The good feeling you get when you relax in a hot tub is mainly because of the way your body reacts to the heat and jets of water. Our bodies are very complicated, and many different therapies and drugs can work. Hydrotherapy, or the therapy of water, in a home hot tub is one way to benefit our health.
Hot tubs are great for those with high blood pressure (aka hypertension). High blood pressure is ordinarily defined as being greater than 140/90. For those with this condition, time in a spa or hot tub is one particularly beneficial therapy as it can help out prescribed medicines.
Blood pressure is a requirement for us to survive, and it is produced in 3 different ways: heart rate (how quickly the heart is beating); how much pressure the heart is pumping against (the more relaxed blood vessels are, the easier it is to pump blood into them, the tighter they are, the harder it is); and the volume of blood in the arteries and veins.
Hydrotherapy in a hottub or spa provides benefits for high blood pressure because it dilates, or opens up, blood vessels so the heart doesn't need to pump as hard. This lowers blood pressure and it reduces the amount the heart has to work by up to 20%. Your body dilates the blood vessels because it registers that you are getting too hot and the ones near the surface of the skin relax in an attempt to release heat.
This vasodilation (opening up of blood vessels) allows oxygen to travel more freely to places where it generally does not go in great amounts. Due to the fact that oxygen is an important part of healing, hot tub hydrotherapy enhances healing.
Vasodilation serves a second purpose because the blood cleanses away wastes from different parts of the body in the same way that it distributes nutrients. When it's been a demanding day and your muscles are fatigued, it is often because there is a build up of lactic acid. The quicker blood gets to the muscles to remove the lactic acid, the faster they will feel better. This also allows your muscles to relax.
Don't waste any more time - finish your research on which size of hot tub you can afford to buy, install and operate, and enjoy the remarkable health benefits. You won't be disappointed.
NOTE: It is important to see your family physician before starting any kind of treatment.
Information in this post was provided by by Karen Naylor.
Try Hot Tub Warm Water Therapy
