Having a bath is one way that can you do to clean yourself after a day full of activities. Besides cleaning your body, having a bath can also give several benefits to your health. Most people usually like to use water with normal temperature (27 degrees Celcius) to have a bath. However, some people prefer warm water to clean their body. According to recent research conducted by the Loughborough University, having a warm bath may give relaxing effect, reducing inflammation, and increasing the metabolism.
According to the research that published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers found that warm baths may increase the production of nitrate oxide (NO) inside the body. NO is a compound which may cause blood vessels to relax while also help to reduce blood pressure. NO is also known to help to increase the supply of glucose to the body tissue. Researchers also believe that NO has anti-inflammatory properties.
In the research, the researchers observed some male participants with a history of obesity that were asked to have a bath In warm water with a temperature of 39 degrees Celcius for 1 hour. To observe the side effects of warm water, research took blood samples before, after, and 2 hours after the bath. Also, the researchers also measured blood pressure, body temperature and heartbeat of the participants for 15 minutes. The participants took part in the experiment 10 times for two weeks.
Moreover, some experts explained that warm baths may give similar effects as exercise. Exercise has been proven to reduce inflammation while also increase the sensitivity towards insulin, which may help to control the glucose level in the blood. Internal inflammation is known to reduce the ability of cells to respond insulin, which increases the risk of diabetes. For you who don’t like exercise that much, warm baths can be a good alternative to keep your blood sugar level.
Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Image Google Search
Source(s):
- Hoekstra, S. P., Bishop, N. C., and Faulkner, S. H. (2018). The acute and chronic effects of hot water immersion on inflammation and metabolism in sedentary, overweight adults. Journal of Applied Physiology, https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00407.2018.
- Medical News Today - Hot baths reduce inflammation, improve glucose metabolism (2018). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323702.php, November 21, 2018.