Night-Time Hot Spring Bathing Is Associated with a Lower Systolic Blood Pressure among Japanese Older Adults: A Single-Institution Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Hot spring bathing is practiced to help manage hypertension. We retrospectively investigated the effects of hot spring bathing on hypertension with the aim of identifying a novel approach to prevent and manage hypertension. The study cohort comprised 99 patients aged ≥65 years admitted to Kyushu University Beppu Hospital between 1 December 2021 and 30 November 2022 who could walk by themselves and who used hot springs for ≥3 days during their hospital stay. The changes in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly decreased in the night-time bathing group (n = 21) compared with the noontime (n = 26) and afternoon (n = 52) groups. Night-time hot spring bathing was significantly associated with reduced systolic blood pressure the next morning in older adults. Although prospective randomized controlled trials on night-time hot spring bathing as a hypertension treatment are warranted to investigate whether the practice can prevent hypertension among adults aged ≥65 years, we have initiated a single-center, phase II study on the relationship between sleep quality and quality of life in hypertensive patients after night-time hot spring bathing.