Life can be pretty demanding. Stress and fatigue have become our unwelcome companions almost every day, severely affecting our well-being. Because of this, we always tend to look for a place to relax and recharge our body and mind. Fortunately, saunas offer more than just heat; they help us feel better and give us a place to rest, relax, and recover from tiring days.
In this article, we’ll explore and discuss all the amazing 10 benefits of sauna you can enjoy. Let's explore the essence of saunas, their types, and their hidden advantages, particularly when enjoyed in the comfort of our homes.
What Is a Sauna
A sauna is an enclosed room of any size designed to help its users sweat. It’s heated to high temperatures without raising the humidity levels for a relaxing sauna session.
There are currently two main types of sauna:
Traditional/Steam Sauna: This type uses either wood-burning or an electric heater as the heat source, with temperatures ranging from 150° to 195° F. Stones are heated, and water is poured over them to create steam and moisture inside the room.
Infrared Sauna: This type uses infrared technology that produces heat waves. These waves then heat the body itself, not entirely the room. Its heated temperature usually ranges from 110° to 135° F.
Take note that these temperatures are the standard temperatures of common saunas. However, you may find sauna models that can heat at higher maximum temperatures. Ultimately, the choice between the two sauna types comes down to your preferences and desired sauna experience.
10 Benefits of Sauna Use
Whether you use a traditional or infrared sauna, the benefits you get from each are similar. This proves that sauna bathing is more than just a relaxing session. Here are its proven benefits:
1. Relieves Stress
The heat in the sauna enhances blood circulation. This promotes relaxation and regulates the cortisol levels in the bloodstream. Cortisol, the stress hormone, can trigger various health issues and sleep disturbances when elevated.
With sauna bathing, the production of serotonin is stimulated, which helps reduce cortisol levels. Serotonin is the “happy hormone” that makes us feel good. When you’re feeling good and can enjoy a “me-time,” your stress build-up is reduced, and you get more relaxed.
2. Helps With Workout Recovery
When we exercise, small muscles can tear and strain. This could lead to soreness and tension. It’s best to treat them immediately so you can perform well the following day. Using the sauna is one of the best ways to do that.
Thermotherapy is widely used to relieve different kinds of muscle pains or issues. With the heat, the sauna will relax your muscles and soothe any pain in your muscles and joints. Additionally, increasing body temperature during a sauna session enhances blood circulation, expediting the body’s natural healing process.
3. Improves Sleep
When you’re relaxed and feel little to no pain, you get to enjoy a good night’s sleep. As your body temperature declines after your sauna session, it relaxes your body more and more. This slow, relaxing decline helps facilitate a deeper sleep.
4. Rejuvenates the Skin
Skin issues are mainly caused by clogged pores with lots of dead cells. One way to open these pores is by using steam or heat.
With the sauna heat, your pores will start to open up. After that, you’ll start sweating, which helps in removing dead skin cells and bacteria in your skin. Although this is a naturally occurring process, enjoying a sauna bath helps speed up this process.
Cleansing your pores will bring out the best qualities of your skin. In most cases, it improves capillary circulation, making your skin softer-looking and fresher.
5. Detoxifies the Body
This is one of the most popular benefits of saunas. Sauna baths cause profuse sweating, helping you remove toxins from your system. As we sweat, deposits such as environmental chemicals we absorb are purged from our system.
Moreover, our liver and kidneys can excrete toxins through sweat. So, when you sweat during a sauna session, you’re flushing out the toxins from your liver and kidneys.
6. Helps With Weight Loss
Aside from removing toxins, sweating also shows the burning of calories in the body. When you’re in the sauna, the heat causes your heart rate to increase. This directly affects your calorie burn. When you burn calories, you start losing weight as well.
7. Lowers Blood Pressure
Reducing hypertension risk is another well-known advantage of sauna bathing. Improved blood circulation leads to lower blood pressure, mitigating potential cardiovascular risks.
8. Offers Recreational and Social Benefits
This benefit is often overlooked but is as significant as the others. Sauna sessions can be private, but spending them with family and friends can also be relaxing. Saunas have an intimate-like room environment, making it conducive for open and quiet conversations.
9. Helps Fight Illness
When the body is exposed to the sauna's heat, the production of white blood cells in your body increases rapidly. With more white blood cells, your body can fight illnesses and kill viruses. For instance, by regularly taking sauna baths, you can relieve any uncomfortable symptoms of sinus congestion from colds or allergies.
10. Strengthens Immune System and Heart Health
Saunas heat your body’s core, resulting in a more active immune system. Remember, the body reacts to infections by increasing body temperature levels which combat the disease. That’s exactly how a sauna strengthens your immune system.
At the same time, as your core’s temperature increases, your blood vessels dilate, and your cardiac output increases. This leads to better heart health. With a healthier heart and immune system, it’s easier to stay healthy; all you need is regular sauna sessions.
Conclusion
Saunas have been an integral part of cultures worldwide and have provided extreme stress relief and health benefits ever since. In this article, we highlighted 10 of these benefits, including enhancing stress reduction, recovery, sleep, skin health, detoxification, weight loss, blood pressure regulation, and social interactions. They also boost immunity, heart health, and illness resistance.
Embracing saunas is a holistic approach to well-being, providing physical and mental rejuvenation for a healthier life. If you’re looking for sauna options, check out our massive sauna collection. We offer different saunas types and styles that would match your needs and preferences!
