Beauty & Wellness Taya Bregant Beauty & Wellness Taya Bregant

10 Reasons Why Warm Baths Are Beneficial

Although showers are in general much more common than taking baths, there is research emerging which proposes that taking baths does bring with it some genuine mental and physical health improvements to our wellbeing.

Bathing can be a way to make self care more relaxing and enjoyable for ourselves while also relaxing our nervous system and winding us down for bed.

Even though taking showers is quicker and generally more cleaner than taking baths, I was interested to take a look into what benefits taking baths can bring to our overall wellbeing.

I hope you find this post relaxing and soothing to read while giving you some inspiration to start taking baths more frequently if possible. 🛁

Enjoy 😊

10 REASONS TO TAKE MORE BATHS

Can Improve Heart Health

  • Studies have shown that taking baths at a comfortable warm temperature can boost your heart rate just enough to give your heart a healthy workout and movement. If you have heart issues or high blood pressure, avoid taking baths which are too hot and for too long since it may put unwanted strain on your heart.

  • Additionally, a study done within Japan had showed that men who took baths on an almost daily basis, have had a lower risk of heart disease and overall lower risk of morality.


Eases Our Breathing

  • By submerging your chest underwater, the presence of the water can have a beneficial effect on your lung capacity and oxygen intake. The warmer temperature of the water encourages your heart to beat faster meaning that your oxygen intake can be improved while the steam and smells from the bath can help with clearing congested sinuses when we have a cold for example.

  • Opening of congested sinuses is especially effective when we use essential oils in the form of bath salts, bath foams or bath bombs. I recently also wrote about essential oils and their potent effects on our mental and physical wellbeing so your can find this post here.


Calms Us And Reduces Stress And Anxiety

  • Anyone who has ever taken a bath before can almost certainly confirm how much of a calming effect baths can have on our overall body and nervous system and that is exactly what studies are validating. By calming our nervous system, baths reduce the levels of stress causing hormones in our body, allowing our body to ease away from stress and anxiety.

  • With the tranquil environment that baths create, it allows our mind to achieve mental calmness and quiet which has also been shown to ease pain related discomfort such as that of muscles or joints among older people.

  • In this way, taking regular baths can not only calm down our body, but improve both our mental, emotional and physical state of being all while providing us with a moment in time to slow down and be truly present with our senses.


Alleviates Muscle Soreness And Joint Pains

  • For people who have achy muscles or joints, such as those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, may very well benefit from taking an occasional bath or two due to the warm water and the gentle pressure that the water provides on your joints and skin.

  • The warmth of the water additionally encourages better blood flow around your body and joints which delivers more nutrients and fresh oxygen to further support elasticity of joints and reduce their aching.

  • With less achy joints and muscles, you can go on about your daily movements with much more ease and also reduce the chances of future injuries or risk of falling, especially among the elderly.


Can Boost Immunity And Blood Flow

  • The warmth of the bath water can boost blood flow by dilating your blood vessels and raising your pulse slightly, which could potentially also help with killing bacteria and helping certain types of immune cells to work better and in this way improve our immunity and any symptoms of the flu.

  • This is especially effective when using different kinds of bath salts or oils that provide a nice herbal aroma that can be a great way for clearing up our sinuses. However, more research on the link between taking baths and immunity improvements is needed to establish any long term conclusion.

  • If you would like to know more about how to additionally reinforce your immune system, click here

Improves Quality Of Sleep

  • During the day, your core boy temperature fluctuates quite a bit, but for your body to fall asleep, your core body temperature actually has to decline for a couple degrees.

  • Baths can be a great way to achieve this, since when taking a warm bath, your blood travels to the extremities such as the surface of your skin because you are warm (your bodies way of cooling you down) which inversely causing a decline in temperature at your core, thus facilitating relaxation and deep sleep.

  • Apart from lowering core body temperature, baths further help with improving sleep by creating that before mentioned tranquil environment which is free of stress and worries.

  • It is suggested that for ideal sleep, taking a bath about an hour before you go to bed is optimal for your body to start cooling down.

  • If you would like to learn more about how to improving your sleep quality, I have previously written about this topic here.


