Water naturally calms our senses. Whether listening to the soothing sound of the surf, sitting by the water’s edge, swimming, soaking in a hydrotherapy spa treatment, or luxuriating in the comfort of your own bathtub, you’ll find water relaxing.

Physiologically, baths help promote rest, since there is a correlation between body temperature and sleep. Our body temperature has a normal fluctuation of about 1.5 to 2 degrees, with a peak in the late morning or early afternoon and a decline in the evening. We get sleepy when our body temperatures naturally drop in the evening. That drop is assisted when we cool off after a bath.

Close the bath door and shut out the world. Fill the bath with warm water. Dim the light or use candles to gently illuminate the space. Try an eye mask or compress to soothe tired eyes and tense temple muscles. Recline with a waterproof neck. Play some soft instrumental music. Slip into solitude and let the day go. This ritual provides a gentle invitation to sleep.

You can also slow down with a shower. Showers are mistakenly viewed as the stimulating sibling of the more seating bath. But steamy showers can be sensuous and relaxing. Linger and let the water massage your tight muscles.

To double the benefits of bathing, try a relaxing Epsom salts bath and shower combo. After a tiring day, loosen taut muscles in a tub filled with two cups of Epsom salts and hot water (stimulating but not scalding). Sink into bath, and lounge with a towel or bath pillow behind your head. When the bathwater begins to cool, stand up and turn on the shower. Rinse yourself off with a blast of cold water, the end with a warning stream.

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This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 9:53 am and is filed under Insomnia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.