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Are Saunas Good for You?
The benefits of sauna. | Everything you need to know about the sauna: what to know.
Everything in health and gym facilities is there for your health benefit. From the restaurants, they choose, to the setup of the machines. Have you ever walked into a fitness facility and wondered why they have a sauna? Are saunas good for you? Continue reading to find out!
Most people think saunas are in gyms to help you cool off after a workout. Others believe saunas help you sweat like a cardio workout. In this article, we’ll talk about what the real benefits of a sauna are, if it is the best option for you, and what difference it will make in your health. So if you need more information, keep reading.
Sauna health benefits: Are saunas healthy or harmful?
As a qualified Nutritional Therapist, I get a variety of health-related questions. Sometimes people ask me about serious chronic illnesses. Other times, people want to know whether saunas are healthy or not.
To any question I am asked in my practice- I have one main answer. You need to make informed decisions about your health. Everything relates to your gut. When your belly hurts, your body hurts. When your gut heals, you heal. So in order to determine if something is good for you, you need to figure out what it can do for your gut. So let’s look at how the sauna affects your gut and immune system. By the end of this article, you’ll know everything you need to know to make your own informed decision on saunas.
What is a sauna?
Is a sauna just a hot room? Saunas vs steam rooms.
So, what is a sauna? Why is it called by such a fancy name, if it’s just steam in a room? Saunas are heated up to 90 degrees Celcius. It is a room normally made of wood, with no paint. It has a temperature gauge to control the heat.
It is often found in gyms and fitness facilities and spas. Unlike steam rooms, saunas are filled with dry heat. It helps with relaxation and cardiovascular health. Steam rooms use heat made by boiling water. In comparison, the sauna’s heat is dry from hot rocks or an enclosed stove.
What does a sauna do for the body? What happens to body in sauna?
Why do people sit in saunas? Is it to feel good or are there any real health benefits to it? What happens to one’s body that is in the sauna often? These are all common questions we have. Let’s take a deeper look into what happens to the body when one is in a sauna.
The most important note is that it helps you sweat. The heat in the rooms heats up your body temperature. When your temperature gets too high, your body tries to reach homeostasis. This is done by producing sweat to cool off your body. Sweating at this high rate can produce equivalent results to a cardiovascular workout.
However, it is advised to precede your sauna session with an actual workout. The next thing that happens to your body is that your chest can clear up with the heated air. The steam allows you to inhale clear air. With this process, toxins can be released from your sweat glands too. Your blood vessels tend to expand or dilate. While blood flows through your body faster and more effectively. Your pulse rate will also increase.
Most of all, saunas help you to relax. The heat from the room can ease muscle pain. While the steam can produce a relaxed state for your body to breathe and ease up. At this moment, you can take time to clear your mind and control your breath. Slowing down nervousness and elevated heart rates caused by stress.
What are the types of saunas? Types of saunas.
The main types of saunas:
- Dry sauna
- Steam bath
- Infrared therapy sauna
- Steam room
- Hot room
- Electric sauna
- Sauna shower combination
- Wet sauna
- Wood burning sauna
- Hot rock sauna
- Sweat lodge
Although these saunas can be very similar, they have their differences. Some are built in different types of locations. You’ll find outdoor saunas, indoor saunas, and travel saunas. Then you’ll also notice that some saunas differ based on their location. Like the Russian Banyan and Finnish Sauna.
The health benefits of sauna. Top 25 health and wellness benefits of sauna. Top 25 health benefits of Sauna
25 Sauna benefits for body and mind. 25 Sauna benefits you can get by sweating it out in one
The main health benefits of using a sauna:
- It aids in burning calories.
- Builds your immune system.
- Clears up your skin pores and skin impurities.
- Promotes a healthy brain.
- Implements a relaxed state.
- Improves blood circulation.
- Helps with better sleeping.
- Leaves you feeling good and calm.
- Helps you ease muscle pain after a workout.
- It is a social opportunity.
- Eases up tension.
- Releases toxins from sweat glands.
- Provides a relaxed state.
- Reduces stress.
- Increased circulation.
- Reduces risk of cardiac arrest.
- Reduce the risk of hypertension and strokes.
- Relaxes muscles.
- Regulates cortisol levels, promoting good mental health.
- Reduces colds and influenza.
- Helps kill viruses more easily.
- Aids in clearing up sinus congestion.
- Rinses bacteria from cells.
- Is a way of pampering yourself.
- Provides energy.
It’s clear to see that gyms and wellness facilities are on to something good when they add saunas to their operations. The list of benefits is far too much not to be curious. I advise everyone to try saunas consistently. Try it once a week in the mornings.
