to ensure you get the best benefits from your soak.

3. Banish Stress

All of us take on a lot of different things, every day. We go to work, take care of our kids, clean the house, do the laundry, connect with friends, get together with family and then try to take care of ourselves. Over time, all of the different things we have going on can take their toll.

Stress affects most Americans in some way, shape or form. In fact, there are many stress related medical conditions that might be affecting you right now including,

• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Pain
• Panic Attacks
• Fatigue
• Insomnia

Owning a hot tub helps to reduce and eliminate stress related conditions, and it’s all about sitting in warm water. When you sit in warm water, it helps to increase blood flow and circulation. Using your hot tub’s massage jets help to work tension from your muscles. Both of these factors help you to relax. When you relax, your body releases natural endorphins that make you feel happy and calm instead of anxious and stressed.

The best part is you don’t need to sit in your hot tub for hours to achieve a relaxed state. 15 – 20 minutes is the right length of time to soak your stress away.

4. Relieve Pain

In addition to arthritis, some of most common type of joint pain comes from knee and back injuries. Owning a hot tub can help to reduce and relieve pain caused by from all sorts of accidents, surgery, and more.

Knee Pain

In a 2014 article, CBS stated that approximately 7 million Americans were living with replacement knees (and hips). A Nation in Motion estimates that by 2030, there will be 3.5 million knee replacement surgeries done every year.

For those who owned and used a hot tub regularly, their recovery time from surgery was much faster. These people also experienced a greater range of motion after surgery compared to those who did not use a hot tub and experienced less pain.

Back Pain

Back pain is a serious concern for many people in America. It significantly limits mobility, which is a problem that can benefit from owning a hot tub. Similar to dealing with arthritis, soaking in a hot tub for about 20 minutes can significantly reduce inflammation and joint pain. Remember not to turn the heat up too high! A temperature between 92 – 100 degrees works best.

5. Lower’s Blood Pressure

Do you have high blood pressure? If so, you might want to consider owning a hot tub to help manage this health problem.

Getting into hot water makes your heart work a little bit faster so that your body can get rid of the extra heat. The increased blood flow generates additional oxygen. Eventually, this extra heat will make your cells expand, which helps your heart to work more efficiently. As a result, your overall blood pressure decreases as well.

If you do have high blood pressure, you do still need to remember be careful when using a hot tub. For example, if you also have a pool, moving back and forth from the hot tub to the pool can actually raise your blood pressure.

Hot Tub Health Benefits – Use As Instructed

If you have questions about any health issues or concerns you might have, it’s always important to talk to your doctor or appropriate health professional. While owning a hot tub is a recommended way to help decrease and eliminate many heath problems, it’s also important to understand the right way to use your hot tub. If the water is too hot, if you don’t stay hydrated, or if you soak for too long, these could all have a negative impact on your health.

If you use your hot tub in the right way however, you’ll have the best advantage. You’ll feel more relaxed, sleep better and gain an overall sense of wellbeing—and that is truly what hot tub ownership is all about.