Baths are the best.
The end.
Just kidding. While we know taking a bath is the bomb, there's real reasons (backed by science and everything!) as to why they are actually good for you. Here's a few:
Your sleep will be improved. Having a hot bath has been proven to help you to feel sleepiness at bed-time as well as assist with slow wave sleep and stage 4 sleep. Just make sure you don't fall asleep in the tub.
You can burn some serious calories. A study found a 80 percent increase in energy expenditure just as a result of sitting in the bath for the course of an hour. It won't take the place of a workout, but it's something. Oh, and it needs to be hot, so make sure you don't burn your special parts.
A bath can help soothe post workout muscles. Though, sadly, an ice bath is best. "We only found an effect in favor of cold water immersion when it was compared to doing nothing -- that is, passive rest after exercise," says Chris Bleakley, PhD, a researcher at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland told webmd.com. Freezing but effective.
Lower back pain is relieved by a hot bath. Local heating is when you apply a heart source to a specific area, whereas systemic heating means raising the entire body temperature, such as in a bath. According to painscience.com, systematic heating is helpful with conditions where emotional stress and tension causes the pain, as is often the case with lower back pain.
Taking a bath can help with some skin conditions. If you have eczema, bathing can be a god send. Nationaleczema.org says that the most effective way to treat dry skin is to give it the moisture it needs. Proper bathing and moisturising are important for this reason, and the best way to replace moisture in the skin is to soak in a bath or take a shower and then moisturise immediately afterward.
A steam can help ease a cold. "The common cold is a collection of different viruses and your immune system's response to them causes the symptoms of inflamed nasal passage and lining of the sinuses -- which causes sneezing, runny nose and sore eyes," Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners told the independent.co.uk. "The best way to reduce this inflammation is to keep the nasal passages clear. Steam is wonderful at achieving this."
Bathing improves general psychological wellness. Neil Morris, a psychologist at the University of Wolverhampton conduced a study a while back that concluded "a significant drop in feelings of pessimism about the future and increases in hedonic tone, the internal feeling of pleasurability."
It's a great place to think. Perhaps because you're not distracted by the TV or your phone (unless you like to flirt with danger), the bathtub is a great place to ponder the big questions. Like what takeaway you'll order when you get out.
It's easier to drink in the tub than in the shower. Sure, shower-beers are a thing, but a hot soak with a big glass of wine is up there with some of the biggest luxuries on earth.
If you're with child it's important to keep in mind that baths shouldn't be too hot -- around 37 degrees is right (which is about the same as body temperature).
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