The secret to a good night’s sleep continues to baffle and confound people; questions about how to get more sleep, better sleep, and the right kind of sleep pop up everywhere. And the more complicated life gets, the more complex modern solutions become.
But there’s a simple answer sitting right under your nose: The key to unlocking your best night’s sleep could be soaking in a hot tub. Here’s why.
Reducing Cortisol Spikes
Cortisol is the stress hormone your brain produces when it thinks you’re in danger. It can be advantageous — if you’re actually in danger. But the brain will produce this hormone even when you’re nowhere near a life-threatening situation.
When there’s a lot of cortisol coursing through your veins, it’s much harder to fall and stay asleep. The answer? Relaxation through hydrotherapy.
It can be challenging to force the body and mind to relax, but the great thing about hot tubs is there’s no mental power involved. Soaking in hot water encourages relaxation without effort, helping the stress of your day melt away and giving your body that much-needed reassurance that you’re safe to rest for the evening.
Increasing Body Temperature
Before you fall asleep, your body will lower your internal body temperature in preparation. So why would increasing your body temperature with a warm, comfy spa make it easier to fall asleep? Because it tricks your body into doing what it would naturally do to prepare you for sleep — but you get to decide when the process begins.
The warm water of a hot tub will increase your body temperature, and since your body thrives at a particular temperature, it will start using its resources to lower the heat. As a result, your body will assume it’s time to go to sleep, and your brain will start delegating the appropriate hormones to get ready for bed.
Improving Circulation
The warm water from a hot tub will help blood circulate through your body more easily and quickly. Better circulation has many benefits that you’ll see throughout your day, but one of the lesser-known ones is improving your sleep quality.
Multiple sleep disorders are linked to circulation issues. Since the quality of your sleep can, in turn, affect your circulation, a negative loop of poor circulation and poor sleep quality could be affecting every minute of your day.
Even just twenty minutes in a spa can leave you with better circulation. This is just one more reason you’ll feel ready for rest when you hop out: There’s enough blood pumping to every limb and organ for your body to feel comfortable and relaxed enough to let its guard down and wind down for the day.
Massaging and Soothing Muscle Aches
Discomfort keeps many people awake at night. Sore muscles and achy bones can jolt you awake when your brain sends pain signals to indicate an injury or issue in your body. And stiffness often means you’re contorting yourself into less-than-ideal sleeping positions as one muscle group compensates for another.
When your body isn’t completely comfortable, it’s hard to rest and recover.
One of the many benefits of hot tub ownership is being able to use hydrotherapy as a way to manage pain and discomfort. The warm water, combined with relaxing jets, allows tense muscles to unwind gently. And the less tension you feel in your muscles, the easier it’ll be for you to get a good night’s sleep.
Adding Aromatherapy
You can enhance the restful benefits of your hot tub by adding soothing essential oils, provided they’re safe to use in spas. Scents like lavender and jasmine are fantastic for facilitating relaxation and can even help you fall asleep faster.
Many people find that certain essential oils used in aromatherapy help them relieve stress and anxiety, so you can also reduce your cortisol levels during your nightly soak.
Improved Rest with Rejuvenate Pools and Spas
Comfort is critical to getting good sleep, and nothing provides more on-demand comfort than the hot tubs at Rejuvenate Pools and Spas. Slip into the coziest warm water spas for the ultimate pre-bedtime routine. Reach out to us today to learn more about our hot tubs, and we’ll help you create your ultimate relaxation space!
