The 8 benefits of sea water, for your health and well-being

Going to the beach doesn't just mean enjoying the sun and getting a tan. It also implies power enjoy the sea and the benefits of immersing yourself in its water, either for swimming or to take advantage of what its mineral properties give us. Do you know them?

For those who are lucky enough to live near the sea or who will be able to enjoy it this summer, we tell you the 8 benefits of seawater for health and well-being.

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Why is sea water beneficial?

There are so many benefits of seawater for our health that it could even be considered that it acts as a natural medicine. Their healthy benefits are both physiological and mental, since it even improves our mood.

For the sick of the nineteenth century, suffering from diseases such as tuberculosis or bronchitis, it was typical to spend a few retirement seasons on the coast. On the one hand they benefited from warmer and sunnier climates; for another, being by the sea allowed them to take advantage of its medicinal properties.

But what is it that gives seawater so many benefits? Well, mainly its high content of mineral salts. These make up some 35 grams of mineral salts per liter of water. Other compounds that we can find in water are small traces of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sulfate.

This group of salts and minerals present in salt water have a series of properties that help in different aspects of our health and well-being. Below you have a list with the main benefits of seawater.

The 8 benefits of seawater for health

Due to its mixture of mineral salts, sea water is an effective medicine that can be helpful when treating a wide variety of health problems.

1. It is good for the skin

Its mixture of mineral salts, such as magnesium or potassium, act on the skin, absorbing the toxins that accumulate in it and acting as a powerful exfoliant. That is why one of the main benefits of seawater is that helps fight many skin problems such as acne, eczema or psoriasis.

It also helps prevent these problems, thanks to the anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties of magnesium, which slow down the development of bacteria and fungi that can cause them.

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2. Helps to heal

Another benefit of seawater is its healing properties. Its high content of salts such as iodine or sodium allows seawater to act as an antiseptic and help heal before the wounds.

3. Beneficial for rheumatism and arthritis

Sea water combined with exercise is ideal for treating problems such as rheumatism or arthritis, since it allows you to do physical activity with less impact on bones and muscles. In this case, exercises such as Pilates in seawater or swimming are recommended.

4. Strengthens the immune system

There are studies that affirm that one of the benefits of seawater is that its baths help to increase the level of white cells, necessary for the good functioning of the immune system and to fight infections. In addition and as we have already mentioned, its mineral salts act as antibacterial.

5. Improves respiratory problems

Another of the traditional benefits of seawater is that helps heal and improve respiratory problems. The mineral salts that compose it help to eliminate toxins and substances that attack the lungs, and help to purify them. That is why breathing the air from the sea is beneficial for people who suffer from respiratory problems such as asthma.

6. Drinking small amounts is detoxifying

Although sea water is not drinkable, drinking small amounts of salt water can be beneficial for our stomach health, as has laxative and detox functions for the body, helping to eliminate toxins and purify the colon. For this you can mix two tablespoons of sea salt in a liter of hot water, and take a glass of this preparation on an empty stomach to stimulate the bowel movement.

7. Reduces anxiety and depression

Being by the sea not only works as a natural relaxant because of the tranquility of its natural landscape or the relaxing sound of the waves. The magnesium present in seawater also works as a natural painkiller and helps reduce stress.

In addition, the lightness that we feel in the water also has calming effects, as well as the breathing that we take when we submerge when we swim or dive. That is why exercises such as hydrotherapy help combat the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

8. It helps fight insomnia

Another benefit of seawater for our mental health is that it helps us fight insomnia. In line with the calming effects that we mentioned in the previous point, sea water has a calming effect and helps regulate blood pressure, so it will help us to get a better sleep after spending a day at the beach.

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