You'll never guess what but according to the the Mamiverse website "These handy little old-school items [hot water bottles that is] are a must-have in any house, and they are one of the most low-tech, low-cost, fuss-free ways to alleviate pain and deliver warmth." Here is the list of the top 8 things the website suggests you can do with a hot water bottle.
1. Alleviate Menstrual Cramps
It’s that time of the month and you’re all sorts of cramps in places you can’t even explain. We’ve all been there. In fact, many of us have been there every month since we hit puberty. While pain medications can work to alleviate cramps, try a more natural solution by applying heat to your lower abdomen with a hot water bottle. The heat has been said to relax the uterus, as well as reduce constriction of your blood vessels and improve blood flow to the uterus, all of which can help ease your cramps.
2. Soothe Back Pain
If you experience regular back pain then a hot water bottle is a really good investment for you. According to Lauri Grossman, DO, a licensed chiropractor and the founder of the Department of Homeopathic Medicine at New York University, using hot and cold therapy can help ease back pain. She explains “cold therapy (applied via an ice pack) works better for inflammation and helps to reduce swelling, while heat (via a hot water bottle or heating pad) is ideal for reducing cramping and muscle spasms.”
3. Relieve a Headache
Using a heat pack or cold pack on your head and neck can make a headache feel better naturally without needing to pop pills. Heat works better for some people while a cold compress might feel soothing to you. Play around with both options to see what works, and luckily you can use your hot water bottle for both scenarios.
4. Ice Pack
Instead of filling your bottle with warm/hot water, fill it half way and then stick it in the freezer, instantly turning it into an ice pack to soothe bumps, bruises, sore knees and all your kid’s boo-boos.
5. Warm up in Bed
On a cold winter night sometimes it just feels impossible to warm up. You can crank the heat (and crank up your bills), you can plug in a space heater (which has risks and costs associated as well), or you can take the old-fashioned route and use a hot water bottle. Simply fill it with hot water and stick it in your bed, under your blankets, about 10 minutes before you plan to hit the sack. Your sheets will be warm and ready for you to cozy up in no time.
6. Water Your Plants
When the water is no longer hot and you don’t need your hot water bag anymore, don’t just dump the water down the drain. Use that water (now luke warm or cool) to water plants or fill up your pet’s water bowl.
7. Cleanse Your Colon
When you put together the words colon and cleanse it doesn’t sound so pleasant to us either, but some practitioners argue that it has major health benefits to cleanse your system from time to time. And when you do, using a hot water bag on your abdomen can help increase the benefits to your liver and colon. Simply lay on your bed or couch with the heat applied to your mid-section to achieve desired results of the cleanse.
8. Ease Stomach Cramps
Diarrhea is never fun to talk about and it’s definitely not fun to have. When it does strike you want to feel better, stat. While a hot water bath can’t make the runs go away (we wish), it can make you feel a bit more comfortable. Along with diarrhea many people experience painful stomach cramps, which can be alleviated with moderate heat applied to your abdomen. Use a hot water bath to deliver heat in a controlled fashion and try to relax and let the warmth do its work.