You’ll be able to feel a difference in your life in no time. If you feel skeptical, speak to a wellness professional about your particular lifestyle and health conditions. Then enquire if the sauna is the right option for you.
Are you unsure of which wellness professional you can trust? Contact me and we will make informed decisions together for your health: https://www.healthconcepts.ie/contact-me/
Are saunas good for you? What to know. Sauna everyday benefits.
Let us cover the benefits of saunas in more detail by evaluating the 3 main reasons to use a sauna:
- Sauna for beauty.
- Sauna for exercise.
- Sauna for health.
Everyone uses the sauna for one (or all) of these 3 aspects. To evaluate whether or not a sauna is good for you, we need to break each aspect up to see how saunas help them. If something is good for your beauty/ skin, fitness, and health- then it is considered good for you.
Are you looking for more ways to improve your health? Learn more here: https://www.mountelizabeth.com.sg/healthplus/article/10-ways-improve-health
To find out if you can use the sauna for beauty, exercise and health, keep reading.
Sauna and beauty: Does sauna help clear skin?
Are saunas good for skin? benefits of sauna for skin. Are saunas good for acne? Does steam sauna help acne?
Tips and benefits of sauna for skin. Is sauna good for skin
The first one we’ll cover is- sauna and beauty. We are living in a society where we are always looking for new ways to improve our appearance. If you’re considering saunaing your way to better skin, then you are probably interested in more healthy and natural remedies.
I can for sure say that sauna is a natural remedy. A sauna is good for your skin because no artificial light or steam is used in the heating of the room. Most saunas have a rule of first showering or putting on clean clothes before entering. This makes it a hygienic process too.
Unclear skin and acne are usually caused by your glands and pores being blocked. As mentioned earlier, a trip to the sauna can surely clear up these blockages. To allow open flow and cleansing.
Another great perk of a sauna for beauty is that it increases the amount of collagen your cells produce. This gives your skin strength. It removes dead skin cells and rejuvenates plumpness on your skin surface.
The sauna also benefits your skin due to your sweat. Your cells get revitalized when more nutrients and oxygen is absorbed into your skin. This also serves as a natural moisturization process.
Saunas and exercise.
Are saunas good for muscle growth? Is a sauna good after lifting weights? Do bodybuilders use saunas?
Next up, we want to know if a habit will benefit our physical health or exercise regime. Whether you are gymming or running. A sports player or a bodybuilder. Perhaps you just like to look aesthetically pleasing with added health benefits. You might have wondered if saunas being in fitness facilities have anything to do with muscle growth.
The sauna does indeed aid muscle growth. When you are in the sauna, your blood vessels dilate. This increases the oxygen in your blood, flowing to your muscles. Heat therapy occurs in these rooms. This increases the amount of HSP (heat shock protein) in your body. This then repairs damaged proteins. It reduces muscle breakdown and promotes muscle increase. A growth hormone increases after the sauna because heat exposure promotes insulin sensitivity. This aids in building and maintaining lean muscle mass.
Are saunas good after a workout? Are saunas good for you after a workout? Is it good to use sauna after workout?
18 Benefits of using the sauna after working out. 18 Proven health benefits of sauna post workouts. Are there benefits to using a sauna after a workout?
Top benefits of a sauna session after working out:
- It provides muscle and mind relaxation.
- Improves blood circulation.
- Improves the amount of oxygen flowing to your cells.
- Replaces worn-out cells.
- Promotes endorphin production.
- Reduces muscle pain and discomfort.
- Removes lactic acid from muscle cells.
- Improve muscle recovery time.
- Releases toxic minerals from muscles and cells.
- Can improve endurance.
- It can boost the brain.
- Boosts immune system.
- It helps clear skin follicles.
- Flushed bacteria from the epidermis.
- Increase muscle strength of the heart.
- Increase metabolic rate.
- Can aid in calorie burning.
- Improves quality of sleep.
The benefits of a sauna after a workout are great. This can explain why you see it in almost every gym! My advice would be to wear as few clothes as possible when going into the sauna-post workout. Make sure you wear a clean bather. Remove sweaty undergarments too.
It is also important to drink water while you’re in the sauna. Make sure you wait before going into the sauna directly after a workout. Ensure that you don’t feel dizzy, nauseous, or have a headache before entering.
It’s also essential to go in with your own towel. For prevention of any athlete foot development, bring flip-flops with you to the sauna. Make sure that you breathe well while you’re in there and do not stay in the sauna for too long.
