Saunas are thought of primarily as hot places where you sweat out toxins, improve circulation, and increase your overall health and wellbeing. These benefits are actually only the tip of the iceberg! If you’re wondering why so many people enjoy saunas, it’s not just because they feel great but because they have significant health benefits. In this article, we’ll talk about the ways that saunas can help heal your body from the inside out!
1. One of the Best Ways to Detoxify
One of your bodys most essential functions is to rid itself of toxins. Without detoxification, harmful substances including chemicals, prescription medications and other foreign substances can build up in your system and cause illness or disease. Fortunately, a sauna can help your body cleanse itself. While its not 100 percent proven that using a sauna helps you eliminate toxins, many people have seen an increase in their overall health after just a few weeks.
2. Boost Immune System
The sauna is said to be one of most effective ways to improve your immune system. Its believed that regular sauna-goers experience fewer colds and flus due to its ability to eliminate toxins and boost white blood cell production. In fact, its even been shown that saunas might help ward off heart disease as well as cancer. So how exactly does it work? When you sit in a sauna, you re exposed to high levels of heat which causes blood vessels to dilate. This increases blood flow throughout your body and helps increase oxygen levels in your bloodstream two things that are essential for supporting a healthy immune system.
3. Build Muscles
Exercising and building muscle can reduce your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke and certain cancers. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue so it is also a major weight-loss tool. Even if you dont have time to exercise regularly, every little bit helps; try squeezing in 20-minute increments as often as possible.
4. Help Fight Illness
According to sauna medical research, saunas can significantly reduce the incidences of colds and influenza among study participants. When the body is exposed to the heat of a sauna and steam (in the case of traditional saunas), it produces white blood cells more quickly, which aids in the fight against illnesses and viruses. Saunas can also help with the unpleasant symptoms of sinus congestion caused by colds or allergies.
5. Reduce Stress Levels
The sauna's heat relaxes us and regulates the level of cortisol in our blood. Cortisol is the hormone that is released when we are stressed, and having too much cortisol can cause a variety of health problems, including immune system and sleeping problems. Sauna bathing decreases cortisol levels in the blood while increasing serotonin production. Serotonin is our "happy hormone," or the chemical that makes us feel good.
6. Better Overall Mood
Some studies show that sauna sessions can improve your mood, which may be related to the relaxation factor. According to one study, men in Finland who used saunas on a regular basis had a lower risk of psychosis, and another study found that sauna use can reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
7. Improved Sleep Quality
Sauna use has been shown in studies to result in deeper, more relaxed sleep. In addition to the release of endorphins, body temperatures rise in the late evening and fall at bedtime. This slow, relaxing decline in endorphins is critical in promoting sleep. Sauna bathers all over the world enjoy the deep sleep experiences that come with the calming heat of an evening sauna.
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