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Originally Posted On: https://www.pinetales.com/blogs/pillows-bedroom-sleep-health-lifestyle/the-benefits-of-heating-pads-to-sooth-sore-muscles-and-support-sleep

 

Heat therapy goes back to ancient times when the Chinese, Japanese, and Greeks used hot springs to treat injuries and sore muscles. Hot baths with Epsom salts and aromatherapy herbs can help soothe and relax sore muscles.

 

Heating pads like our organic cherry pit heating pad can be helpful to relieve neck shoulder and body aches. Our heating pad is a nice way to wind down after a long day. It can also be a part of your nighttime routine for getting ready for sleep.

Heating pads can soothe menstrual pain, low back pain, and many other types of chronic pain. Hot compresses and heating pads are often used for gallbladder pain.

Saunas and heating pads are a type of dry heat application. Doctors also use dry heat from ultrasound devices to help expedite healing.

Moist heat from steam baths and moist heat compresses are another way to treat injuries with heat. Physical therapists use heat in sessions to reduce the soreness of an injury.

How Do Heating Pads Work?

Heat treatment can be amazing for relaxing tight or tired muscles. Heating pads help increase circulation and bring nutrients to sore and tight muscles. Heat can help flush out toxins to promote faster healing for injuries.

When you have pain in the back or shoulders you can lie directly on the heating pad. For other areas simply place the heating pad on the area that is sore. Pain and soreness from exercising often come from a build-up of lactic acid. The heat helps the circulation, so you get fast relief from the lactic acid build-up.

Types of Heating Pads

• Our cherry pit natural organic microwaveable heating pad
• Far infrared heating pads
• Full body mats that you can lie on
• Hot and cold wraps for the neck
• Rice, corn, and oat-filled heating pads
• Aromatherapy heating pads
• Electric heating pads
• Portable disposable gel packs for both heat and cold can be found at your pharmacy

How to Use a Microwavable Heating Pad

With our cherry pit heat pack, simply place the pad in the microwave for a few minutes and place it on the area you want to treat.

 

Always check with your doctor before using a heating pad on a serious injury. Never use a heating pad on swollen or broken skin.

Remember that for swelling you would want to use ice for at least the first 24 hours. Cold compresses help reduce blood flow so the swelling can go down. Cold compresses can also suppress pain for acute injuries.

• For muscle soreness and injuries that are chronic heat is often helpful.
• You can use a heating pad safely for up to 20 minutes at a time.
• Never put a heating pad directly on bare skin. Always put a towel or fabric between the skin and the heating pad.
• Never use topical treatments in conjunction with your heating pad. These could cause irritation or burning of the skin when heated.

People with certain medical conditions should not use heat therapy unless prescribed by their doctor. If you have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or deep vein thrombosis, for instance, you should check with your doctor before using heat.

Electric Heating Pads

Electric heating pads are great for taking to work or using at home but be sure your heating pad has an automatic shutoff timer, so you don’t accidentally doze off and keep it on too long.

 

The beauty of our microwavable cherry pit heating pad is that it cools down naturally so there is no danger of getting too much heat over a long period of time.

Far-Infrared Heating Pads

Some heating pads use far infrared technology to help with heat therapy that penetrates more deeply than regular heating pads.

Far infrared is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is just beyond red light. Far infrared is found in sunlight, but it is beyond the visible light rays. Far Infrared is the feeling of heat we get from the sun or from standing near a fire.

Far infrared waves are closest to the microwave part of the light spectrum. Many heat lamps and saunas use far infrared because it penetrates deeply into the body and can help detoxify the body faster than regular saunas and heating pads.

Near-infrared wavelength has no heat and is used for things like remote controls.

Full-Body Heating Pads

Full-body heating pads can be wonderful for athletes or people with arthritis.

Popular are amethyst and jade far-infrared full body heating pads. The heat makes the stones release far infrared waves.

There are also vibrating heating mats for full-body pain relief and relaxation.

 

 

Neck Wraps

Neck wraps are another great way to get heat to the neck and shoulders. Your neck is a relatively thin area that is an important place in the body because so many nerves pass through the neck. The muscles are close to the surface here and easy to treat.

Putting a heating pad or neck wrap on the neck can help with treating headaches and postural pain.

 

 

Natural microwavable heating pads

Many traditional heating pads are filled with rice, flaxseed, or corn. But we chose cherry pits for our heating pad because there is no heated grain smell, and cherries retain heat very nicely. Cherry pits smell wonderful which adds to the soothing quality of our heating pad.

For the best organic all-natural heating pad be sure to check out our cherry pit heating pad with a soft removable washable woven bamboo cover.

The combination of our heating pad with one of our natural breathable buckwheat hull pillows, millet hull pillows, and our natural sleep aid can help you get the optimal and ultimate sleep you deserve so you can wake up ready to face the day’s challenges.

All of our pillows are handmade and we make a variety of covers. The beauty of our pillows is that they are adjustable to fit your sleep style.