Bad Circulation Improvement by Footbath / Wisdom of Japanese Bath Culture 2023

Japanese Bath for Health

Japanese Bath Improves Bad Circulation Temporarily, but It Doesn’t End Temporary.

Western health websites rank hot water immersion low as a resolution method of bad circulation, probably because its circulation improvement effect is temporary. But Japanese people love it, as a Japanese bath, as one of their most popular health habits.

It’s hard for Westerners to imagine how Japanese people, especially Japanese women, love Japanese baths, from the home (deep) bathtub to Onsen (public baths with hot spring). Every house has a bathroom with a deep hot tub for immersion with space for cleansing and showering beside. No toilet. It’s like every house has a home spa for relaxation.

Hot Spring is a typical place to improve bad circulation for Japanese. Warm water immersion improves your bad circulation temporarily, during the soaking and after that. But it doesn’t stop there. If even the short time health improvements  accumulate every day, they will eventually turn your body more healthy in the long run.

It will also help your sound sleep and keep up your better life. (Refer here for the details.)

Let’s see how the Japanese bath helps your health with its magical power and learn how you can take their wisdom into your life.

3 magical powers of the Japanese bath

Thermotherapeutic Effect

bad circulation and a body heat mapThe warm water will widen peripheral blood vessels , facilitate your metabolism, and help discharge unnecessaries. The range of 98.6 – 104 F will add superiority to your parasympathetic nerve for relaxation, and around 107.6 F, which Japanese often prefer, will make you feel sharp.

If you take the Japanese bath before you go to bed by an hour or two, it will help you to fall asleep better significantly. The warm water immersion will increase your core body temperature and go down after the bath. Your body will take you to sleep when your deep core body temperature lowers. The parasympathetic nerve dominance status will also help your sound sleep.

Water Pressure Effect

One-third of the whole blood stay in your legs and legs are sometimes called the second heart, because they send back the blood to your heart. Gravity slows the flow back to your heart off the water. When you take the Japanese bath, the water pressure will narrow the blood vessel and push up the blood. As a result, it will improve your bad circulation as well as lymph flow.

While body soaking will put some tax on your heart, half body soaking and foot soaking will reduce such a negative effect.

Buoyancy Effect

Your weight is about one-tenth in the water, and your muscle will be relaxed. The combination of this effect and the bloodstream improvements above will form the massaging effect.

How can I enjoy these benefits at my home and improve my bad circulation?

To Install a Japanese Wet RoomJapanese Wet Room, a place to keep better circulation

It’s not popular and may be pricey, but yet impossible. If you have enough energy and fund, try it!!

Do you have a SPA in your neighbor?

You are lucky. Go there, soak yourself in the warm water, and be relaxed!

FootBath is the answer to everybody’s better circulation and more.

Yes, this will be the most viable and realistic option for everybody to improve bad circulation. Don’t think the foot bath is only for your foot care. It is just a safer variation of the full-body warm water immersion, and it warms up your whole body only with your feet and legs soaked. It is a common-sense among Japanese women.

You will often see the recipe for the bath ingredients, but the primary matter is the warm water. Bath ingredients will add up further benefits, but it’s already beneficial without them.

Japanese love footbath for better circulation
Hot spring footbath is popular in Japan.

It will provide the thermotherapeutic effect as the warmed blood circulates all through your body. If you soak your calves even up to the half, you will also take the water pressure effect. The improved bloodstream will (1) warms your body up (2) discharges your body wastes and facilitate your metabolism (3) mitigates your fatigue (4), loosens up your body (5) helps your internal organs (6) supports you to fall asleep better.

How to take the footbath for bad circulation relief

WARNING

(1) Footbath is far safer and less hefty for your body than full-body warm water immersion or various exercises. But, it still puts some tax on your body depending on your age or the health condition. If you have any concerns, start from some low temperature (around 100F) and short time (about 20 mins). Adjust the temperature, lengthen the soaking time, and gradually monitor your blood pressure and your general health condition.

(2)Take the water adequately to avoid dehydration. A glass of water before the footbath will help you to discharge your body wastes. You can keep up your metabolism by taking some water after the footbath.

(3) Take care of the dryness of your legs. When you add any bath ingredients, take care of any problems on your skin.

(4) I recommend some tools and bath agents, but we are not involved in any of them and can’t take any responsibility. Research those tools and ingredients under your responsibility before you buy and use them.

Footbath Buckets

Any buckets or foot spa with a heater will work. I like the simple foot bath bucket by the famous Japanese manufacturer, Inomata. (Watch out cheaper imitations!) It will be convenient if you take a foot spa with a heater, but you need to study if the size is right for you.

Footbath Ingredients

Even only the warm water without any ingredients will warm you up and provide you various benefits. But some bath ingredients will extend its health benefits. Many people recommend Epsom salt. It is one of the popular ingredients of Onsen (natural hot spring) and helpful for your health. Bath ingredients made in Japan will offer you a more complicated and similar-to-nature formula and health benefits for your luxury.

It will also be beautiful to add some aroma and enjoy the relaxing flavor.

How to do

Pour warm water into the bucket. Soak your feet with some hot water beside you. Start with some lower water surface cause you will need to add the hot water to keep up or adjust the water temperature. Try from as short as 20 minutes if you have any health concerns. Some women enjoy it for about an hour.

One more tip

If you don’t go bed immediately after the foot bath and like to keep your feet warm, it will be better that you pour some cold water on your feet. Otherwise, your body will try to cool down the warmed feet as a natural reaction.

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