Can a Hot Bath Deliver the Same Results as Exercise?

 Can a Hot Bath Deliver the Same Results as Exercise?

Visiting a sento is a popular, age-old Japanese practice and tradition. And like forest bathing, it has many health benefits.

There’s perhaps no better elixir than soaking in warm water after a long day. Many of us can attest to the relaxing benefits of unwinding with a hot bath, but did you know it can also help improve your health?

Most ancient cultures have long believed in the healing effects of water. Similar to mindfulness, the Japanese practice of engaging in public baths known as “sento” is used as a way of cleansing both the body and the mind. While we don’t have public baths in the States, we may be able to get the benefits in the privacy of our own homes. In fact, in a modern Japanese home, this is known as “furo.”

That’s right, your own bathtub may be key to literally washing your pain away.

Hot water is healing with passive heating

The therapeutic ritual of bathing culture in Japan Involves more than just cleansing yourself of physical dirt. From “onsens,” or natural hot springs, to sentos(public baths) and furos (private baths), soaking in these healing waters are a way of purifying from the day-to-day spiritual grime.

“Your skin releases endorphins in response to the soothing warm water the same way that endorphins are released when you feel the sun on your skin,” says Dr. Bobby Buka, a dermatologist based in New York. He explains that submerging ourselves in hot water can be both therapeutic and reinvigorating because blood flow increases to the skin.

A warm bath can also improve breathing Trusted Source. The temperature of the water and pressure on your chest increases your lung capacity and oxygen intake. A growing body of research has shown that passive heating, like spending time in a sauna, can also reduce the risk of having a heart attack Trusted Source, improve blood sugar control Trusted Source, and even help lower your blood pressure Trusted Source.

In one eye opening study published earlier this year, researchers collected data from 14 participants and found that soaking in an hour long hot bath burned as many calories (around 140) as a 30-minute walk. This is because the warm water makes your heart beat faster, giving it a healthy work out. They also found positive anti-inflammatory and blood sugar responses which can protect against illness and infection.

An hourlong hot bath may help:

reduce risk of a heart attack

improve blood sugar control

lower your blood pressure

burn 140 calories

protect you from illness and infection

Let’s not forget about the best benefit: pain reduction

Bathing in a sento is a unique cultural and communal experience in Japan. They claim that the hot water from their natural springs can improve blood circulation, calm the nervous system, and help relieve intense pain. While hot spring water isn’t readily available in the States, science shows that we can obtain similar benefits by soaking in a hot tub or visiting a sauna.

“Stress causes the muscles of the body to contract,” says Dr. Mark Khorsandi, a migraine surgeon in Houston, Texas. “A hot bath can relieve those symptoms and keep the muscles loose.” Stretching and moving in the water also provides a low-impact workout for discomfort in muscles, joints, and bones.

This has been true for Alaina Leary, 24, who regularly takes hot baths to help manage chronic pain from living with Ehlers-Danlos, a disorder that affects the connective tissues. When she was first diagnosed at the age of 9 in 2002, she recalls feeling extremely breakable. “I was slower than other kids. I had trouble running [and] walking one foot at a time.”

After working with different physical and occupational therapists, she began using warm baths during pain flare-ups. In the evenings, she would set aside time to ease into the tub and let her muscles relax.

Many people who have chronic illnesses report feelings of depression and despair. Khorsandi says hot baths can provide physical comfort and contentment, and can ease the blues that are associated with chronic pain.