If you’re getting older or suffer from mobility problems, you’re at an increased risk of poor circulation. Luckily enough, you can improve your circulation simply by taking a warm bath. Here are just four ways a hot bath can help make your blood flow more easily.
- Makes Your Heart Work
Immersing yourself in warm water makes your heart beat faster, and it isn’t just the heat that helps. Water puts pressure on your body. You won’t feel that pressure, but your body will register it. The amount of blood flowing to your heart will increase, so your heart will have to work faster and harder. As such, taking a warm bath can improve circulation in much the same way as light exercise.
- Expands Blood Vessels
When your body is cold, arteries and veins constrict to help maintain warmth, which is obviously bad for your circulation. When your body is warm, those arteries and veins relax and dilate, which provides more space for blood to flow. When you take a warm bath, you’re opening up your blood vessels and improving circulation.
- Relieves Tension
You’ve probably noticed that you feel more relaxed after enjoying a nice hot bath, and that’s not just because you’ve had some time to yourself. When your body is immersed in warm water, the tension goes out of your muscles, which is why hot baths are so good if you suffer from arthritis or other joint problems. That relaxing of the muscles also improves circulation, and blood is better able to remove waste products.
- Removes Pressure Points
When you’re sitting, pressure is focused around your back and lower hips. When you’re standing, pressure is focused around your legs and feet. With those areas under pressure, blood isn’t able to flow as easily. That’s why you’ll tend to feel numb after sitting or standing too long. When you’re in a bath, your body is partially supported by the water, so blood is able to flow unimpeded around your entire body.