Steamy Habit Lowers Heart Disease Risk

These are stressful times, and it’s understandable to be worried about your health and about the future.

But if you’re not careful, worrying about things like coronavirus could turn into the reality of heart disease.

That’s because stress is a major risk factor for heart disease.

The good news is that there’s a simple, drug-free way to reduce your risk of stress and heart disease.

It’s the perfect solution while you’re “sheltering in place” because you can do it right from the comfort of your own home.

One of the main reasons why stress boosts your risk of heart disease is because it can drive your blood pressure sky high.

Chronic stress also exposes your body to chronically high levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

And believe it or not, stress can actually cause changes in the way your blood clots, which can increase the risk of a heart attack.

And let’s face it, there’s a lot to be stressed about right now.

Even if you’re not worried about catching the coronavirus, maybe you’re anxious about loved ones maintaining their jobs or supermarket shortages.

Or maybe your blood pressure is creeping up simply because you’re feeling trapped in your own house.

Whatever the reason, there’s a simple solution—and you don’t have to step foot outside of your house to do it.

Take a bath.

You know that a nice, hot bath can reduce stress.

Now, a new study has shown that hot baths can directly lower your risk of heart disease.

The study tracked over 30,000 adults for 20 years to see if there was a connection between their bathing habits and heart disease risk.

Turns out that people who took hot baths every day had a…

• 28 percent lower risk of heart disease
• 26 percent lower risk of stroke

The hotter the water, the better the results (although you don’t want to go too hot… don’t burn yourself).

Those taking the hottest baths had a 35 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

The reason was simple: Hot baths can lower your blood pressure, which is one of the main risk factors for heart disease.

Hot baths also increase your heart rate and improve how effectively your heart pumps blood to your organs.

Incidentally, those are the same benefits you get from aerobic exercise.

No, that doesn’t mean you should sit on your couch all day. Exercise is another great way to relieve stress and boost heart health.

But adding in an evening bath adds one more layer of protection in these stressful, uncertain times.

And that’s something we could all benefit from.