Today is Festival of Sleep Day. Want Better Sleep? Soak in Your Hot Tub Two Hours Before Bed!

January 3, 2011

January 3rd is Festival of Sleep Day, and do we all need a solid night of rest! Scientists now know that sleep is essential to memory — your brain uses those hours to arrange memories so you can better recall key emotional moments. Other good reasons to put in the pillow time: People who skimp on sleep show elevated levels of inflammation (a risk factor for heart disease and stroke) and crave higher-calorie foods because of hormone imbalances. The sleepless not only crave higher-calorie foods, they EAT them leading to weight gain!!  “Good sleep equals good health,” says Dr. Stuart Quan of Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine in the January 2, 2011 Parade Magazine.

What to do on Festival of Sleep Day

What is there to do on a day where you have to sleep? You are supposed to sleep it’s as simple as that. But for many people getting to sleep and staying asleep is an exercise in futility. If you suffer from insomnia, read on.

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 that can mean the difference between staying asleep and waking at 3AM?

According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 132 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders more than one a night a week. And, 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 (not just in Seattle) 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 now, sleep deprivation can soon lead to a variety of ailments. The results of sleep deprivation 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 your Hot Spring Spa before bedtime.

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.

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 and a wonderful way to celebrate a new you for the New Year??

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to ‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.