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June 29, 2020 1:44 pm
Taking a bath isn't just relaxing. It could also be good for your heart, study says
(CNN)Ending your day with a hot bath might have more benefits relaxation.
It could also lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study finds.
Previous research on bathing has already shown that it's beneficial for sleep quality and how healthy a person thinks they are.
A new study, published Tuesday in the journal Heart, found that a daily hot bath is also associated with a 28% lower risk of heart disease, and a 26% lower risk of stroke -- likely because taking a bath is also associated with lowering your blood pressure, the researchers said.
They discovered this after tracking the bathing habits and cardiovascular disease risk of more than 61,000 Japanese adults for 20 years.
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"We found that frequent tub bathing was significantly associated with a lower risk of hypertension, suggesting that a beneficial effect of tub bathing on risk of [cardiovascular disease] may be in part due to a reduced risk of developing hypertension," the researchers said in a press release.
Bathing linked to heart health
Participants ages 40 to 59 with no history of heart disease were followed from 1990 to 2009. At the start of the study, they were separated into groups by how often they took a bath in a tub on average: less than once a week, one to two times per week, almost daily or every day.
The researchers also gathered information on potentially influential factors, such as the participants' weight, smoking status, how often they exercised, alcohol intake, job status, education, how long they slept, perceived mental stress and life enjoyment.
By the end of the follow-up period in 2009, out of more than 30,000 final participants, the researchers documented 2,097 cases of cardiovascular disease, including 275 heart attacks, 53 sudden cardiac deaths and 1,769 strokes. They found that the more the participants bathed, the lower their risk was for cardiovascular disease.
The temperature of the water, based on participants' descriptions, also mattered. There was a 26% lower risk for heart disease with warm water, and a 35% lower risk of cardiovascular disease for hot water.
Why bathing could help the heart
Tub bathing is considered to have a preventative effect against heart disease by improving what's called "hemodynamic function," the report said. This describes the way that blood is able to be pumped efficiently through the body, said Dr. Eric Brandt, a cardiologist and lipidologist at the Yale School of Medicine's Yale New Haven Hospital, who wasn't involved in the study.
Good hemodynamic function would mean that the heart is able to efficiently pump blood without having to fight against conditions such as high blood pressure.
"Good hemodynamic function translates to a low blood pressure or normal blood pressure states, where the heart is able to pump efficiently and get blood to all the organs," Brandt said. "Bad hemodynamics are either extreme high or low blood pressure states where the heart has to work harder, essentially.
"It seems like tub bathing is similar to exercise in that it increases the heart's work, [but] it does so by relaxing the blood vessels and getting blood pumping to other parts of the body. So it creates this extra temporary work for the heart, but not one that's a negative consequence."
The editorial for the study points out that taking hot baths in pursuit of health benefits is not without risk. Tub bathing may be associated with "sudden death, particularly in the elderly, by accidental drowning or heart attack triggered by a rapid change in body temperature, or by heat stroke in which the increased body temperature cannot be controlled" by sweating, the report said.
Sudden death associated with hot baths is common in Japan, where the study was conducted, but frequency of bathing wasn't associated with a higher risk of sudden death in this study.
Other factors for consideration
While the study suggests that daily baths could help lower your risk for heart disease, that isn't the only factor to consider.
Researchers found that those who took fewer baths were also less likely to engage in other healthy behaviors that would reduce their risk of heart disease -- so whether their lack of bathing is what led to higher heart disease risk is questionable. The study also didn't ask participants their reasons for bathing less frequently, which could have revealed health conditions, the report said.
Brandt isn't convinced that bathing alone is the main reason for the study's findings of lower heart disease risk; it's more likely, he said, that regularly taking a warm or hot bath "can have a temporary physiological change that's similar to exercise," and that other healthy lifestyle factors came into play.
And those in America, where heart disease is the No. 1 killer, may not see the same benefits as those in the study because Americans have more lifestyle-related illnesses, Brandt said.
"Our population is so different than the Japanese, and lifestyle especially," Brandt said. "The risk might be different for Americans compared to Japanese in the context where we carry a heavier burden of chronic lifestyle-related illnesses. I would say that among patients where this could apply is that among people up to their 70s, with tub bathing at least there wasn't a signal in the study of cardiovascular harm."
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Previous research involving heat exposure has found associations similar to those in the current study: A 1999 study on eight people with diabetes found bathing led to a lower fasting blood glucose, and sauna bathing has been linked with reduced sudden cardiac death and heart disease risk.
While there's only a link between bathing and a lower risk of heart disease, bathing likely doesn't lead to any kind of cardiovascular harm if done safely, Brandt said.
Rebecca Matuska reacted
July 1, 2020 8:37 pm
I always knew baths were good for relaxing, and muscles etc but I never knew it could be good for your heart too. Now I have an excuse to take baths all the time!
Topic starter
August 6, 2020 2:58 pm
I like to take baths in Epsom salts especially after a massage. There are many therapeutic benefits and many different ingredients that can be added to the bath. Many body ailments can be helped with water temperatures and oils
May 25, 2021 10:05 pm
I always thought of baths as just as a way of relaxing with things like your bubbles and Epsom salts. I had no idea that it gave your heart a light resemblance of working out. I always say that I'm going to take a bath and just never end up doing it. I posted before that I would take one soon because someone gifted me lavender Epsom salt and I never did. I need to now make it my goal this weekend since I've called myself out twice now.
