Looking for Better Sleep? Soak in the Hot Tub Before Bed
Sleep and hot tubs. What’s the connection?
Did you know that relaxing in a hot tub can help ease your body into a deeper sleep?
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF), a non-profit organization promoting sleep education, advocacy, and research, has declared March 3-9 National Sleep Awareness Week. According to a recent poll by the NSF, approximately 132 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders more than one a night a week. This number is rising! The growing number of sleep disorder centers across the nation (approximately 3,000 in the U.S. today) is proof that more people are sleepless and want to do something about it.
Sleep researchers believe that many cases of insomnia can be traced to our hectic, stressful lifestyles. Even though you may enjoy perfect health, sleep deprivation can soon lead to a variety of ailments. The results of sleep deprivation are varied and can include battered nerves, grogginess, lapses in memory, depression, and even erratic mood swings. Rather than reaching for over-the-counter sleeping aids, prescription drugs or giving in to insomnia, the first thing to do is relax in a hot tub before bedtime.
The Pool & Spa News magazine (July 1998) reported that a Gallup poll found bathing to induce sleep common among the 1,000 adults surveyed, and a Consumer Reports survey reported that readers with mild sleep disorders listed a warm bath as one of the most popular remedies.
Studies suggest that immersion in hot water (such as a hot tub which has a constant temperature) before bedtime can ease the transition into a deeper, more restful sleep. This may be due to a temperature shift, since the body’s core internal thermostat drops after leaving the water, which signals the body that it’s time to sleep. Or, the sleep improvement may be related to hot water’s relaxing properties – the buoyancy of water reduces body weight by approximately 90%, relieving pressure on joints and muscles, creating the sensation of weightlessness. The hot, swirling water leaves you feeling both mentally and emotionally relaxed.
In addition, hot tub-induced sleep is a natural remedy, unlike alternative sleeping aids such as prescription drugs, over-the-counter remedies and alcohol – all of which can make you feel groggy and have other adverse side effects.
Just how much can a hot tub enhance your sleep? Researchers are still finding out. Check out the following sources:
Getting in my Hot Spring Spa 2-3 hours before bed and “re-setting” my body temperature for sleep plus getting rid of the aches and pains of the day really helps my sleep. It’s nothing short of a miracle waking up feeling refreshed before
the alarm goes off. The quality of my sleep is so much better-even priceless!
Come take a FREE test soak in one of our Olympic Hot Tub Company showrooms and test the better sleep theory for yourself. I know you’ll enjoy better sleep. Getting a new mattress is only 1/2 of the answer to better sleep. Your body holds the key to the other 1/2. Soaking in a hot tub before going to sleep on a new mattress-wouldn’t that be a great thing?
SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.
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