Verification of relaxation effects on the physical and mental aspects of hand bath in comparison with whole-body bathing

Abstract

  The present study validated the relaxation effect of hand bath and whole-body bathing to compare whether hand bath has the same relaxation effects as whole-body bathing on 18 healthy female college students. Whole-body bathing and hand bath were performed on different days. The bathing methods were conducted for 10 min with hot water (～40℃), followed by a 60-min rest period. The R-R interval, CV_R-R, HF, LF/HF, and subjective responses were measured by the Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition (POMS2; Japanese version). During whole-body bathing, the R-R interval was significantly shortened, HF values decreased, and LF/HF values increased, compared with baseline (all p < .05). After whole-body bathing, the R-R interval extended and HF values increased, but this difference was not significant. Conversely, after hand bath, the R-R interval initially extended gradually and then extended significantly while resting; the HF values initially decreased significantly at 1-5 min but then increased significantly at 11-15 min (all p < .05). The LF/HF values did not markedly change after hand bath. “Tension-anxiety” and “fatigue-inertia” scores by POMS2 decreased significantly after hand bath (all p < .05). However, these scores did not markedly change after whole-body bathing. According to the results, parasympathetic nervous system activity was enhanced during resting after hand bath, leading to a relaxation state, and it subjectively relieved mental and physical tension and reduced fatigue. However, the same effect was not observed after whole-body bathing. These results indicated that hand bath as nursing care has more relaxation effects than whole-body bathing.