Provides A Time To Slow Down And Be In The Present

  • Even though baths may seem like a very time sucking activity, if used right they can be both enjoyable and beneficial for us health wise because in reality there are so many other useless forms of time sucking activities that we could be doing instead, such as mindlessly scrolling somewhere or browsing different websites for stuff we don't need just to make time pass.

  • Dedicating some time for a bath each week or month, especially if it becomes part of a regular ritual, can be a great way to set the mood for your body and mind to start slowing down and preparing for bed afterwards.

  • Lighting a candle, lowering the lights, putting on some relaxing music or a favorite show and adding in some nice smelling additions to your bath can be a great way to add some valuable you time into your day and switching your mind off of work or worries.


Has The Ability To Balance Your hormones

  • In contrast to warm baths, taking short cold baths has also been linked with improving different fertility issues and chronic fatigue syndrome, due to the balancing effect of cold water on certain stress related hormones produced by our pituitary gland such adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and different types of cortisols.

  • Furthermore, warm water has also been shown to increase the levels of serotonin in our blood which induces feelings of happiness and wellbeing, providing a further hormone balancing effect.


Cleanses, Exfoliates And Moisturizes Your Skin

  • Soaking in a bath, gives our skin an adequate amount of time to soften and for our pores to open which makes baths a great time for exfoliating our body with a nice body scrub or even shaving if needed to ensure smooth and healthy looking skin.

  • Baths additionally help with keeping our skin moisturized, especially if we apply a moisturizing lotion right afterwards to lock in the moisturize.

  • By cleaning your skin, baths help you avoid skin irritations, infections or pimples that are causes by the accumulation of dead skin cells.


Has The Ability To Improve Mental And Emotional Health

  • By lowering our levels of stress and anxiety and by being able to raise levels of positive hormones such as serotonin, it allows us to be in a more pleasant, happy and relaxed state of mind.

  • Reducing the amount of stress we deal with in a day or week or improving our stress management techniques, can do wonders for our body, physically, mentally and emotionally.

  • If you are interested into how to reduce and manage your own stress better, take a look at this blog post here.

TIPS FOR TAKING BATHS THE RIGHT WAY


Even though we have seen how beneficial baths can be for us, I also wanted to include a couple of short and practical tips on how to best take baths as well as how to make them more enjoyable and relaxing:

  • Don't take daily baths: Excessive bathing can strip ur skin of its natural oils which can leave it dry and flaky. Bathe a maximum of 2x per week and instead make use of showers in between those days.

  • Using warm water: Make sure that your bath water is not too hot since some people may experience unwanted dizziness or weakness from the higher temperatures, while further drying out your skin. Keep the water temperature at a nice warm level, but not too hot.

  • Don't over-soak: Try to keep the length of your bath time up to 20minutes, or until your fingers and toes start to wrinkle a little, after which its best to go out.

  • Keeping your towels fresh: Its counter intuitive to come clean out of a bath and wrap yourself in a dirty towel, so try to wash your towels 1x per week to ensure the best experience and hygiene.

  • Always moisturize afterwards: Using a moisturizer or body lotion after a shower or bath can bring back your skins natural moisture and oils while keeping it plump and elastic.

  • Keep your bathtub clean: This is to prevent any unwanted infections or lingering bacteria on its surface which can be done by scrubbing it after you use the bath and using some mild cleaning supplies.

  • Try adding bath salts: Bath salts such as magnesium salts or epsom salts can be a great addition to your regular bath, as they have been shown to promote muscle relaxation and ease aches and pain from your muscles.

  • Incorporating some fun elements: Try out some fun additions such as bath oils, bath bombs, bath bubbles and skin friendly cleansers to make your bath experience even more caring and fun.

🧠 KEY IDEAS

In todays blog post we are talking about the benefits linked with taking baths where we will be discussing why baths are good for us as well as some tips to further boost your self care time and enjoyment in the bathtub.

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Beauty & Wellness Taya Bregant Beauty & Wellness Taya Bregant

Why Bother To Wear Sunscreen?

