4 Ways Your Hydropool Can Help You De-Stress

4 Ways Your Hydropool Can Help You De-Stress

January 16, 2022

Given how busy life can get at times, it’s understandable that you may, occasionally, feel overly stressed. Especially over the last couple of years, with work from home, global health worries, home schooling and one crisis after another. 

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Switching off after a long and stressful day can be extremely difficult, potentially spiralling into you becoming even more stressed. But what if, after a long day you had somewhere to relax and completely de-stress? 

Welcome to your Hydropool hot tub. The bubbling massaging jets and warm waters of your spa provides a warm and relaxing environment, helping you to switch off after a long day.

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As always, we advise seeking medical advice for any discomfort or pain. What I have tried to do in this blog is to take feedback from Hydropool customers and back up this anecdotal evidence with scientific and medical studies. Your spa can complement medical treatments and advice. 

The effect that water immersion has on stress levels has been well documented, with many research studies finding a clear link between submersion in warm water and decreased stress levels (An et al, 2019). 

Of course, different people relax in different ways, and your Hydropool hot tub has this covered, so you can relax however way you see fit, whether it’s simply bathing in the warm water with your eyes closed listening to a sound of the waves podcast, or exercising, perhaps performing some simple stretches or resistance techniques.

 

4 Ways Your Hydropool Can Help You De-Stress and Minimize Future Stress

 

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1 - Physiological Relaxation

Whilst we often associate stress with the toll it takes on us mentally, stress can also affect our whole bodies. After a long and stressful day, do you find that your muscles feel tense and stiff? Some days my whole body feels on edge, making it hard for me to de-stress and this is quite common (Mind, 2021). 

Fortunately, your heated Hydropool hot tub can deliver a wide range of benefits to both your body and mind, helping you fully de-stress after a long day. 

When bathing in warm water, the muscles around the body begin to completely relax, which in turn relieves any muscular tension and stiffness (Medical News Today, 2017) - allowing you to completely switch off without the distractions of sore muscles. 

Your muscles are not the only part of your body that can feel tired after a long stressful day. It is extremely common for joints to begin to feel achy and stiff, again preventing you from being able to fully relax and de-stress. Your hot tub is the perfect environment to perform stretches to work those aches away (Arthritis Foundation, 2021). 

Not only do the muscles surrounding the joints completely relax when submerged in warm water, making movement much easier and more fluid, but the buoyancy of the water also supports your joints by taking on your body weight as you stretch (Avers, 2020). As a result, you can stretch out your joints and muscles whilst bathing in our heated pools without the risk of injuring yourself, allowing you to safely decrease feelings of tightness, tension, and stiffness. 

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2 - Mental Relaxation 

According to HealthLine (2018), bathing in warm water has been used as a mental relaxation method for centuries, dating back to ancient Japan. 

A growing amount of scientific research has since been published to support the idea that warm water has a positive influence on your mental health and reduces stress levels. Naturally, as your body relaxes, so too does your mind, mentally you become more relaxed. 

As soon as you step into the pool and your muscles begin to relax, your joints begin to feel looser and free. Feelings of pent-up negative energy and tension begin to subside, decreasing how stressed you feel.

According to Doctor Bobby Buka, a leading New York Dermatologist, the way your skin reacts to warm water is similar to its reaction to feeling warmth from sun rays (HealthLine, 2018). Dr Bobby Buka expands on this, saying that endorphins are released when your skin comes into contact with warm water, significantly improving your mood as a result. Subsequently, not only could a relaxing dip in your Hydropool reduce your stress levels, but also have you leaving it with a much better state of mind. 

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3 - Breathing Control 

One of the most common ways of dealing with anxiety is to take deep breaths, simply exchanging carbon dioxide with oxygen has a profound effect. 

Researchers such as Zaccaro et al (2018) and Ma et al (2017) have found deep breathing exercises to be so effective for reducing stress and anxiety that major mental health and health organisations such as Mind (2021) and the NHS (2021) make it a key recommendation. 

Taking long deep breaths doesn’t just facilitate that O2 for CO2 exchange, it sends a signal to your brain that effectively tells it to calm down, in response blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate begin to decrease, which results in a decrease in stress levels (Ma et al, 2017).

But, how does you hot tub help with this process? Interestingly, research has found that bathing in warm water can significantly aid breathing. Both the temperature and pressure of the water effectively ‘opens up’ your lungs, increasing lung capacity (Becker et al, 2009). So, you are able to take much deeper breaths when your chest is submerged in warm water, allowing you to quickly reduce stress and anxiety levels. 

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4 - Positive Mindset

To avoid becoming overstressed or anxious in the long run, preparing yourself mentally for challenges is key (Mind, 2021). Research has shown that those who approach the day with an optimal and positive mindset are much more likely to be able to cope with stress and remain calm when confronted with difficulties (Very Well Mind, 2021). 

This is where your hot tub could help ensure you are able to keep stress at bay in the long run, preventing you from becoming overstressed and run down. Your Hydropool hot tub or swim spa creates the perfect environment to psychologically and mentally prepare yourself for the challenges the oncoming day will bring. 

Imagine, before heading to work in the morning, you take 10-20 minutes out to take a relaxing dip in your hot tub or swim in your swim spa. Your muscles and joints will begin to feel more flexible and prepared for the day ahead, you’ll feel more mentally prepared for your ‘to do list’, stress and tension levels will decrease, and endorphins will boost your mood, allowing you to approach the day with a positive state of mind. This me-time also gives you the opportunity to take part in other activities within the spa that could further prepare you mentally and physically for the day like exercising, meditating or simply visualising your day ahead. 

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I cannot stress enough the importance of seeking medical advice for everything we have discussed in this blog. Each of the claims are fully referenced and the sources are detailed below, but if stress is causing real problems please talk to your GP or call the Samaritans free on 116 123 from any phone. 

I hope that, in conjunction with medical advice and intervention, your Hydropool spa can help soothe your stresses and improve the quality of your life.

To experience Hydropool Midlands’ Hot Tubs and Swim Spas for yourself, visit our showroom just off junction 25 of the M1 for Nottingham.  Request a brochure or a home visit and you can find out more across the Hydropool Midlands website, or by calling 0800 144 8827.

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Sources 

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