Health Benefits and the Effects of Using a Hot Tub

The second your body comes into contact with the warm bubbling waters of a hot tub your mind and body is already telling you this is fantastic. We all know how great it feels to relax by tacking a dip in a hot tub spa but what some don’t know is why.

Hot tubs can actually be used as a natural remedy for lots of different things such as body aches and pains, diabetes, sleeplessness, stress, anxiety and weight loss. Even as hot tubs have become an icon of luxury and partying with people, their attributes as hydrotherapy for certain conditions should not be overlooked.

Sitting in the warm waters of a hot tub relaxes your muscles and blood vessels causing them to expand, and thus allowing blood to flow under less pressure. Blood carries nutrients and needed supplies to all parts of your body and will help assist with the healing process, which is why hot tubs help those who have diabetes.

Insulin is found naturally in the body and can be transported more easily when blood vessels are dilated. Studies show that those who have diabetes, after using hot tubs every day for at least 20 minutes for ten days had better blood sugar levels.

Submerging your body in water causes it to float some, this buoyancy takes pressure off the heart, limbs and internal organs and giving them a chance to relax, rejuvenate and work under less pressure. The heats of the water increases the body’s temperature and as a result causes you to sweat, burn calories and lose weight, however this doesn’t happen after just one sitting, like exercise you need to do it ritually.

With these effects on the body the brain must react, it does so by releasing endorphins in neurotransmission. Endorphins are the body’s pain killer and closely resemble the effect of an opiate. Endorphins are released naturally during exercise, pain and pleasure, the keep pain receptors from transmitting and create a sense of well being making them useful in the treatment of stress anxiety and sleeplessness.

Even with the positive effects of a hot tub usage there are some cautions you should keep in mind. Since alcohol will increase your body’s temperature they should not be mixed with hot tubs. Hot tubs will also raise the body’s temperature and the two together could cause you to black out while still in the water and drown. The same goes for lots of medications such as blood pressure medication, pain killers and sleeping medication.

Certain conditions also make it potentially dangerous for you to use a hot tub. Those with history of a heart problem should avoid using hot tubs since there is an increased likelihood of a heart attack or stroke.

Pregnant women should not be exposed to temperatures of 101 degrees or higher. Studies show that these temperatures create an imbalance of the body’s internal body heat which is important to maintain for the growing baby inside, failure to keep safe temperatures increases the likely hood of miscarriage or birth defects.