When was the last time you went for a sauna treatment? For centuries, people have been going to saunas for what would appear to be a time to catch up but, there it turns out that the wet or dry saunas have immense health benefits. With the Finnish and the Scandinavians giving credit to saunas for good health, the sauna culture is spreading like wildfire. 3,000 years ago, the Mayans used sweat houses to relax and unwind, and for therapy according to the Harvard Health Publications.
If you aren’t convinced, check out the potential benefits of saunas.
- They promote weight loss
With all the extra inches you have added to your waist since you landed that job as the lead tax lawyer in your firm, and you swamped calendar, sauna therapy could be all you need to lose some weight.
Dry heat from the sauna will increase your heart rate substantially, and a 20-minute session at 170 degrees Fahrenheit could burn up to 500 calories. The heat and the elevated heartbeat will rev up your metabolism.
- They flush out toxins
Sweating is the body’s ways of excreting toxins. In the sauna, you will sweat profusely, flushing out toxins from your body.
- It boosts the immune function
Besides ridding the body of toxins that affect cellular function, sauna therapy will boost the production of white cells. The activated white cells will fight infections and disease-causing parasites. Increased use of the sauna will increase your white blood cells count, and in case you fall ill you will heal fast.
- It offers fibromyalgia support
Sauna therapy helps to alleviate the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. The treatments lower the level of pain felt, and also increase the quality of life.
- It improves cardiovascular health
It turns out that a visit to the sauna isn’t just relaxing but also helpful to the functioning of your heart. The sauna therapy lowers the risk of hypertension, as well as cardiac death. Sauna treatments affect the blood pressure, heart rates, as well as your general cardiovascular health. The effectiveness comes from the fact that sauna treatment lowers the systolic and the diastolic pressure.
The reduced pressure results from the expansion of blood vessels. The change in pressure also arises from the elevated body temperatures which widen blood vessels enhancing blood flow.
Also, the heart rate increases as it would during moderate workout keeping the heart in good shape. The treatment keeps the heart pumping and in good shape.
- It lowers stress
If you feel stressed out, you might want to reconsider your trip to the grocery store for a tub of ice cream, visiting the sauna instead. The sauna treatment relieves mental and physical stress. By increasing your heart rate and acting like a moderate workout, it activates the release of feel-good hormones, lowers cortisol levels, boosting your mood. In the process, it also enhances the health of your heart by reducing the risk of hypertension.
- Saunas ease pain
The increased circulation helps in reducing the soreness of muscle while improving joint movements and relieving arthritic pain.
- Asthma
Saunas reduce the symptoms of asthma and also reduce the risk of attacks by opening up the airways, loosening phlegm, and also reducing stress.
Other benefits of saunas include alleviating skin problems like psoriasis, and it could also lower the risk of Alzheimer’s.
As you think of incorporating sauna sessions to improve your wellbeing, be careful not to put yourself at risk of high blood pressure or dehydration.