Now that summer is here in full swing along with rising temperatures, I thought it would be appropriate to write about the topic of sunscreen, since everyone needs to protect themselves suitably against the summer especially now in the summer when the sun is strongest.

In this blog post I wanted to take a look at into what sunscreen and SPF actually are, what are the different types of sun blocks you can buy, offer a short breakdown of how they work to protect our skin and fore mostly present the reasons for why we should be using sunscreen daily in the summer. I hope you find this summer themed piece interesting and useful for when it comes to buying and using your own protectant in the summer to protect your skin from harm.

Enjoy ☀️

WHAT IS SUNSCREEN AND SPF?

When buying sunscreen, you tend to see a SPF label on the packaging such as SPF 15 or SPF 30 so what exactly does this mean?

Well SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and it essentially tells you how long it would take the sun rays (especially UVB rays) to redden or burn your skin if you applied the sunscreen compared to the amount of time it would take to redden your skin without having applied sunscreen. So for example, SPF 50 means that it would take you approximately 50 times longer for your skin to burn than if you used no sunscreen, meaning that your skin is about 50 times more protected than without sunscreen.

SPF is designed specifically to protect agains the suns UVB rays which are mostly responsible for causing skin cancer and sunburns on our skin. UVA rays on the other hand tend to be more responsible for the aging or wrinkling of skin as well as some skin cancers. This is why you tend to see some sunscreens labeled as UVA or UVB while broad spectrum sunscreens are designed to protect against both types of sun rays, ensuring maximal protection.

TYPES OF SUNSCREENS

When it comes to sunscreens, there are two main types:

Chemical sunscreens: This type of sunscreen also known as sunscreen uses ingredients such as oxybenzone and avobenzone which are designed to primarily filter UV rays and absorb some of the rays, after which the rays are reflected back and are transformed into small amounts of heat that then dissipates from the skin. Chemical sunscreens can also be unpopular to use on some skin types since for some people they can slightly sting however the upside is that they leave minimal to none white cast.

Mineral sunscreens: Mineral sunscreens also known as sun blocks are known to most commonly contain mineral based compounds such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which are designed to block the suns UV rays and also scatter them before they are able to penetrate your skin. Mineral based sunscreens are known to cause less skin irritations but also leave more of a white case behind especially on darker skin tones. Additionally, mineral sunscreens are known to be more suitable for broad spectrum UV ray protection compared to chemical sunscreens which makes them slightly more protective.

Overall, both sunscreen types are useful, it just depends on what your skin prefers.

Broad spectrum sunscreens are designed to protect against both UVA and UVB sun rays while in the past you used to only find sunscreens which either protected against UVA (The type of rays which causes skin tanning and premature aging) or against UVB rays (The type of rays which cause sunburn and skin cancers)

HOW DO SUNSCREENS WORK?

We have already discussed briefly on how sunscreen works to protect our skin from damaging UV rays, but I wanted to explain it here in a bit more of a clear way.

Overall, sunscreens are designed to prevent the UV rays from the sun from penetrating our skin and thus protecting us from sunburns, skin aging and skin cancer.

For this protection, chemical based sunscreens function to absorb and reflect the UV rays and in doing so, convert these rays into low heat energy that then dissipates from the surface of our skin. Instead of deflecting the UV rays like in mineral sunscreens, the molecules within the sunscreen absorb UV radiation an in doing so, molecules within the sunscreen gradually break down and during this release heat.

Mineral based sunscreens on the other hand physically protect us from UV rays which both reflect and absorb UV rays, in a similar way as brighter colors such as white which reflect light more. In the past, manufacturers of mineral sunscreens made the mineral particles much larger which is why a heavy white cast was noticeable while in more modern times, these particles are much smaller so the white case is reduced. Because mineral sunscreens work to deflect rays, they are considered to be broad spectrum sunscreen since they deflect both UVA and UVB rays.

I also wanted to briefly clarify the different types of sun rays which we have to be mindful of and their effects:

UVA rays: This type of solar radiation is able to penetrate deeper into our skin and be responsible for premature wrinkling, age spots and also some skin cancers.

UVB rays: UVB rays penetrate a bit less deeply into our skin than UVA rays and are known to mostly cause sunburns as well as skin cancers.

