Ask anyone who showers over a bath why they do it and the answer is usually the same: baths are filthy. You are sitting in your mess. How can that possibly clean you? However, bathing is about relaxation as opposed to sheer cleanliness. If you want to understand why going for a bath can beat going for a shower, then you should consider the following reasons.
Reducing blood pressure
One of the main benefits of going for a bath is that it can lower your blood pressure. You are stressed out, and you are looking for a way to calm down. Going for a 20-minute bath in that relaxing, soaking heat can give you a chance to reduce blood pressure.
The heat forces our blood vessels to expand, meaning that blood can flow around our bodies with greater ease than before, reducing our blood pressure naturally.
Give yourself time to think
In the shower, we are often preoccupied with what comes next in the day. A bath, though, can be a time to take stock and just relax a little. You can find that your mind is more focused when you go for a bath. You can feel more alert mentally, and it is likely to leave you feeling sharper in the body and the mind when you come out.
That heat and the chance to reflect as opposed to constantly thinking can be a great benefit.
Overcome an illness
Another nice benefit of going for a bath over a shower is the wellness benefits. The rising of the body temperature means that your body has to essentially ‘cook’ away potential problems with your respiratory system and your immune system. This makes your body more adept at spotting and then winning over against these conditions. The result? A stronger immune system that feels ready to fight.
Feel like a workout
One of the main reasons we recommend regular baths, though, is the benefits that it has for your body. If you are going to go for a hot bath for an hour, it can burn as much as 140 calories in that short space of time. That is akin to going for a walk for half an hour. That can be a good way to burn off some extra calories after you have already been working out, further emphasizing recovery and your body’s ability to burn away those excess calories.