In order to prepare the autonomic nerves, the temperature of hot water at the time of bathing is 42 ° C, and the action on the body is the opposite. At high temperatures above 42 ° C, the sympathetic nerves are stimulated and become excited, while with lukewarm water below 40 ° C, the parasympathetic nerves are stimulated and become relaxed. For example, use hot water at 40 ° C or less before going to bed and 42 ° C before work in the morning to prepare your autonomic nerves well.
What is thermal action? Medical action of the bath
Slowly soaking in the bath will relieve your fatigue and make you feel very good. It is a bath that you usually take casually, but if you use it well, you can use it as self-care for various symptoms. Let’s first see what kind of effect it has on the body.
One of the effects of the bath on the body is the “heat effect” . Soaking in warm water raises the temperature of the surface of the body. Blood is warmed near the surface of the body, which circulates through blood vessels throughout the body, warming the entire body. Then, the blood vessels expand and the circulation of blood throughout the body improves.
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When this happens, the blood carries oxygen and nutrients to every corner of the body, and the waste products and carbon dioxide that have accumulated in the body are discharged from the body. In other words, metabolism becomes active and the body refreshes . It is believed that this is the reason why you feel tired and refreshed when you take a bath.
Also, as the body warms up, the muscles relax and the joints become less tense. For example, stiff shoulders are caused by the tension of the trapezius muscle, a muscle around the shoulder and neck, but if you take a bath slowly, this muscle tension will be relieved and the stiff shoulder will improve . Chronic low back pain and joint pain can be expected to be alleviated as well.
However, this thermal effect, in fact, the effect on the body changes depending on the temperature of the hot water. The reaction of the body changes greatly depending on whether it is higher or lower than 42 ° C.
How to control the autonomic nerves in the bath
Now, the human body has a nerve called the autonomic nerve . This nerve consists of two nerves, the sympathetic nerve and the parasympathetic nerve , which have opposite actions . Normally, these two nerves are balanced just like a seesaw to maintain human health. For example, so-called “autonomic imbalance” is a condition in which this nerve is out of balance.
Recently, this control of autonomic nerves has been attracting attention as a health method. The sympathetic nerve is a nerve that puts the mind and body into a state of excitement that will make you go hunting, and the parasympathetic nerve is a nerve that puts you in a resting / relaxing state. In fact, the reaction of these two nerves in the body changes depending on the temperature of the hot water. Sympathetic nerves rise when you enter hot water above 42 ° C.
As you become agitated, your blood pressure rises, your pulse accelerates, you sweat, and your muscles become stiff. On the contrary, the movement of the gastrointestinal tract will stop. On the other hand, when soaked in lukewarm water at about 40 ° C , the parasympathetic nerves are stimulated, the mind and body are relaxed, blood pressure drops, the pulse is slow, sweat does not sweat, and the muscles loosen. The gastrointestinal tract is active and digests better.
Generally speaking, the effect of the bath is that the reaction of the body moves in the opposite direction due to a slight difference in the temperature of the hot water. If you can see the difference in these effects, you can see that lukewarm water does not burden the body such as the heart, and that you can relax and get a good night’s sleep by using it slowly before going to bed at night.
On the contrary, it makes sense both physically and mentally to take a quick bath or shower before work in the morning. In this way, the reaction of the body changes depending on the temperature, so it is important to use it properly according to the situation.
