Can Hot Tubs Help You Lose Weight?

Many headlines these days purport that society is facing an obesity epidemic.  This has caused the media to be inundated with weight loss methods, diets and exercise regimes that proclaim to reduce one’s weight.  Some of them work while some of them are completely outlandish.  Even the hot tub industry is not immune from making extravagant claims.  Can hot tubs help you lose weight? 

The fact is that sitting in a hot tub is not a whole lot different than sitting on the couch.  Sitting in hot water may cause you to sweat which could lead to some extra calories being burned, but this direct effect is unlikely to help you lose a lot of weight.  However, there are plenty of indirect benefits you can receive from soaking in a hot tub that can help your weight loss efforts. 

It’s important to remember that losing weight is mainly a function of consuming fewer calories than you are burning.  So, the two main areas that need to be scrutinized are what you eat and how much you exercise.  But there are many secondary factors that play a role in how easy it is to control your diet and activity levels and a hot tub can help to this end.

Stress

Stress hormones, such as cortisol, can affect the body in a way that makes you prone to gaining weight.  It’s been found that high levels of cortisol running through the bloodstream can affect the body’s ability to store fat which can result in an increase in abdominal fat.  This may be because people who have high levels of cortisol in their system are more likely to crave fatty foods.  Cortisol has also been found to reduce testosterone levels which can negatively affect muscle tissue development.  Because muscle tissue is very efficient at burning calories, stress can impair the body’s ability to expend energy.

Hot tubs are great for reducing stress.  The warm water soothes both the body and the mind and brings on a sense of relaxation.  Those with outdoor hot tubs will have access to fresh air and may find themselves surrounded by nature which can add to the relaxing effects.  Reducing stress will reduce cortisol levels in the body and allow it to burn calories more efficiently.

Injuries

Injuries can prevent people from getting the proper amount of exercise.  Hot tubs can play a role in helping the body recover from physical ailments due to injury.  The warm temperature of the water dilates the blood vessels and capillaries which increases the rate of blood circulation to the injured area.  This speeds up the healing process.  Once you’ve recovered from an injury, you’ll be able to become more active, burn more calories and lose more weight.

Sleep

It’s been found that those who suffer from sleep deprivation are more likely to consume more calories than those who get a good night’s sleep.  Not only does insomnia increase the body’s cortisol levels, but it has also been found to increase ghrelin levels - a hormone associated with increased feelings of hunger.  Lack of sleep has been found to decrease the levels of the hormone leptin which is partially responsible for feeling satiated after eating.  And at the cellular level, lack of sleep has been found to reduce the efficiency of the mitochondria which are responsible for burning sugars.

The relaxing effects of hot water can be part of a program to help prepare one to go to sleep.  On top of that, once you get out of the hot tub, the drop-in body temperature sends signals to your brain that it’s time to go to sleep.

For more information about the benefits of using a hot tub, download our free hot tub buyer’s guide today.