Reasons Why Taking a Bath May be Better Than Showers
Whether you’re team bath or team shower, the age old debate of which is better is one we just can’t seem to get over. It’s understood that for convenience reasons showers often overtake baths in the popularity contest, but little do we know baths can be equally beneficial, if not more so, to our mind and body. It’s important that we look after both our wellbeing and, well, just our being, so how can baths help with this?
There are many reasons baths are considered to be better than showers, so wind down, run yourself a luscious bath with a few candles and some bath soak, and check out these reasons why baths may be better than showers…
1 – Baths Can Help Relieve Chronic Pain
Unlike showers, baths offer the chance to soak your achy and painful muscles in warm water. It’s been proven that using heat on your aches and pains is great for increasing blood flow and relaxing the muscles. So, by using water with an increased temperature in your bath, you’ll be promoting circulation to the area and relieving some of that inflammation and pain.
For enhanced results, try adding a relaxing bath soak. Not only will your bath smell amazing, a bath soak can aid the relaxation of your body and muscles. Your bath mixture will offer the chance for your body to release any tension of stress you’ve been carrying around with you throughout the day.
2 – They Can Improve Your Mental Wellbeing
As well as allowing the body to relax, baths will also aid in the relaxation of your mind. It’s vital to our mental wellbeing that we allow ourselves time to relax and unwind, and a soothing bath is much more effective at this than a quick in-and-out shower. When we take baths we are setting time aside for our minds to be completely free from external stresses and worries, meaning you can truly turn off.
However, with showers, they seem very much rushed, and the only goal is to get clean, not allowing for quality ‘you time’. Introduce scents like lavender and orange to further enhance the sensation of recovery and refreshment.
3 – Baths Can Even Be a Form Of Aromatherapy
The list of associated benefits for aromatherapy is a long one, and by introducing certain scents and products to your bath, you’ll certainly feel some of them. Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses scents to achieve things like pain relief, improving your mood and promoting true relaxation.
Scents like lavender, orange and lemon are great stress relievers, whereas scents like rose and peppermint are great for relieving pain in the body. Depending on what you need, there are a range of different scents that can accommodate. For the best aromatherapy results add products to your bath water or skin as a part of your bath routine.
4 – You Can Introduce Products That Are More Beneficial to Your Skin
Running a bath can sometimes feel like you’re making a potion, with all the different products you add into the water. Pay attention to the benefits of the products you’re adding, as soaking in them in your bath water may improve and enhance the results.
As you shower you’re washing the oils and goodness from the products you use off your body and down into the drain, and your skin doesn’t get the opportunity to absorb any of the value. With baths, however, you’re submerged in them, and your skin will soak it all in. If you’re experiencing dry skin, mix your bath water with products that claim to be moisturising and hydrating. If your skin feels congested and ‘clogged up’, try introducing products that claim they have cleansing properties.
5 – They Can Improve Your Heart Health
Warm baths are great for improving cardiovascular health in that they can help lower your blood pressure, which will in turn decrease the stress on your heart and cardiovascular system, lowering the risk of more serious heart conditions.
The warmth from the water will increase blood flow to your heart, improving the way it performs. It’ll also improve the blood flow to other vital organs, reducing inflammation and pain. This does also suggest that your body will go through a mini-work out, potentially burning calories.
6 – They’re Just as Clean as Showers!
It’s a common myth that baths are ‘dirtier’ than showers, because they don’t wash the water away and off our bodies…but this isn’t true! The only time a shower is ‘better’ for getting clean is if you’ve completed a sweaty workout or you’re somehow particularly dirty from the day.
If you’re taking a bath after a normal day, it’ll get you just as clean as a shower would. Baths will also open up your pores, unclogging them of any dirt or nastiness your skin has picked up throughout the day. As previously mentioned, you can also soak yourself in products designed for cleansing and treating your skin, unlike in showers where they’re washed straight off.
Deciding whether you prefer baths or showers is completely down to personal choice, and there is no right or wrong way to clean yourself, as long as you’re getting the job done. However, hopefully this has shed some light onto why baths are potentially better for your mind and body than showers may be. Enjoy a warm, relaxing bath in a stylish tub from Bathroom Mountain, and check out their wide variety of styles and shades to complement your home.
Add in some fabulously fragranced soaps and scented candles from The Somerset Toiletry Company and you’ll have yourself the perfect bath to unwind in and make the most of some you time.
The Somerset Toiletry Company was founded in 1999 and has been developing beautiful body care and gifts ever since. Please read our about us page to find out more, or explore all our scented toiletries, home fragrances and more on our website.
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