To warm the body, the most effective method is to take a bath once a day. Please use warm water between 38 to 40 degrees up to the shoulder and soak for about 30 minutes. It may be difficult to start with 30 minutes, but soak for at least 10 minutes. Once we feel the water temperature is a little hot, the sympathetic nervous system will dominate. For a person who is used to taking morning showers they will feel refreshed by showering with hot water for 2-3 minutes ~ this feels really good, but to eliminate a long day’s tiredness and to relax, switch to warm water which is better for the parasympathetic nervous system. In addition, the heat shock proteins (HSPs) that function in the repair of damaged protein are also produced at a temperature of 2 degrees higher than the normal body temperature. In the past, it is said that we should not take a bath when we have a cold, but that was because in the past flu was a common disease in the winter and in order not to get chilled when taking a bath.
On the other hand, now catching a cold from air conditioning and low immune system due to stress, having a cold in the summer/hot weather is becoming increasingly common; there are a growing number of physicians who believe that taking a bath to warm the body and taking a good rest can cure a cold. The positive health effect from warming the body is already widely known. Taking a bath for 30 minutes can promote blood circulation, allowing the body to feel warm and also release large amounts of sweat. Because taking a bath can remove the effect of water poisoning, therefore it is diuretic, it eliminates swelling of the feet and lower back pain. Those suffering from myocardial infarction and other cardiac diseases, the bath water level should not add pressure to the chest, and therefore the water level should not exceed the chest – a half-bath is better. In order to promote blood circulation, the duration of the baths should be longer –a person would need to soak for 40 minutes or more to achieve the same effect.
