The bath is not the most ecological gesture compared to the shower, but it has several virtues for health.
- 65% of French people take a shower every day, according to an IFOP/CAMX study presented in June 2022.
- 7% of French people take baths for more than 45 minutes.
In France, showers are more popular than baths. A third of French people who have a bathtub never use it, according to a study BVA-Domeo-Regional press of 2015. And 58% of respondents use it less than once a month.
Still, soaking in water for several minutes has no shortage of benefits, according to several health and wellness professionals.
Baths facilitate exfoliation
The French spend an average of 9 minutes in the shower compared to 25 minutes in a bath. This extra time is beneficial for skin hydration and exfoliation. Nurse Nancy Mitchell told the site best life : “to take a bath, you have to soak in water for an extended period of time. This allows the water to wash away dirt and dead cells from the surface of your skin”. In addition, it is possible to add beneficial treatments for the skin or the body to the water, such as exfoliating Epsom salts or nourishing oils.
On the other hand, in order not to attack and dry out the skin, it is necessary to favor lukewarm rather than hot baths.
Baths help relax muscles
After a major effort, there is nothing more effective than diving into the bathtub to relax sore muscles. Personal trainer and dietician Elliot Torsney told the American site: “immersing in a hot bath (a few minutes, editor’s note) can help relax muscles and relieve pain“. Heat and water promote the dilation of blood vessels and improve circulation. This has the effect of relaxing the muscles and increasing blood flow, then by domino effect to promote recovery.
Taking baths regularly helps fight stress
When the elements seem to be ganging up on us all day and stress is soaring, many of us dream of a nice hot bath away from the daily hustle and bustle. And this program proves to be quite effective in improving our mental well-being.
Several researches have shown that taking hot baths regularly can have a mood-boosting effect in people with depression. “The evidence suggests that hyperthermic baths (the water temperature is 38 degrees then gradually rises to 43 degrees – you should not stay for more than 10/15 min, editor’s note) and other forms of hyperthermia of the body have antidepressant effects, mediated by changes in circadian functioning and temperature physiology, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.”explains a study, published in the journal BMC Medicine and Complementary Therapies.
Baths can improve sleep
A study published in the journal Sleep Medicine Review shows that taking a hot bath 1 to 2 hours before bedtime promotes the encounter with Morpheus. The team from the University of Texas at Austin came to this conclusion after reviewing 5,333 scientific articles and a meta-analysis of 13 works on the subject.
The water temperature should be between 40 and 42.5 degrees to improve sleep quality. The volunteers fell asleep on average 10 minutes earlier.
“We know that core body temperature needs to drop about 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit to initiate good sleep and then maintain deep sleep”explained Matthew Walker, neuroscientist at the site NPR. “The way it works is this: In order for you to draw your heat away from the core of your body, you actually have to release that core heat through the outer perimeter surfaces of your body, namely your hands and feet.”, he explains. He pursues : “That’s what happens with a bath…you bring all the blood to the surface. And your hands and feet are wonderful heat sinks. You’re basically like a snake charmer – you charm the heat from the core of your body to the surface of your body”.
