Soaking in a hot tub outdoors may be the very thing you need to restore your cognitive ability to peak form.

Last Sunday’s New York Times magazine asked the question: “Is there an ecological unconscious?” A branch of psychology says that there is and that ignoring it puts not just our planet but also our minds at risk. In the article by Daniel B. Smith, he mentions a study by researchers at the University of Michigan that was set up to validate attention restoration therapy (A.R. T.) A.R. T. is a 20 year old idea that posits a stark difference in the ability of the natural and the urban setting to improve congnition.

Nature, A.R.T. maintains, increases focus and memory because it is filled with “soft fascinations” (rustling trees and bubbling water) that give our high-level functions the leisure to replenish.  Urban life, however, is filled with harsh stimuli (honking horns, sirens, billboards) that can cause a kind of cognitive overload.

In a our own study at Olympic Hot Tub Company conducted in late 2008 with a random group of our Hot Spring Spa owners, we found (although we did not know it was called A.R. T.) that everyone questioned about the benefits of hot tub soaking mentioned “being in nature”.  Many of the respondents said that they went in every day. Using the hot tub was the only way they could find their “balance” again and it was hot tub soaking outdoors that was the key. While in the tub they experienced the rustling trees and bubbling water that is now found to be so important to our ability to focus and maintain memory.

Feeling unbalanced and over whelmed by  urban life? Take a hot tub soak outdoors. Daily renewal is an important aspect of brain health-now validated by a scientific study. Hot tub soaking is more than a few minutes of “feeling good”-it’s vital for your health.
SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.
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