Bathing is certainly a very pleasant experience and for thousands of years it’s been seen as an essential to our lives.

For the Romans, bathing was one of the most common activities and took place in the communal baths as a social activity. They took bathing so seriously that the various parts of the bathing ritual (undressing, bathing, sweating, getting a massage and resting), required separate rooms! Some of the larger baths could hold thousands of bathers. We’re quite grateful that bathing is more of a private affair these days!

As life becomes busy it can be easy to just stick to showers for their ease, shorter time taken, and of course they are more efficient with water and energy too.

But the Romans were on to something.

A bath is proven to be good for you, and it’s one of the many reasons we give for keeping your bath in your home. Bathing is relaxing and healthy for your body and there’s nothing quite like it after a hard day at work, in the garden, or looking after the grandkids!

So why are baths healthy and how do they help you? Here are five of our favourite reasons:

 

 

1. A bath will help you to breathe more easily…

Bathing is obviously a calm and relaxing experience (or at least it should be so lock that door!). Lying in the warm water with your head back is a pleasant and calming time. But there’s some science behind the benefits too.

When your bath water is warm, your heart beats faster and thus helps your oxygen intake. Your blood cells carry oxygen – so the better the blood flows, the more oxygen you get. It’s why you can sometimes feel high after mediation.

This warm water and steady breathing can also improve and clear your sinuses and chest. Perfect for winter colds or when you’re feeling run down.

 

2. Bathing benefits your muscles and joints…

It’s well known that a long hot bath will help your aching body. After sports it’s fairly common for sports people to take a bath. Stretching and moving in water is also really kind on your joints. Your body is up against gravity all the time on dry land, and water takes this away in many respects. Stretching just a little in your bath, can really help to loosen you up as can a good course of aqua aerobics (just not in your bath, please!). 

 

3. Baths can actually fix your blood and immunities

Your body is full of bacteria. Many of them are essential to your survival so don’t worry too much. But you can and will get bad bacteria into your body and you’ll want to get rid of those as soon as you can.

Taking a hot bath or going into a steam room can help you to kill of nasty bacteria whilst also improving your immunity. Got a nasty cold? Head to the sanctuary of your bathroom and run a lovely warm bath. 

 

4. Bathing regularly will cleanse and moisturise your skin… 

Soaking your body has another great health benefit too. Soaking your skin helps to open your pores and release sweat, which is the body’s natural way of cleansing itself.  We can improve this even more by mixing in essential oils or salts like Epsom salts too which all help to invigorate your natural minerals. Good oils include chamomile oil or lavender oil, but check before using oils if you have any medical conditions or are pregnant. For a handy list of oils to suit your ailments or mood, click here.

 

5. You can help your core body temperature… 

Your body has a core temperature of around 37 degrees. All day long your system is powering on trying to regulate this. It sweats, shivers, and sends you signals to ask for help to remain around this magic number.

Give it a rest! In a bath you can regulate your core temperature. You’ll stay pretty much the same temperature for a longer time and it’ll give you and your system a break from working so hard in the background.

 

Bathing is good for your mind and body! Find an excuse to have one!

There are so many reasons why you should have a bath but in this modern world we often say we have no time, so try to prioritise it if you can.

Our advice would be to find the time for a bath and yourself. The health benefits will no doubt make you more productive and more healthy and able to enjoy a fitter and fuller life. Make the time to enjoy the healthy benefits of a bath that people have being reaping the rewards of for thousands of years!

If you need help designing your new bathroom or fancy putting a bath in your shower room then give us a call now or visit our bathroom showroom in Coventry.