Take a bath instead of only a shower, if you can

Cost

A bit more for water and electricity. Half an hour each time.

What you get

A Japanese study of 30,000 (3.0万) people aged 40 to 59 followed for 19 years, with 2097 cardiovascular events. People who bathed almost every day had about 28% lower risk of a cardiovascular event than people who bathed no more than twice a week (hazard ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.62–0.84, the plausible range). Coronary heart disease was about 35% lower (0.65, 0.45–0.94). Stroke was about 26% lower (0.74, 0.62–0.87). Brain hemorrhage was about 46% lower (0.54, 0.40–0.73)

Notes

The dispute is that this result comes from a Japanese population and bathtub culture, and most households in China are not set up for daily baths. Also, the water should not be too hot, and you shouldn't soak too long. For older people and people with heart or brain blood vessel disease, water that is too hot and soaks that are too long are actually dangerous. In 2024, 7776 people in Japan drowned in bathtubs. Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency (消费者厅) says common causes are a big temperature difference between the house and the bathroom in winter, and soaking too long in hot water. After drinking alcohol, don't take a bath or soak in a hot spring or sauna; see §22.11 (don't soak in a hot spring after drinking).

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. 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
2. Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan. Be Careful of Accidents Among Older Adults at the Year-End and New Year [in Japanese] (the page gives no publication date; the figures are cited from the 2024 vital statistics of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare): "The number of deaths from 'drowning and submersion in or due to falling into a bathtub' was 7,776 in Reiwa 6" "Causes cited include sudden changes in blood pressure due to the temperature difference between a warm room and a cold changing room or bathroom, and impaired consciousness due to a rise in body temperature from soaking for a long time in a bathtub filled with hot water". https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/consumer_safety/caution/caution_084/

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 2, tip 36. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer