Is Sweating In The Bath Good For You? (Hot Bath Sweating)

Is sweating in the bath good for you? Many people may not think much about sweat, nor are they aware of the effects that it has on the body. However, sweat is one of the many ways by which your body cleanses itself of toxins and regulates its temperature.

In fact, sweat is so good for your health that many doctors recommend sitting in a sweat bath as a way to relieve symptoms caused by the common cold, arthritis, headaches, and other common ailments.

So how exactly does the body produce sweat, and what effects does hot bath sweating have on your body? Keep reading to find out.

Is Sweating In The Bath Good For You?

Yes, it is good to sweat in a hot bath. Sweating in the bath provides health benefits such as improved blood flow and circulation. The heat from a hot bath can also help burn calories and help lose weight. However, if you’re in a bath that is too hot it can make you feel a bit faint – so make sure to have the temperature too high.

When you sit in a sweat bath or a sauna, your body’s internal organs spring into action just as they would if you were exerting any kind of physical activity.

This is because the heat from the bath induces a fever in your body. Throughout history, sweat baths have been a form of detoxing the body of any ailments and as a way to relieve stress.

According to experts, taking a sweat bath in temperatures of 192 degrees Fahrenheit has dozens of benefits for the human body. When you sweat, your body rids itself of toxins and it also helps keep your skin clean and smooth.

Those who don’t sweat enough on a regular basis are starting to turn towards sweat baths as an alternative. When you step into a hot bath, your nerve endings, which are heat-sensitive, start to produce a chemical called acetylcholine.

Once activated, this chemical alerts the sweat glands in your body to begin producing sweat. Believe it or not, spending just 15 minutes inside of a hot bath can cause you to excrete around one liter of sweat.

Many things are also happening beneath the surface of your skin when you enter a hot bath. There is an increase in blood flow to the skin as a result of your capillaries dilating as your skin tries to disperse the heat in your body.

As a result, you’ll notice your skin start to turn red. Your heart also starts to beat faster and your skin and kidneys begin to filter any waste in your body.

Your body is said to be able to recover from illness much more quickly when you sit in a sauna as bacteria and viral agents do not survive in high temperatures.

Experts also believe that any damaged cells in your body are able to repair themselves much faster because of your increased metabolic rate.

Researchers also believe that the reason why sweat baths are so good for you is a result of the presence of negative ions. An ion is a molecule that has an electric charge.

Ion formation happens when energy on a molecule causes it to discharge an electron. According to this research, breathing in an abundance of negative ions is highly beneficial for our health.

It is so beneficial, in fact, that some medical experts use negative ion therapy to help burn victims heal faster, cure respiratory diseases, rid the body of toxins, and even stop the spread of cancer.

Negative ions in sweat baths were discovered after people began to splash water onto hot rocks, which produces the negative ions.

Different Types of Sweat

There are three different types of sweat glands: apocrine sweat glands, eccrine sweat glands, and what is known as insensible perspiration.

• Apocrine sweat glands are located in the armpits and pubic areas and are typically activated by emotional stimuli.
• Eccrine sweat glands are the most common in your body and produce sweat that is clear and odorless. Your body produces eccrine sweat in an attempt to cool it down but also to provide your hands with a better grip and for better traction.
• Insensible perspiration, which starts inside your body and works its way through your blood cells, eventually leading to the surface of your skin.

So, what exactly is sweat? For the most part, sweat consists of water, but there is a small percentage that is waste and toxic metals such as copper, lead, zinc, and mercury.

Your Skin

Skin is the largest organ on your body and what is often referred to as the “third kidney” because of its ability to filter waste. Because of this, it’s important to keep your skin as healthy as possible.

Experts recommend taking sweat baths and then following it up by giving your skin a nice scrub using a loofah or brush to rid your skin of any dead cells that may have accumulated onto your skin.

If you don’t remove these dead skin cells from your body, it can cause your sweat pores to clog, thus resulting in dry skin. People are also encouraged to take vitamins B2 and E to keep their skin fresh and hydrated.

History of Sweat Baths

The tradition of taking sweat baths has been around for thousands of years, and it is oftentimes associated with spirituality.

Many cultures who participated in sweat baths on a regular basis realized that rocks could absorb the heat from fire; in turn, rocks became a symbol of earthly endurance.

During a ritual, water would be splashed over the hot stones which produced vapor. The vapor was then called the spirit of life.

It was believed that a friendly spirit lived inside of these rocks and was then released via the vapor to penetrate the skin of those in the bath and drive out sickness.

Sweat baths were so sacred that bathers were believed to be recreating the Creation by merging together body and fire. In Hindu culture, it is believed that Pajapati created the world by heating himself to an extreme temperature.

Because of this belief, Hindus tend to meditate close to fire as a way to achieve inner heat. As we now know, the result of heat is sweat, or what was once known as “waters born from the heated man.”

Tribes in New Guinea once believed that sweat carried the combined essences of spiritual and human powers. After they were done camping, they would leave spears in the ground in order to prevent demons from taking any of their sweat for their own use.

In other tribes, men were known to drink the sweat of well-known warriors so that they could also inherit some of their fearlessness and strength.

In Russia, it was tradition to create a special concoction out of sweat and vodka to serve as an aphrodisiac for a bride on her wedding day.

Russian and Native American folklore also says that sweat is connected with the creation of man, as a result of its association with fire.

Stories were often told of God taking a sweat bath while creating Adam and Eve. Other tales involve the belief that sweat carried the seeds of life.

Many cultures have also associated sweat baths with rebirth due to the rejuvenating effects they have. Being inside of a sweat bath is similar to that of being inside of a mother’s womb, perhaps that of Mother Earth.

Due to these associations, certain cultures began to use sweat baths as a rite of passage from one stage of life to another.

Sweat baths were common when people were getting ready for events such as birth, adulthood, marriage, and even death.

In Finland, it was common for women to give birth in sweat baths in an attempt to be in the presence of benevolent spirits, which were believed to alleviate the pains of childbirth and increase the chances of survival for both the baby as well as the mother.

Another way in which sweat baths were used as a rite of passage was when a boy reached puberty. Within the community of the Thompson Indians of British Columbia, the boy would go inside of the sweat bath and pray to the Grandfather Chief.

He would pray that he could come out of puberty stronger, braver, and with the ability to become a good hunter and fisherman.

In the Middle East, Muslim women were also known to attend a sweat bath at least three times a day just before a wedding ceremony. As we can see, sweat baths have been beneficial to humans since the beginning of time.

Back then, however, sweat baths were believed to be healing in a more spiritual manner, while today sweat baths are known for their physical healing qualities.

As time went on, people began to grow more accustomed to sweat baths to the point where it became a social thing. It was something people attended to catch up with old friends, hear some gossip, or just to hang out.

Even in the olden days, sweat baths were strong expressions of the community. Sweat baths were used by elders as a way to teach their students and pass along any wisdom they had.

Finnish women would also use sweat baths as a way to talk and soothe their bones from the freezing weather.