Chinese Food Health gives you the basic approaches on how to nourish and preserve health in the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Although cold shower is quicker, refreshing, more hygienic, and of course more environmental friendly, nothing seems is more soothing than a long dip in a tub—of hot water.

In fact, no matter cold or hot, water is a natural healer. While cold shower is stimulating and invigorating, hot bath quiets and soothes the body. “Soaking in a hot tub indeed can bring us health benefits in several ways,” said Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners.

Circulation and Blood Pressure
When we immerse in hot water, first it speeds up our heart to send blood to the surface that helps disperse extra body heat. And a few minutes later, the hot water raises our body temperature and causes the blood vessels to dilate, which not only increases circulation, but also lowers the blood pressure.

Muscles
As the warm blood reaches deeper and deeper into our muscles, the vessels expand accordingly and helps relaxing our muscles. Since hot water is capable of easing any pinching of blood vessels and nerves, plus facilitating muscles to get rid of lactic acid, making this muscle-relaxation effect also a muscle pain cure.

Joints
“For arthritis sufferers, hot bath is a safe and effective way to mitigate the pain and prevent the joints from further damage,” TCM Practitioners suggested. In fact, when we are dipping in a hot tub, the buoyancy of the water can support and reduce pressure on the joints, promoting freer movement. At the same time, it also preserves and restores flexibility and strength.

Sleep
“If someone suffers from insomnia, especially caused by pain, he/she may try this simple solution—soaking in hot water about one hour prior to bedtime,” advised TCM Practitioners. Why? Studies have found that when our core body temperature drops, the level of sleep deepens. That means if we immerse in hot water before bedtime, due to a temperature shift after stepping out from the hot bath, it actually hints at the body it’s time to sleep, facilitating insomnia patients get easier to fall asleep.

Indeed, a soak in a hot tub at night is a simple and effective way to wind down ourselves from a hectic and stressful day. To have it more ideally, the water temperature of a hot bath should be around 95ºF/35ºC to 104ºF/40ºC (temperature may be raised a few degrees for the purposes of loosening tense muscles and easing the pain of stressful backaches) and shall last for 20 to 30 minutes.

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