Recently, I returned from a daylong event. The venue was great, it was not far, we travelled in an AC cab to the AC venue, sounds cool. Still, when I returned home, I felt exhausted due to the heat outside, Mumbai traffic, and temperature imbalance. As I stepped into the house, my phone rang…as anticipated, it was my mummy’s. She wanted to know what happened at the event.
I told her that my head was spinning, my body was breaking and I was very tired to talk. As usual, she instantly gave me a tip: Just go and I have a hot water shower. I countered, “It is so hot already. How will it help?” As it was an order from mummy, I had to obey it! After that hot water shower, I realized that I felt so much better. I was calm, my body was relaxed and I wanted to sleep.
After this, I wanted to explore how a hot water shower is so beneficial.
Hot showers help you to ease muscle tension and rejuvenate your body. Throughout the day, your body performs various physical movements that contract the muscles. Bathing with hot water soothes your muscles and joints. Hence, hot showers are highly recommended at the end of the day and even after returning from outside.
Besides, a hot shower is one of the best ways to relax and unwind after a busy day.
It has been found that there is nothing like a warm soak to relieve muscle tension and body pain. If you are wondering about taking a hot or cold bath after the workout, then the answer is taking a hot one. Hot water effectively soothes muscle fatigue and prevents the dreaded soreness that comes post an intense workout.
Sometimes, days are so stressful. You just want to get away with it. You can try a hot water shower as it can help calm your mind and put you in a state of ultimate relaxation. You can even enhance the experience by adding essential oils and bath bombs and pampering yourself with the perfect spa day. This way we see that taking a hot shower helps de-stressing as well.
All of us love our hydrated and rejuvenated skin, but with time we notice that our skin feels dull with age or inner medical conditions, or outside environmental conditions. This is unavoidable.
But you can arrest these conditions simply by taking a hot shower as it benefits your skin. The steam opens your pores and cleans out the oil and dirt that is trapped underneath. This stripping of dirt is why you often feel cleaner after taking a hot bath. Besides taking hot showers, another way to have better skin is to take steam regularly.
Incessant weather change is harsh on many of us. Such frequent change in temperature outside affects not only our physical being but also our mental well-being. We are forever agitated considering the weather conditions. Many times, we are constantly sneezing or facing nasal blocks, if not running temperature. If your nasal passage is blocked or you are feeling under the weather, a hot water bath can help you feel healthier again. The hot water and steam can clear out nasal congestion from colds or allergies and help you breathe better.
If you are under the weather for long, you tend to sleep. Your nasal irritability hampers your sound sleep. You get up in the morning tired and irritated. You do not want to do anything or even talk to anyone. In this condition, what you want most is sound sleep. You do not want a pill to induce sleep due to its side effects and these are not easily available also.
“I wish I could stay in a hot shower forever; it is the best feeling.” – Anonymous
Now what to do?
You take a hot shower before bed, then you must know that the sleep you experience right after is something else. One of the best hot water benefits is its ability to improve sleep quality. This is because hot water helps your muscles relax, lets your mind unwind, and helps your brain release the sleep hormone- melatonin that makes you doze off quickly.
This way we see that a simple hot water shower can offer a bundle of health benefits. One of the most surprising reasons would be that a hot water shower is equivalent to working out, as it increases blood flow to the cells and tissues by widening the blood vessels. It stimulates your body’s thermoregulation, helping blood to circulate from the core to the hands and feet. As a result, the body radiates heat and becomes calm and relaxed. Your blood pressure lowers due to wider veins, and you feel better. Moreover, the heat from the water can help increase blood flow, which in turn can help soothe sore or tight muscles.
For an even more relaxing experience, incorporate some aromatherapy into your shower routine with essential oils like lavender or eucalyptus to promote relaxation and alleviate stress.
In the shower, with the hot water coming down, you have left the real world behind, and very frequently things open for you. It is the change of venue, the unblocking of the attempt to force the ideas that are crippling you when you are trying to write. – Woody Allen
So, rush for the hot water shower and be HappyHo.
