Physical and Mental Effects of Bathing

In this post I show why I choose specific ingredients in my salt bath, scientifically proven to have beneficial effects on health.

While showering is the most common form of bathing worldwide, cross-sectional studies [1] report better subjective health status with an immersion bathing habit.

Lifestyles can vary widely, and several lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep, alcohol consumption, and smoking are associated with health and survival.
Another aspect of lifestyle that varies is bathing, several forms of which include bathing in a conventional shower, steam shower, sauna, or bathtub.

During bathing, several actions unique to bathing will be exerted on the body, including hyperthermic action, hydrostatic pressure, and viscosity of water [1]. People who have a habit of bathing in hot water have good subjective health status, sufficient sleep and rest, low levels of stress, and high subjective happiness.

In addition, from the book “Water & Salt, The Essence of Life” I learned that Himalayan salt could generate negative ions in the air, creating the type of calming effect many people experience on a saltwater beach [3].

References:

1. “Physical and Mental Effects of Bathing: A Randomized Intervention Study”, Yasuaki Goto, Shinya Hayasaka, Shigeo Kurihara, and Yosikazu Nakamura, Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM Vols. 1 to 2022; 2004 to 2022
2. “Bathing in a magnesium-rich Dead Sea salt solution improves skin barrier function, enhances skin hydration, and reduces inflammation in atopic dry skin”, Ehrhardt Proksch, Hans-Peter Nissen, Markus Bremgartner, Colin Urquhart, International journal of dermatology
3. “Water & Salt, The Essence of Life”, Barbara Hendel, Peter Ferreira