Saunas have been used for centuries all across the world. They are becoming more popular as more people are learning about their benefits. If you’re considering getting one, you should know that they have the potential to significantly improve your health.
1. Saunas Help to Improve Your Heart Health
A 2015 study conducted over 5 years analyzed 2315 men in Finland and examined their heart health and steam room use. The study found that the ones who used a sauna multiple times in a week had a lower likelihood of having heart disease. The researchers determined that there were benefits to heart health when the men had one session a week, but the benefits were more significant the more often the steam rooms were used. The men who experienced the best improvements were the ones who enjoyed sessions between 4 and 7 times a week, for 20 minutes each time.
Another study with a group of young men concluded that the ones who used heat rooms for 3 weeks exhibited lower lipid indicators of cholesterol.
2. Using A Sauna Can Improve Stress Levels
Cortisol (the body’s stress hormone) increases when in a stressful situation. This is helpful when you are trying to deal with stress, but cortisol levels that are high for too long can be more harmful than helpful. Long term high levels of cortisol can lead to high blood pressure, weight gain, worsen mood, disrupt sleep, or reduce energy.
When you expose your body to extreme heat, it can improve its heat tolerance. While in the high heat, your body is in a stressful situation and its levels of cortisol (the body’s stress hormone) will rise. This stressful event, however, has long term benefits.
Although cortisol levels increase until 15 minutes after the completion of a session, regular use of a sauna has been shown to lower cortisol levels in a normal environment. This means that it can help with blood pressure, weight management, sleep quality, and energy.
The stress from the heat doesn’t just improve underlying health; it also increases levels of endorphins, your body’s “feel good” hormone. This will help you feel like stress is being relieved.
3. Heat Exposure Help your Body Detox
The largest organ in the body is the skin, which helps the body detoxify itself through the release of sweat. Sweat contains toxins and heavy metals including cadmium, arsenic, lead, and mercury.
For centuries, people have used sweating to increase the elimination of bodily toxins. Increased sweating has been shown to reduce the storage of bodily toxins, especially when combined with the supplement niacin.
4. Exposure to Heat Increases the Release of Growth Hormones
Growth hormone is important for repairing the body, aiding in recovery, and improving fat loss. Many studies have found that saunas have boosted levels of growth hormone in the body.
One of these found that the use of a high temperature steam room between 80 and 120 °C increased growth hormone by 142%, with levels slowly returning to baseline an hour after exiting the room. Another found that men and women who had sessions in heat of more than 80 °C at least twice a week were able to increase their levels of growth hormone up to 2.3 times more than normal.
The thermal stress increases the release of the hormone, so researchers believe that experiences at higher temperatures lead to greater release of growth hormone.
5. Saunas Improve Athletic Endurance
If you’re an endurance athlete or working on improving overall endurance, heat rooms can be really helpful. They help with improving performance in warmer temperatures, raising the count of red blood cells, and increasing the delivery of oxygen to the muscles.
Having sessions at least twice a week have been able to improve endurance in runners, with this study showing that regular use increased the time runners were able to run before exhaustion.
6. Heat can Help with Reducing Pain
Researchers studying regular heat room use found a link between them and improved pain. People who engaged in steam room use regularly had reduced intensity of their headaches and lower chronic headache pain.
When two groups of people suffering from chronic tension headaches were given lists of treatment, one of the lists included regular sauna use and the other list was exactly the same but excluded the steam rooms.
After 8 weeks in the study, the group of people who were using the treatment instructions including the steam rooms had significantly lower experience of pain. Other studies have found that steam room use has helped with chronic pain including rheumatoid arthritis.
7. Improved Recovery
High temperatures cause your blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood circulation. Improved circulation and blood flow speeds up the body’s process of healing. After exercise or other exertion, the heat or steam can also help your muscles relax by reducing the muscle tension and decreasing the levels of lactic acid.
8. Deeper Sleep
Use of a sauna can lead to deeper and more relaxed sleep at night. At bedtime, decreasing body temperature and lower levels of endorphins help facilitate sleep. Higher temperatures and levels of endorphins support that gradual, relaxing decline to improve sleep quality.
9. Recreational Benefits and Mindfulness
Heat rooms can be a place where you experience quiet, solitude, and practice mindfulness. At other times, they can also be used for socializing with friends and having a good time. Having your own sauna allows you the flexibility to choose what kind of experience you want, anytime you want!
10. Saunas Feel Good
Saunas are good for your body and make you feel wonderful. Your body experiences positive physiological changes and your mind is calmed so you exit the room feeling rejuvenated and ready for anything.
Rocky Mountain Saunas
In our stressful everyday lives, we believe that everyone can benefit from having a peaceful retreat! Fill out our contact form to learn more or email us at customerservice@rockymountainsaunas.com. We’re looking forward to helping you relax, restoring body and soul.