Are saunas good for weight loss?
Weight loss benefits of using a sauna.
When I give a client advice, there is a 99% chance they will ask me “will this advice help me lose weight?” Although I advise everyone to focus on how they feel, instead of the number on the scale. Weight loss is still a common question. It is okay if you are concerned about weight loss regarding your health. However, it can be detrimental to your health if you are concerned about your weight because of society’s toxic standards, then you’re on the wrong path. If you are looking for health and wellness guidance, then book a free 30-minute clarity session with me. I am a qualified Nutritional Therapist. I care about you and your health. https://calendly.com/siobhan-swart/30-minute-gut-rescue?back=1
Now back to weight loss and the sauna. It is important to remember that you need to do the following things if you want to lose weight: eat a balanced nutritional diet, evaluate medical problems, cope with stress, remove toxic waste, workout, and improve cardiovascular fitness.
The sauna can be an anti-stress agent, boost metabolism, and waste removal process, and help your cardiovascular fitness. This in turn can have weight loss effects. However, it is still your responsibility to live right, eat right, and exercise right in order to see change.
Saunas and health.
What are the medical benefits of a sauna? Are there any real health benefits to saunas?
The next aspect we’ll cover is health. Before we do anything, we normally want to know how the said thing affects our health. A common question amongst health enthusiasts is “how will this habit impact my chronic illness?”
Although proper nutrition and gut healing are key in health. A sauna routine can definitely help you in strengthening multiple areas of your health and well-being. But how is that possible? Below we will look at how saunas can help with diabetes, colds, and lung issues.
Are saunas good for diabetics? Can a person with diabetes safely use a sauna? Saunas and their impact on diabetics.
Are saunas good for colds? How is a sauna good for a cold? Is the sauna okay when you have a cold?
As a Nutritional Therapist, I always opt for more natural remedies and less medication. This is why I would suggest the sauna as a natural remedy for aiding colds. Now, it’s first important to note that you need to aid the whole body in order to heal any sickness. Simply sitting in a steam room doesn’t magically heal you.
You need to eat well, get antibiotics if needed, consume immune booster foods and supplements, move your body, and breathe in clean air. You need to get enough rest and take it easy. Reducing stress and managing anxiety is also a good way to start your healing process.
Adding a sauna to this list is very beneficial. A sauna raises your core body temperature which allows you to flush out these toxic viruses. One can aid digestion clogging by breathing in a sauna. It helps in clearing your airways and allows an easier flow through your circulatory system.
It is seen as a way of fighting a cold because it can boost your immune system. It does this by heating your body. This increases your blood flow and the oxygenation that occurs in it.
With colds come fatigue and body aches. A hot room session can debunk these feelings. Your brain experiences an increase in oxygen levels when your blood flow increases. After a sauna session, you can feel fatigue being decreased, muscle soreness reduced, airways opening, and your immune system boosted.
Is a sauna good for your lungs? Does sauna improve lung health?
I am no cardiologist, so I can’t give you medical advice on lung disease. However, ample studies have shown a direct link between sauna bathing and lung disease healing.
The reason I would recommend it as a gut health expert is that I am aware of the toxins we consume and breathe in daily. Our lungs require clean purified air for circulation and cell health. Besides nature, a sauna provides purified detoxing air. This on its own can be very crucial to lung health.
Are you concerned about your lung health? Not sure if you should get it checked out by a professional? Here are clear signs your lungs need extra attention: https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/warning-signs-of-lung-disease
A Nutritional Therapist’s take on saunas. Tips for using a sauna. Precautions for using a sauna.
Now that you are aware of all the benefits of a sauna, let’s move on to my top tips. As a Nutritional Therapist that enjoys the sauna and its benefits, I’ll cover my main advice on using the sauna:
- What is the best time of day to use a sauna?
- What happens when you sauna everyday?
- Is sauna good on empty stomach?
- How long should you sit in a sauna?
- When to avoid saunas?
- How to intensify the benefits of a sauna?
These are common FAQs you might have on the sauna that hasn’t been covered above. Below, I’ll give you my top tips and tricks on the dos and don’t in a sauna. By the end of this article, you will know everything you need to know so that you can make an informed decision for your health. Keep reading:
1. What is the best time of day to use a sauna? Is it better to do sauna morning or night?
Benefits of sauna in the morning. Sauna in the morning for better performance.
You might be wondering what the best time is to fit the sauna into your schedule. Here are the top things to consider when determining when to sauna:
- The time of day you exercise.
- How intense do you workout?
- When you’ll have one hour free.
