Health Benefits of Sauna
Health benefits of sauna include blood circulation, sweating, immune system, muscle tone up, sleeping disorders, mental agility and so on. Sauna provides a relaxing environment that would help you to relax and unwind. During a sauna session, the heart beat increases by over 50-75%, which is the same effect caused by a physical workout. The heat caused by the sauna expands the blood vessels and results in increased blood flow, thereby ensuring complete detoxification of the body.
Health benefits of sauna are beyond the leisure and beauty offered by following it. It has a strong impact on the health and general well being of any individual. It helps you to beat the daily stress and to experience the ultimate relaxation and contentment. In a report published by the American College of Cardiology, the leading researchers have found that sauna aids the treatment of coronary diseases.
Benefits: Research studies have proven that there exists an array of health benefits of sauna, some of which are as given below:
- Blood Circulation: The hot saunas make the blood vessels more flexible, thereby increasing the circulation of blood even in the extremities. It ensures complete detoxifications, oxygenation of body tissues and optimum distribution of nutrients to all parts of the body including the skin. Thus, it results in a glowing and youthful skin. It is a time tested cure for various respiratory ailments such as chest congestion and bronchitis and they help in the natural draining of the sinuses.
- Sweating: Sweating is the natural mechanism of body cleansing and saunas help in the flushing out of waste products through sweating. Skin is the largest organ in our body through which over 30% of the total body wastes are expelled. Excess sweating results in opening up of the skin pores and the complete removal of impurities from the body. Skin is constantly exposed to various chemicals and pollutants, which can make it rough and lack luster. Profuse sweating would be of great help in removing these toxins and to bring back the glow of the skin.
- Immune System: During a sauna session, skin temperature shoots up to over 40°C while the internal body temperature rises up to 38°C. It might trigger a mock fever state, which stimulates the immune system to produce the antibodies and disease fighting white blood cells. Fever is considered as a natural mechanism to enhance the resistance to diseases.
- Muscles Tone Up: A luxurious spa session would help to loosen the fat and reduce cellulite, apart from relieving joint pains and fatigue. Sauna is also thought to help in weight loss by increasing the intensity and frequency of metabolic rates.
- Improves Sleep Disorders: Sauna is a simple yet effective mechanism to enhance the quality of sleep. It is recommended for people suffering from insomnia and it is estimated that a brief spell of 15-20 minutes of sauna is almost equal to 1-2 hours of brisk walk or work out.
- Diseases Causing Agents: Heating caused during saunas result in a surge in the internal cellular energy production, which in turn would ensure easy healing. Many disease causing pathogens like viruses and tumors are destroyed by this heat, thereby preventing recurrent infections.
- Health and Mental Agility: Saunas ensure enhanced mental precision and a marked decrease in allergic conditions. Research studies have shown that liver and immune functions recorded significant improvement after sauna therapy. Sauna also expels heavy metals and cancer causing toxins completely thereby preventing traumatic disease conditions and birth defects.
Precautions: Drink plenty of mineral water before a sauna session to compensate for the loss of salt and water through profuse sweating. If you are using an infrared sauna, make sure to remove your clothing as it may not be effective otherwise. Men should protect their testicles from direct exposure of infrared. The Harvard Medical School suggests that alcohol must be avoided while using sauna.
Do not talk or work while in sauna. Sauna is not recommended for pregnant women and people with heart ailments or any other disease conditions. Make sure to seek your physician’s opinion before indulging in a spa session. Do not consume alcohol while using sauna. Early morning or bedtime is ideal time for a sauna. Slow metabolizers could use the sauna up to twice a day while fast metabolizers should use it only once in a week.
This article was contributed by Seema Adnani
Back to Health Benefits of Food
References: American College of Cardiology and Harvard Medical School
|
|
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
