Pool and Spa Health Benefits

Everyone can usually agree that soaking in a hot tub is a relaxing, peaceful, enjoyable experience; but did you know there are reported health benefits to soaking and swimming? Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks all used variations of spas to aid in easing pain and invoke relaxation. Recently, physicians and scientists around the world are increasingly recommending hot tub therapy as a safe, effective way to protect and improve your health.

Heart Health

While in the hot water, since it is a constant temperature, the blood vessels dilate which improves circulation and lowers blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic has reported the cardiovascular benefit of hot tubs:

"Soaking in a spa simulates exercise. It increases the heart rate yet it doesn't increase blood pressure. In fact, study participants who relaxed in spas had a decrease in blood pressure, while participants who exercised on bicycles experienced an increase in blood pressure. The regular use of spas and hot tubs gives you some of the same health benefits of exercise but with less heart stress." - Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic Ok's Spas for Heart Patients

Arthritis & Joint Pain

Swimming is an excellent exercise for those suffering from arthritis. The natural buoyancy of a pool supports approximately 90% of our weight, obviously reducing the strain on our joints. Heat therapy from a hot tub also aids in arthritis care as stated by the Arthritis Foundation.

"Regular sessions in your hot tub help keep joints moving. It restores and preserves strength and flexibility, and also protects your joints from further damage. Exercise can also improve a person's coordination, endurance, and the ability to perform daily tasks, and can leatd to an enhanced sense of self-esteem and accomplishment."

"A hot tub fulfills the need perfectly providing the warmth, massage and buoyancy that is so necessary to the well-being of arthritis sufferers. The buoyancy of the water supports and lessens stress on the joints and encourages freer movement. Water exercises may even act as a resistance to help build muscle strength." -Arthritis Foundation: Spas, Pools and Arthritis

Back Pain

Back pain can be greatly reduced by spending regular time in a hot tub or a swim spa. The heat and jets in spa therapy help ease the pain with a similar effect of a deep tissue massage. According to a controlled clinical trial, reported by the British Journal of Rheumatology, 1994, "....positive short term and a more moderate long term overall effectiveness of spa therapy in chronic lower back pain. Participants in the study who utilized spa treatments experienced increased back flexibility, reduced pain duration, and lessened use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs that the study group that did ot receive spa treatments."

Weight Loss & Diabetes

An intriguing study, published several years ago in The New England Journal of Medicine, suggests another way that hot tub soaks simulate the beneficial effects of exercise.

"Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus were studied using a hot tub 30 minutes a day, 6 days per week. After only 10 days, patients required reduced doses of insulin, lost weight, showed distinct decreases in plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, and benefited from improved sleep and an increased general sense of well-being." - New England Journal of Medicine, 1999

Exercise

Most people can't agrue against the benefits of exercise. Few physical activities benefit the body like swimming. Because water provides more resistance than air - making movement more challenging - even the most basic water workout can strengthen the heart and muscles better than a similar routine on land. Exercising in water also helps prevent overheating and does not impact joints. Swim spas and, now available, jog spas offer all the fitness benefits of a pool without all the square footage of a full-size pool.