BENEFITS OF HOT TUBS
Why do you immediately feel good when you get into a hot tub?
For a start, you instantly lose 90% of your body weight, reducing the load
on your heart by 10-20%. And, because the temperature is sustained at around
38?C, the feeling of well-being that you experience is accompanied by changes
in your circulatory system that have a beneficial effect on many aspects of
your body. When this is combined with the therapeutic affect of the spa's
massage jets, which further relax the muscles, and promote healing, the result
is sheer bliss!
What happens to your body
in the hot tub? The body's first reaction to being immersed in hot water is
to try to get back to its normal temperature by working the heart harder to
pump the blood to the surface where it hopes to be cooled. This causes a temporary
increase in blood pressure. Of course, because the water is hot the blood is
warmed not cooled. The result is that the core body temperature rises and, after
a short while, the warm blood causes the blood vessels to dilate which lessens
the resistance to blood flow and reduces blood pressure. The body begins to
perspire, expelling toxins and the muscles relax, temporarily relieving aches
and pains.