REASONS TO WEAR SUNSCREEN

Reducing Your risk Of Skin Cancer

  • It is estimated that by the age of 70, 1 in 5 Americans will end up having skin cancer. By wearing sunscreen consistently we are able to greatly reduce our chances of developing melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma. It is best to wear sunscreen everyday (minimum SPF 30), even on days that appear cloudy or cold and if you find yourself being in water or sweating throughout the day, reapplication is necessary every two hours for maximal protection.

Preventing Premature Aging Of Your Skin

  • When we are repeatedly exposed to the sun with no protection, we can cause a lot of damage to the collagen and elastin found within our skin as well as our skin cells. This repeated unprotected exposure can over time result in wrinkles, skin discoloration, fine lines as well as a leathery appearance of the skin. This phenomenon of the aging of the skin through sun exposure is known as photo-aging.

Reducing Sunburn Risk

  • All of us have at some point likely been sunburnt by spending too much time out on the sun and wearing minimal to no sun protection. The feeling is unpleasant and painful and can later also seriously harm the skin if the burns become repetitive such as skin cancers or other skin issues. If sunburned, apply some cooling after sun lotions or if you are experiencing a severe sunburn with blisters consult with a dermatologist or ask for help in a pharmacy, but always as a precaution apply sunscreen beforehand to keep your skin protected.

Reducing Skin Inflammation

  • UV rays from the sun make our skin more red and inflamed during excessive exposure which can worsen skin conditions such as rosacea and psoriasis which further inflame the skin. Wearing sunscreen daily also helps to avoid such issues down the line. If you find that you have sensitive skin which is prone to redness, look for sunscreen which contain more gentle ingredient such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide to protect you from the suns rays.

Preventing Skin Discoloration And Development Of Scars

  • Sun spots tend to appear in later years of our life but are greatly associated with spending a lot of time in the sun during our youth. Sun spots or also called liver spots are brown or tan areas of discoloration which can occur most commonly on out face, head, hands, arms and are known to affect both men and women. This is an issue which frequent use of sunscreen is also able to help against.

Protection From Blue Light

  • Although not all sunscreens can protect against blue light, physical sunscreen are best suited for that as they are known for being able to reflect back various light rays, such as those coming from our electronic devices.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A SUNSCREEN

When it comes to choosing or buying a sunscreen, look out for the following things:

  • In the summer and especially if you spend a lot of time outside: Choosing an SPF or 30 or higher

  • In the winter time: SPF 15 or 30 should be sufficient depending on the weather of where you live

  • Try to choose a broad spectrum sunscreen

  • Water resistant sunscreens: These sunscreens are tested to be effective at protecting even after 40 minutes of spending time in water. Make sure to always reapply sunscreen every 2 hours especially if you are outdoors a lot and spend time in the water since it will get washed off eventually.

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HOW MUCH TO APPLY AND WHEN

How much?

For the face and neck do about half or one teaspoon and for the rest of the body apply generously on parts which are especially exposed to the sun such as the shoulders, abdomen, ear lobes and feet.

When?

When it comes to wearing other products on your face, sunscreen usually goes on last in order of application just to provide that maximal coverage. If your are swimming or sweating a lot or just generally spending a lot of time outdoors, reapply the sunscreen every 2 hours to ensure good coverage.

if you spend most of your days sitting down at a desk inside, second applications tend to not be necessary but adjust this depending on the intensity of the sun of where you live.

Apply sunscreen every day, especially on those summer days when the sun is at its strongest and temperatures are soaring. Also don't forget to protect your skin with other things than just sunscreen, such as clothing, hats or scarves. Be mindful to also wear sunscreen on days which appear to be cloudy as on days like this, the majority of the suns UV radiation also reaches the earth even thought it may appear to not.

🧠 KEY IDEAS

In this blog post we have discussed what sunscreen and SPF actually are as well as the types of sunscreens you can find nowadays, specifically chemical and mineral sunscreens. Next we uncovered the benefits and reasons for why we should wear sunscreen daily and lastly concluded with some practical advice on what to look for when buying sunscreen and tips for wearing.

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