According to a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, a nice, relaxing hot bath is genuinely relaxing enough that it might lower your blood pressure more than an intensive 30-minute workout.Researchers at the University of Western Australia gathered 25 overweight or obese adults aged 45 to 70 and subjected them to two distinct tests, spaced at least three days apart. In one session, participants spent 30 minutes chest-deep in a tub of 104°F water. In the other, they spent 30 minutes pedaling on a stationary bike at a moderate pace.When scientists scanned the tiny blood vessels beneath the participants’ skin using optical coherence tomography, the tub beat the bike across the board. Turning a bathtub into a you-flavored soup caused bigger increases in blood vessel diameter and blood flow speed, along with more overall microvascular density than pedaling a bike. That 30-minute soak even produced slightly larger drops in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which you might otherwise know as the numerical values after getting your blood pressure checked.Your Evening Bath Could Have a Benefit Beyond RelaxationThe idea here is that when your core body temperature goes up when you’re soaking in a hot tub, your circulatory system enters a kind of overdrive state in an attempt to dissipate heat, thereby dilating blood vessels through a process called vasodilation, surging blood through your skin. When you’re on a bike, your heart rate spikes due to muscle contraction, but your blood vessels are experiencing the same kind of extreme thermal strain.None of this means that you should replace your cycling routine with a tub soak, since the benefits of a hot bath versus cycling begin and end at lowering blood pressure. When you’re exercising, you’re building muscle and burning calories, all while strengthening your heart, all stuff that a bath will never be able to replicate. If you’re young, pedal away and then soak in a hot bath for 30 minutes afterward if you really want to get your blood pressure down. Older adults and anyone dealing with mobility issues can turn to a steaming hot bath to reap the apparently legitimate low-effort blood pressure benefits.The post Doing This May Lower Blood Pressure More Than a Workout, Small Study Finds appeared first on VICE.