Take baths whenever you can — don’t limit yourself to showers

36. Take baths whenever you can — don’t limit yourself to showers

Cost: It costs a bit more in water and electricity; each bath takes about half an hour.

In plain terms: People who bathe almost daily have roughly 28% lower risk of cardiovascular events and about 46% lower risk of brain hemorrhage compared to those who bathe fewer than twice a week.

Benefit: A Japanese study involving 30,000 participants followed over 19 years identified 2,097 cardiovascular events. Those who bathed almost daily showed roughly 28% lower risk of cardiovascular events than those bathing no more than twice a week (hazard ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.62–0.84). The risk of coronary heart disease was about 35% lower (0.65, 0.45–0.94), stroke risk dropped by roughly 26% (0.74, 0.62–0.87), and brain hemorrhage risk fell by about 46% (0.54, 0.40–0.73).

Evidence grade: B

Sources: Ukai T, Iso H, Yamagishi K, et al. (2020). Habitual tub bathing and risks of incident coronary heart disease and stroke. Heart, 106(10), 732-737. <https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2019-315752>

Notes: There are some caveats: these results come from a Japanese population with a strong bathtub culture; most Chinese households lack the facilities for daily baths. Also, water should not be too hot and baths should not be excessively long. For older adults and those with existing cardiovascular or cerebrovascular conditions, very hot water and prolonged immersion can actually be dangerous — Japan sees many elderly deaths in bathtubs each year.