May 25, 2021 10:09 pm
@gabriellemrasiectskin-com The whole time reading this article I was thinking about the Japanese diet v.s. Americans. I know Japanese culture does tend to eat much healthier then American's and was wondering if this study and it's findings had to do with that.
June 2, 2021 11:57 pm
I try to do a milk bath every once in a while as a way to relax and have been thinking about doing it more frequently just to make sure i have time once a week to wind down but this is even more of a reason to incorporate tub baths into my weekly routine.
June 3, 2021 12:00 am
@kaytlynmolinaiectskin-com im going to do the same because i end up forgetting often a well
June 13, 2021 9:48 pm
It's definitely interesting to read about how hot baths can lower your blood pressure, which makes me wonder if that has something to do with the relaxing effects of taking a bath. Personally I love baths and whenever I've gone through high anxiety times in my life I tend to bathe much more frequently. Maybe it's possible these baths were calming my anxiety by more than just providing a calming atmosphere. Definitely a plus to know it's good for mental health and cardiovascular health!
October 9, 2021 4:51 pm
I am a bath fanatic, the one thing i do religiously is take bubble baths. Im not sure why ive loved them all these years but its my favorite form of me-time. Who knew id be helping anything other than my mental health lol.
October 9, 2021 4:54 pm
@kaytlynmolinaiectskin-com I wonder if the longer youre in a bath the better it is or if its just in general. It's risky, but a bubble bath and netflix is the best combo.
October 9, 2021 4:55 pm
@jaydensugickiectskin-com Never tried a milk bath for anything other than a photoshoot but ill definitely have to try it !
October 11, 2021 4:36 pm
@gabriellemrasiectskin-com I agree! I've always loved taking baths but I know some people who find baths gross. I've always found it relaxing
October 11, 2021 4:38 pm
@jaydensugickiectskin-com I've never tried a milk bath but they look interesting! Maybe i'll have to try them to see what they're all about.
October 11, 2021 4:38 pm
@jaydensugickiectskin-com I've never tried a milk bath but they look interesting! Maybe i'll have to try them to see what they're all about.
July 19, 2022 11:25 am
At least once a week usually on friday or saturday nights I take a bath. Personally it helps me destress from week I had, relaxes me and helps with my back pains. I usually put epsom salt in the water, with a bath bomb and a nice candle lit. The fact that it also help with our hearts makes me want to start taking one twice a week. Your heart is a serious matter and we should all be activitly doing things to strenghten it and avoid possible complications.
July 19, 2022 11:26 am
@abigailcochraneiectskin-com I havent put bubbles in my bath in a while. that is something i will have to try doing again. I also did see a change in my mental health once I started the weekly baths.
July 19, 2022 11:28 am
@jaydensugickiectskin-com I have never done a milk bath but I do want to try one. This article goes to show that we need to start investing more time and researching products that work well with taking a bath and helping our health.
July 24, 2022 11:15 pm
I would take baths more muscle and pain relief. Now knowing it can help reduce heart attacks and heart problems ill take them more often.
July 24, 2022 11:17 pm
@delaneyhiggonsiectskin-com Lowing your blood pressure has a way of making you more relaxed. Throw some epson salt in there and relax!
July 24, 2022 11:18 pm
@abigailcochraneiectskin-com I dont take baths as much any more because i would always get too hot in them.
August 6, 2022 7:24 pm
I have always loved taking a bath, it has always helped me relax after a long day. It is cool to see that there is research out there there has proven that taking a bath helps lower your risk for heart disease as well as many other things.
August 6, 2022 7:27 pm
@cameranriddleiectskin-com That has always been my problem! What I do is start my bath at a temperature that I know isn't too hot, then as I get more comfortable I turn the heat higher. If I get too hot, I turn on some cool water for a bit.
August 14, 2022 5:41 pm
I absoultely love taking baths after a long day or just wanting to pamper myself for the night but I never knew it was good for your heart as well. I will be taking baths more often!
August 14, 2022 5:42 pm
@jaydensugickiectskin-com I've never tried a milk bath before. might have to try that next!
January 27, 2023 5:52 pm
Your health is connected to how well you take care of yourself like a bath it's helping you without you even knowing it. When I was younger I used to take baths all the time but once I got older I stopped taking so many baths. Sometimes I am a little weird when it comes to taking a bath like I have to shower and clean out the tub before I sit in the bath water. A warm bath makes me feel really relaxed and sometimes helps me sleep better at night.
January 27, 2023 5:54 pm
@jaydensugickiectskin-com I have heard a lot about milk baths but I have never tried it! I will have to do so.
January 27, 2023 5:58 pm
@gabriellemrasiectskin-com Same here, if I would have known that baths were that beneficial to my health I would have been taking more a long time ago.
January 30, 2024 2:32 pm
I love taking warm baths before im going to bed and getting ready to wind down, I love using epsom salts. I feel lie it is very beneficial to my body and my mind. It relives a lot of stress and tension. I always shower before I take one, especially because I like to take a bath after I exercise because it reduces muscle soreness.
January 30, 2024 2:32 pm
@emmamidgettiectskin-com I agree, sometimes the thought of a dirty tub will take away the relaxation aspect of a bath for me.
January 30, 2024 2:34 pm
@camiryndavisiectskin-com I agree, I found this article very interesting and it definently encouraged me to take one more often.
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