Hot water immersion for cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health 🌡️
Hot baths for health?
The effects of hot-water immersion on cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health of healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Study Details
This new meta-analysis compiled data from 20 studies (384 participants) to establish the effects of hot water immersion on…
🫀 Cardiovascular health
🫁 Cardiorespiratory health
Here is what they found ⬇️
Key Findings
🌡️ Temperature = 37.5°C to 45°C
⏱️ Duration range = 5 to 120 minutes
🗓️ Frequency = 3 - 5 sessions per week
🦵 Types = whole body and lower limb immersion
Results showed that a single HWI session significantly…
🫀 Increased heart rate (+28 bpm)
🩸 Decreased diastolic blood pressure (-5 mmHg)
🩸 Decreased arterial blood pressure (-7 mmHg
Repeated HWI leads to significantly…
🫀 Reduced resting heart rate (-3 bpm)
No other significant effects were present ❌
Only one paper examined changes in cardiorespiratory outcomes 🤷♂️
Conclusion
Hot water immersion leads to some minor acute and chronic changes in cardiovascular outcomes in healthy adults 🔬
At present hot water immersion may be more beneficial for recovery or exercise adaptations rather than general health outcomes 🔍
Reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41603269/
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Helpful nuance here. The effects are real, but modest, and context matters. Hot water immersion looks more like a complementary tool (recovery, relaxation, maybe training adaptations) than a standalone cardiovascular intervention, especially for already healthy adults. Good reminder that not every “wellness” trend needs to be oversold to be useful.