Daily foot soaking: neurologist explains health benefits
Soaking your feet in winter, especially after a long walk, is a pleasant activity, isn«t it? However, it turns out to be very beneficial as well. Our colleagues from Doctor Piter looked into exactly how.
From stress and headache
According to neurologist Ksenia Ovsyannikova, warming the feet calms the nervous system and relieves vascular spasms. Another plus: this procedure helps cleanse the lymphatic system, as there are a huge number of sweat glands — excretory ducts — on the soles.
«Our nervous system is designed to constantly scan our internal and external state. When regulatory systems detect distress, they begin to constrict blood vessels in the hands and feet. How does this manifest? We feel that our hands and feet are cold. And when we deliberately warm them, especially the feet up to the ankles, the nervous system receives a signal: there«s no need to worry, stress, get nervous, constrict all sphincters, raise blood pressure, or increase heart rate, everything is fine,» explained Ksenia Ovsyannikova on her Telegram channel.
According to the doctor, soaking feet is very useful in various situations:
if your feet are cold;
you«ve become overly nervous, stressed out;
you feel like you»re getting sick, but don«t have a fever yet;
your blood pressure has risen, but not severely — no hypertensive crisis;
you have a headache.
How long to soak
The doctor advises keeping feet in hot water for no more than 5–10 minutes per day. The main criterion: it should feel pleasant during the process, not painful or too hot. Therefore, don«t forget to monitor the water temperature, or you could get burned.
If you want to enhance the cleansing effect for the lymphatic system, the doctor recommends adding ordinary salt and baking soda to the water — no more than 5 tablespoons.
Who should not soak their feet
Even such a simple and seemingly harmless procedure has its contraindications. If you have a fever, spiked blood pressure, or an exacerbated chronic illness, you should not soak your feet. The neurologist clarifies: contraindications also include oncological diseases, inflammations, and actively growing benign formations in the pelvic organs.
«If these are some small fibroids, nodules, there will be nothing wrong with you soaking your feet and relieving stress,» added Ksenia Ovsyannikova.
The specialist noted that foot soaking relieves spasms, including in the biliary system, so the liver will better eliminate metabolites of female sex hormones, meaning this procedure will benefit women«s health. But there»s a nuance: you shouldn«t indulge in thermal procedures during menstruation.
By the way
A hot bath is generally very beneficial, even better than a sauna. As researchers from the University of Oregon found, immersion in water at 40.5°C (105°F) lowers blood pressure and stimulates immune responses — a similar effect to going to the gym. It also helps with weight loss: a hot bath affects the body much like cardio training.
Moreover, a hot bath helps strengthen the heart, reduce the risk of plaque formation in arteries, and decrease vascular stiffness. Thanks to this, the risk of strokes and heart attacks is lowered. Also, regular exposure to hot water helps regulate blood sugar levels and relieve muscle pain.
