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Our baths or showers better for our health.
Thanks for asking. When it comes to getting clean, some people prefer chilling in the bath for a good half an hour or more, while others like how quick and practical it is having a shower.
Let's consider the two choices from a health perspective.
It's pretty common knowledge that taking a bath isn't very eco-friendly in terms of water consumption.
Of course, there are variables at play here when comparing the two.
When taking a bath, you only really need to fill around the third of the tub up, so your torso is submerged when you lie down.
But some people fill it higher, which obviously uses more water.
When taking a shower, it depends how long you keep it running for and how powerful the flow rate is.
Bathbarn.co.uk suggests that an average bath uses 100 litres of water, whereas the most commonly quoted figure for a shower is 60 litres.
Nevertheless, the relaxing benefits of taking a bath can be tempting enough for us to indulge from time to time.
What does taking a bath do to our bodies?
Anyone who's taken a bath surely knows that the heat has pain-relieving benefits.
It does wonders after a workout or when you're experiencing chronic pain, like sciatica symptoms for example.
It helps the muscles and joints to relax.
Then you've got the effects of happy hormones like endorphins and serotonin, the production of which increases, calming the nervous system.
A 2018 study by the University of Freiburg in Germany actually showed that taking hot baths helps beat depression by strengthening and synchronising circadian rhythms.
Our body temperature usually rises during the day and drops at night, but in depressed people that rhythm is often disrupted or delayed.
What about its impact on the cardiovascular system?
The heart beats faster and stronger when we take a bath, just like when we exercise.
As a result, its workload increases, which strengthens it.
The high temperatures also cause our blood vessels to dilate, lowering blood pressure.
According to a 2017 UK study, an hour-long 40-degree Celsius bath actually burns around 140 calories.
That's because our bodies use up energy when regulating temperature.
But don't let that fool you. Having a bath isn't a replacement for physical exercise or a way of losing weight.
Are there any points of comparison where taking a shower is better?
Well, showers are probably cleaner because when you wash your body, any dirt rinses off and goes down the drain.
Whereas when taking a bath, it stays in the water.
Just like baths, showers can also boost the immune system and help with depression, in particular using the hot to cold technique. which involves gradually lowering the water temperature over the course of the shower.
It really comes down to personal preference and which kind of benefits you want to get.
For efficient cleansing on a daily basis, a shower is a great option, in particular given the environmental question of water consumption.
But if you're feeling stressed, fatigued or depressed, or experiencing chronic pain, taking a bath could just help treat those symptoms in a way that showering can't.
There you have it. Now you know whether baths or showers are better for your health.
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