August 15 is National Relaxation Day!
We have just what the doctor ordered. A nice warm bath and a Chill Pill Bath Bomb!
Relaxing in a warm bath can provide some significant health benefits, both psychological and physical that a shower just can't provide. So National Relaxation Day is the perfect reason to set aside a little time for yourself this evening for a nice relaxing (and great smelling) pamering bath!
The use of water for various health treatments (hydrotherapy) is probably as old as mankind. Archaeologists have found remains of bathing rooms in the palace of Knossos that date from 1700 B.C., indicating that the Greeks appreciated the effects of a good, long soak. The Greek physician Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) also wrote extensively about the healing power of water. He advocated the use of saline baths and regularly immersed his patients in seawater to cure several ailments, including aching muscles and arthritis.
In addition to helping with muscle aches and pains, a nice bath may also help prepare the body for restorative sleep.
Water temperature
Hot baths are actually not particularly good for your health. It can actually put a strain on the heart. Warm water is the ideal temperature. A drop in body temperature at night is one of the classic signals for the body to start producing melatonin, the hormone that induces sleep. Our bodies get colder at night naturally: apparently the temperature dip starts two hours before bed and lasts till about 4 a.m. Kick-starting that downward shift by heating yourself up artificially is an old trick to get yourself to feel sleepy.
Begin to fill your bathtub with warm water. When the tub is half full, drop in the bath bomb under the running water to activate the fizzing agents. Settle in for a good soak. The ingredients may make your tub slippery. Use caution when getting in and out of the tub.
For National Relaxation Day, take your medicine, a heavenly scented Chill Pill- with plenty of water!
