Are you a morning person, up and at ‘em before your alarm even goes off? Or are you a slow riser, a couple of dabs on the snooze button before you can face the day? Whatever you are like in the morning, at Hydropool Midlands, we have a range of hot tubs and swim spas that can help set you up for the day.
For many people, mornings are associated with grogginess, tiredness, sore muscles, achy joints and a lack of motivation. It doesn’t however have to be this way, a relaxing dip in your hot tub or an early morning aerobic session in your swim spa could change the way you start the day. Even if you’re a natural early riser, Hydropool’s hot tubs and swim spas provide a wide range of benefits to help you transition with ease from dreamy sleepiness to alert and ready, ensuring you’re both mentally and physically prepared to take on the day ahead.
Full body awakening is not just a morning thing either. I love a post-work and post-school run dip in mine to re-energise me for an evening with the family. Whereas my previous ‘go to’ routine of a cup of tea and couple of biscuits led to me piling on a few pounds, my new regime of getting out of my work clothes and into the bubbling warm massaging water jets has actually helped me to lose weight – and I’m a much better parent and partner as a result of a few minutes of me time!
So how does a hot tub (or a swim spa) help with full body awakening?
Increased Circulation
Your heart rate is at its lowest whilst you’re sleeping (Conroy et al, 2005); therefore your resting heart rate can be much lower when you wake up in comparison to the afternoon or evening. Whilst this is completely natural, getting the blood flowing early in the morning is important for several reasons. Increasing blood flow allows more nutrients and oxygen to be pumped around the body, helping repair damaged muscles, reduce swelling and pain and boost energy creation systems and cognitive function (Henry Ford Health System, 2020 & AXA Health, 2020).
Hydropool’s hot tubs and swim spas are designed to ensure you can get your blood pumping, preparing your body for the day ahead.
Firstly, your swim spa provides you with the perfect environment for an early morning exercise session, cardio-based exercises like swimming are perfect. Exercise is seen as the most effective method for increasing your heart rate. When you begin to exercise, your heart rate immediately begins to rise to deal with the increased demands that the physical activity is placing on the body, for example, during exercise there’s a greater need for oxygenated blood to be pumped around the body (NEBH, 2021). This combined with the many additional benefits that come with regular physical activity could provide you with the perfect way to start each day in a more alert state.
If you prefer a less energetic start, even just bathing in your Hydropool hot tub can help improve your circulation. Stepping into warm water triggers an increase in your core body temperature. As a result, your blood vessels begin to dilate to allow for an increased supply of blood to flow towards the surface of the skin, expelling the excess heat (Charkoudian, 2003). A higher volume of blood flows around the body, reaching your brain, muscles and joints.
Energise
Whilst various researchers have found that longer soaks in warm water can help induce the feeling of sleepiness, a short 10-15 minute dip in your Hydropool hot tub can help both wake you up and provide you with an energy boost, setting you up for the demands of the coming day. As you step into those swirling, warm waters of your hot tub, your heart will begin to beat at a faster rate, pumping more oxygenated blood around your body and into your muscles (Parker et al, 2018). As a result of this, your ‘aerobic energy systems’ receive a higher amount of oxygen, allowing them to produce higher amounts of energy (Salin et al, 2015), providing your muscles with the energy boost needed to help them efficiently complete the oncoming daily tasks.
Muscles
Waking up with tight and sore muscles is a common issue for many of us, making simple daily tasks much more difficult and potentially painful. Fortunately, your heated hot tub may provide the perfect remedy. Research shows that an early morning dip can greatly benefit your muscles, thanks to the increased circulation caused by the warm water. Your muscles can completely relax when submerged in warm water and, as your muscles relax, they become much looser, making them more flexible, improving your range of motion and easing any muscular pain or tension (Medical News Today, 2020).
Furthermore, research also shows that regular soaks in warm water can reduce your risk of sustaining a muscular injury (Healthline, 2020). Looser muscles are less susceptible to tears and strains, so taking a regular early morning dip in one of our swim spas may even reduce your risk of sustaining an injury whilst going about your day (Witvrouw et al, 2004).
Joints
Like the muscles, your joints also require some early morning TLC to help with the feeling of soreness and stiffness. Your body’s most moveable joints are known as synovial joints, a joint where the ends of the connecting bones are coated in a layer of synovial fluid (Juneja et al, 2021). When loose and less viscous, the synovial fluid reduces friction and allows the two bones to easily move against one another, increasing the joint's overall range of movement (Petty & Cassidy, 2005).
However, when the synovial fluid between the two bones is at a higher viscosity the joint becomes stiffer and less moveable, causing the joint stiffness we experience in the morning. Thanks to the circulatory boost provided by immersion in a hot tub or a session in a swim spa, an increased supply of blood reaches your joints, loosening the synovial fluids. As a result, the friction experienced during movement is diminished, allowing you to go about your day with fewer aches and pains caused by stiff joints.