- When you’ll have a chance to destress.
- Whether you want to use the sauna for relaxing or for energy.
There is no right or wrong time to go to the sauna. It’s enjoyable in the mornings as it sets the tone for the day. It clears your airways and relaxes you for the rest of the day.
However, you can also do it in the evening before going to bed to reduce stress, improve sleep, and clear toxins for the day. The time you choose is really a personal preference. Look at your daily schedule, consider what you want to gain from the sauna, and then choose the time of day that suits this best.
Sauna is a good habit to create. Find out more of my highly recommended daily habits to improve your health and wellness: https://www.healthconcepts.ie/what-are-the-best-daily-habits/
2. What happens when you sauna everyday?
Is it healthy to have a sauna every day? Sauna everyday benefits
As mentioned plenty of times in this article, sauna sessions come with ample benefits. However, it’s normal to wonder if doing it daily is still beneficial. As the saying goes- “too much of a good thing is a bad thing.”
Although this is true, whether or not you should sauna daily is mainly up to personal preferences and specific health conditions. For instance, someone in their older years with cardiovascular issues might be better off only using the sauna once or twice a week. Whereas someone fit, young, and healthy will be perfectly safe using the sauna daily.
My advice would be- test it out. After speaking to your doctor, test out what works for your body. Start with only 10-minute sessions, once a week. If this feels good, you can go on to doing 30-minute sessions every other day. As your heart, circulation, and muscles adapt, you can increase the time and duration that you use the sauna.
3. Is sauna good on empty stomach?
A common misconception people have is that to lose weight, you need to starve. Oftentimes, people think that saunaing on an empty stomach can be most effective. I wouldn’t advise doing anything on an empty stomach. Whether you are running a marathon or sitting in a steam room.
The reason for this is, food provides your body with energy and much-needed minerals and vitamins. This helps give your cells what they need to perform optimally. People become lightheaded, and nauseous and experience cramps if they are hungry. These uncomfortable feelings will make your sauna experience unpleasant.
If you have low blood sugar or diabetes, then having no food during activities can be very risky. My advice? Eat 2 to 3 hours before saunaing. This gives your body enough time to digest your food but does not leave you lightheaded and starving.
4. How long should you sit in a sauna? How long should you stay in a sauna?
As a Nutritional Therapist, my top advice for anything is- to start small and listen to your body. Never do a new activity at a professional pace. If you are new at using the sauna, opt for 10-15 minutes. Then feel your body. How is your heart rate? Are you dizzy? How much are you sweating? How is your energy?
Then you can gradually start increasing the time. The maximum I would suggest is 30- 50 minutes 4 times a week. Going longer than this may or may not be risky. It just depends on your health and immunity. Consult a doctor for a personalised opinion or book a 1 on 1 consultation with me and we can figure out what will work for you. https://www.healthconcepts.ie/services/
5. When to avoid saunas?
A common question we have when we hear about something new is: who should avoid it? I would suggest educating yourself on topics and speaking to a trained professional before you decide to either avoid or participate in health-related activities. If you have heart problems or cardiovascular issues, I would suggest speaking to your specialist.
If you don’t have any particular health issues, but have concerns then I am here to help. I am a qualified Nutritional Therapist and gut health expert. I have experience in saunas. And I am devoted to providing you with effective lifestyle changes, holistic healthy habits, and a renewed gut without excessive medication and surgeries.
Does this sound like the help you need? Not sure? Then book a 30-minute free clarity session with me to find out exactly what you need. https://calendly.com/siobhan-swart/30-minute-clarity-session?month=2022-11&%3Bback=1
6. Bonus: How to intensify the benefits of a sauna
Let’s wrap up this talk about all things sauna by covering a bonus topic. How to intensify the benefits of the sauna. If you follow these steps, you’ll be sure to experience the most out of every session.
Here’s how to get the most out of a sauna session:
- Shower after the sauna to stimulate blood flow.
- Drink water.
- Exfoliate your skin beforehand to open your pores.
- Wear a bather to allow more heat flow.
- Sauna until you feel a bit sleepy and relaxed.
- Shower in cold water afterward to wash away toxins left on the skin’s surface.
- Get into a calming mindset.
- Sauna after a workout session.
- Focus on your body and don’t stay if you feel dizzy.
- Take breaks in between if you need to.
These 10 tips will leave you feeling relaxed, happy, and they’ll ensure you get the maximum benefits from the sauna. Anyone and everyone can use the sauna. How much you can tolerate just depends on age, fitness levels, and health factors. It is a great way to relax after a workout while obtaining ample benefits.