6 Reasons Why You Should Take a Bath at Least Once a Week
Posted on March 01 2017
Growing up, taking baths was an every day thing. As one gets older, baths are replaced with showers of course, but there are still plenty of reasons why as adults, we should take baths regularly. I’ve heard many people explain that they hate to “bathe in their own filth” as an adult, but my response is simple, and seems like its stating the obvious. All you have to do is take a 2 second shower to rinse off before you hop in the tub. You can accomplish that in the time it takes to fill the tub with water.
“I don’t have enough time” is another one I hear a lot. Even a 15-20 minute bath is exceedingly beneficial. Adjusting your schedule to provide you with an extra 20 minutes per week should be possible for just about anyone – you might be surprised where you can fit it in.
Here’s why you should devote the time to taking a bath once a week:
- Baths are known to reduce stress. Whenever I think of taking a bath, I think “RELAX!”. You get alone time, and you get to lie still for a short period of time without any interruptions, appointments, phone calls, emails, or chores. Just keep your phone AWAY from the tub. Put on some nice soothing music and take a few deep breaths when you submerge into the tub. Those few minutes may feel like the longest and most deserved break you’ve had in a while. According to Mayo Clinic, a quiet atmosphere where you can focus your attention on yourself is a way to reduce stress, which in turn can aid in curing many sicknesses and diseases over time.
- Having trouble sleeping? Take a bath to help you fall asleep. The increase, then decrease, of your body’s temperature in and out of the bath actually triggers your body’s signals that its time to rest according to Stanford University’s study https://web.stanford.edu/~dement/howto.html. Additionally, the promoted relaxation will let your mind calm down, which in turn will allow you to fall asleep faster if you bathe before bed. Just with these first two reasons, I’m already convinced… but there’s more!
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Detox, detox, detox! Put the right additions in your bath, like sea salts and essential oils, and you can aid in the detox of your body during a bath. Salts are great for the skin’s appearance and aid in increasing the pH of your skin (making it more alkaline) as stated in the Official Journal of International Anesthesia Research Society known as IARS: http://journals.lww.com/anesthesia-analgesia/Abstract/1987/06000/Sodium_Bicarbonate_Attenuates_Pain_on_Skin.15.aspx. It’s a great way to keep your skin healthy, and looking great, so add those salts every now and then! My favorite is Wildflower Beauty by Jessica’s Dead Sea Salt with Lavender & Chamomile Bath Salt.
- Improved skin hydration can be achieved in a bath. Just like putting on lotion, you can add oils to the tub so that when you get out, you can pat yourself dry and feel like you have lotion on! Add a little bit of olive oil, coconut oil, or even sweet almond oils to the tub so that you’re submerged into total hydration. My favorite things to use are my Bath Melts which dissolve cocoa and shea butters into the water. Also, Wildflower Beauty by Jessica’s Bath Bombs are actually made with salts and sunflower oil, so you can get a very softening skin feel with these fun additions, too. You can get creative here, but there are plenty of ways to hydrate the skin in a bath.
- Reduce pain and inflammation. If you have chronic muscle trouble, you probably already know that heat is a great way to ease the pain. Not just any heat, but moist heat. According to the Clinical Journal of Pain, moist heat is the first listed way to treat muscle pain via use of thermal methods, the other being an ultrasound which most people do not have access to on a regular basis http://journals.lww.com/clinicalpain/Abstract/2001/03000/Nonpharmacological_Treatments_for_Musculoskeletal.6.aspx. A bath, similar to a hot tub experience, is one of the only things available in the common household that can give you the effect of whole body submergence into moist heat. Also IARS states that Salts aid in pain reduction by increasing sensory blockage of pain, so adding pure bath salts, like Wildflower Beauty by Jessica’s Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Bath Salts, are a great way to accomplish muscle relief.
- You can add products to the bath to enhance your experience. Whether it’s lavender for relaxation, sea salts or Epsom salts for muscle relief and detox, or oils for skin hydration or sinus relief, there are many ways to get creative with the bath water to further enhance your experience. Light some candles, put on your relaxing spa music, and treat yourself to these amazing experiences of bath time. Over time, you will really begin to see the benefits. You have to commit, but once you do, you will be glad you did.
All you have to do is clear 15 minutes a week, and you will begin to see the benefits mentioned above. You deserve to relax, have time for yourself, and unwind from the daily stress that life brings. Sometimes all you have to do is put it on your calendar just like an appointment – this time though, it’s an appointment with yourself.
Try our Bath Salts, Bath Bombs, or luxurious Bath Teas for an enhanced bath experience! See ALL bath products HERE.