Mental Health
Preparing your mental health for the day ahead is just as important as preparing yourself physically for the day ahead – if not more so. Approaching the day with a positive and clear mental state allows you to cope better with pressure, make important decisions as well as improving your overall emotional state (Very Well Mind, 2021).
A meditative early morning soak in your hot tub sets you up to approach the day with the perfect state of mind. When in warm water, your muscles completely relax, as your body begins to relax, any tension you’re experiencing begins to decrease, your anxiety levels drop, and you can take on the day stress free (Goto et al, 2018). Research also shows that immersion in warm water also stimulates the production of serotonin, the hormone responsible for the feeling of happiness (Naumann et al, 2016) - alongside all the additional benefits, an early morning dip in your hot tub could actually make you happier!
I’d recommend doubling your morning hot tub soak with a guided meditation, Self-Love specialist Jennifer Davoust, for instance, whose ‘Tune Into You’ podcast is available on all platforms. Jennifer has the perfect voice and thoughts to cleanse your mind as the massaging water jets of your hot tub set to work on your body.
If you have a swim spa, you can get a double mental health boost as research studies have found that exercise has the capacity to improve your mindset. Studies show regular physical activity has the potential to improve your mood, self-confidence, cognitive function as well as decrease your risk of suffering from anxiety and depression (Sharma et al, 2006).
So, an early morning swim in one of your swim spas or soak in your hot tub could go a long way to not just ensuring you’re able to approach the day with a positive mindset, but also maintaining your long term mental health. Certainly worth not hitting the snooze button, anyway!
As always, we advise seeking medical advice for any difficulties you may have facing the day or prolonged aches and pains. 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 hot tub or swim spa can complement your morning routine and other medical treatments and advice.
You don’t need medical studies though to intuitively know that submersion in warm waters will help gently ease you into the day. For me, even the aroma of chlorine creates a relaxing spa mood in my mind. Starting every day feeling like you’ve been to the health spa – that’s winning before the day has even begun.
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.
Sources
- AXA Health (2020) Improve your circulation through exercise [Internet] available from: <https://www.axahealth.co.uk/health-information/exercise-and-fitness/boost-your-circulation/>
- Charkoudian, N (2003) Skin Blood Flow in Adult Human Thermoregulation: How It Works, When It Does Not, and Why. Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
- Conroy, D, Spielman, A, Scott, R (2005) Daily rhythm of cerebral blood flow velocity. Journal of Circadian Rhythms. 3 (3).
- Goto, Y, Hayasaka, S, Kurihara, S, Nakamura, Y (2018) Physical and Mental Effects of Bathing: A Randomized Intervention Study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
- Healthline (2020) 7 benefits of Soaking in a Hot Tub [Internet] available from: <https://www.healthline.com/health/hot-tub-benefits>
- Henry Ford Health System (2020) How To Boost Your Circulation (And Why It's Important!) [Internet] available from: <https://www.henryford.com/blog/2020/10/how-to-boost-circulation#>
- Juneja, P, Munjal, A, Hubbard, J (2021) Anatomy, Joints. Stat Pearls.
- Medical News Today (2020) What are the benefits of cold and hot showers? [Internet] available from: <https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327461>
- Naumann, J, Sadaghiani, C, Kruza, I, Denkel, L, Kienle, G, Huber, R (2016) Effects and Feasibility of Hyperthermic Baths for Patients with Depressive Dissorder: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Pilot Trial.
- NEBH (2021) How Does Exercise Affect Your Heart, and What are the Benefits? [Internet] available from: <https://www.nebh.org/blog/how-does-exercise-affect-your-heart-and-what-are-the-benefits/>
- Parker, R, Higgins, Z, Mlombile, Z, Mohr, M, Wanger, T (2018) The effects of warm water immersion on blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability in people with chronic fatigue syndrome. South African Journal of Physiotherapy. 74 (1).
- Petty, R, Cassidy, J (2005) STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION. Textbook of Pediatric Rheumatology (Fifth Edition).
- Salin, K, Auer, S, Rey, B, Selman, C, Metcalfe, N (2015) Variation in the link between oxygen consumption and ATP production, and its relevance for animal performance. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 282 (1812).
- Sharma, A, Madaan, V, Petty, F (2006) Exercise for Mental Health. The Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 8 (2).
- Very Well Mind (2021) How Positive Thinking Impacts Your Stress Level [Internet] available from: <https://www.verywellmind.com/how-does-positive-thinking-impact-your-stress-level-3144711>
- Witvrouw, E, Mahieu, N, Danneels, L, McNair, P (2004) Stretching and injury prevention: an obscure relationship. Sports Medicine. 34 (7).p. 443-449.