You've been taking baths wrong - and it could be damaging your health

26 November 2023 , 14:05

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Long baths may feel luxurious - but they could be damaging your health (Stock Image) (Image: Getty Images/Hero Images)

A nice long soak at the end of a stressful day with all your favourite products and a scented candle is the ultimate treat - but baths that are too long could be damaging your health.

As tempting as it may be to luxuriate in the tub for hours with a good book, experts have shared the optimum time you should be spending in the bath - and it's not that much longer than you may spend in the shower.

Victorian Plumbing has conducted a study to find the ultimate bath time for optimum relaxation, hydration, and a good night's sleep.

The experiment involved 20 participants, half male and half female, who took baths of varying lengths and rated how they felt afterwards based on a number of factors.

The study showed that 22 minutes is the optimum length of time to spend in the bath in order to feel relaxed, hydrated, and sleepy.

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According to the study, if you bathe for more than 27 minutes, you may get out of the bath feeling dehydrated - and this supports the advice of some professionals, who suggest that baths should be no longer than 30 minutes.

It was also uncovered that baths impact men and women slightly differently. Women have a better night's sleep after a longer bath, around 30 minutes long, whereas men sleep better after just 19 minutes in the tub.

Those who felt most relaxed in the bath had scrolled on their phone during their time in the tub, whereas those who watched TV were least relaxed.

Brenna Ryan from Victorian Plumbing shared that "studies have even suggested that bathing has similar benefits to exercise", and if you take a bath for the optimum amount of time, you'll likely "sleep like a baby."

Danielle Kate Wroe