An Introduction to the Heat Pad

Posted by sleepyguy in Prescription Sleep Medicine on March 31st, 2010

A heat pad is a common item in most homes today; they are in general used to add warmth or heat to chosen areas of your body which might have a benefit from the added temperature. It works by warming up the blood circulation; which warms up the area of the body which needs healing to due injury or medical treatment. It can also be used to reduce pain that is related to injuries as well as it can help tense muscles to relax.

It can be of great benefit to have a heating pad if you have troubles with any symptoms mentioned above, because the heat from the pad increases the blood circulation. Increased blood circulation adds additional oxygen to the injured areas which helps them relax better.

Today there are a lot of different types available on the market, which can be bought through retailers or online. Heat pads nowadays seem to be microwaveable or electrical heating pads. These head pads come in a large range of sizes and different shapes to suit your needs.

Another type of heating pad works by a chemical reaction which is created inside an enclosed environment. These can be useful for instant warming of your hands during cold weather, which enables you to continue with the task you needed to do because your fingers will get back alive. These are great if you do not have access to some of today’s modern conveniences such as electricity or perhaps a microwave.

These heat pads mainly origin from the old method of using simply type of hot water bottles to help keeping the bed warm during cold winter nights, or the even older version of heating pads, when the servant came with a container filled of warm stones and put them into the bed and removed it before the royalty had to sleep.

“What is in it for me?” Our human nature causes us to ask this question. Ultimately, we are concerned about our own interests. We should certainly be courteous when driving, waiting in line, or chatting on the phone. However, we ultimately want to know how we will benefit from certain products or services. Hot stone therapy is no different. Is it helpful for therapists to use stones, and hot ones at that? In fact, hot stone massages can provide patients with a wide range of benefits. Here are some of the most significant ones:

1. Revitalizes and relaxes muscles and muscle tissue

Unfortunately, getting a hot stone massage will not give you the physique of the Incredible Hulk. However, it can revitalize muscles that are weak and unused. If you are recovering from an injury, a massage can speed up your recovery, and can improve muscles that have become weakened, due to inactivity.

In addition to reinvigorating your muscles, massages can also provide relief to “trigger points” in your muscles. By relaxing tense muscles in part of the body, you can actually benefit other regions of the body as well.

2. Improves blood circulation

While massages in general can improve your blood circulation, hot stone massages are fantastic at achieving this goal. The reason is that they use heat therapy. The therapist warms the stones to a perfect temperature, which allows them to inflate tiny blood vessels in your body. The result is that your blood circulation quickens.

3. The body releases toxins

Perspiring not only serves as the body’s air-conditioner, but also allows the body to release toxins. While we often do not consider skin to be an organ, it is technically the largest organ of the human body! By using heat therapy, such as hot stone massages, the increase of the body’s temperature causes perspiration to push toxins out of the skin’s pores. This can have a tremendously helpful effect on your overall health, and can even be effective against some sicknesses.

4. Stress-reduction takes place

Stress is a part of everyday life. However, it is important to realize that although we cannot always eliminate the causes of stress, we can indeed change how we deal with it. Stress basically consists of those tense and worrisome feelings we have, due to problems in our lives. Hot stone massages reduce stress by allowing our bodies to relax, and increasing our bodies’ blood circulation. The heat therapy from stones creates this effect.

5. Reduces pain

Our bodies sense the world, through tiny objects called sensory receptors. However, our brains tell our sensory receptors “You are feeling pain.” Hot stones reduce the signals of pain from the sensory receptors, to the brain. Thus, we feel less pain.

Hot stone massages can provide an array of benefits, including the aforementioned ones. Reducing stress in our lives remains one of the most effective ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle of our hectic modern world. Hot stone massages remain one of the best ways to decrease the stress and increase the rest!


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