If you've ever taken a sauna, you've probably noticed that something happens to make you feel good both during and after your sauna session. And since you're here now, you might be wondering why. Why does a sauna feel good for your body? Here are 5 sauna benefits that may provide the answer.
Written by: Guro Thobru
When we're stressed, cortisol is released into the bloodstream, which is good when we need to stay sharp. But if your heart rate is high even when you're not giving an important presentation or fleeing from a rampaging hyena, your blood cortisol levels may be too high. Over a long period of time, high levels can lead to a number of health problems. Taking a sauna reduces the levels of cortisol in our blood, and stimulates the production of serotonin, according to the findings in this article. This "happiness hormone" makes us feel good. In addition, sauna bathing is a sensory experience. Stress is, among other things, the result of thoughts spinning around in your head, while heat, sweat, a cold bath in the fjord and perhaps essential oils mixed into it all make you more present in your body.
A bonus: The phone quickly goes haywire in the sauna, so there's freedom from stressful ringing noises too.
Studies have found that regular sauna bathing can be linked to better cardiovascular and circulatory function, i.e. better functioning of the heart and blood vessels. I this article Forskning.no refers to a study of 2,315 middle-aged, eastern Finnish men about their sauna habits over a period of 20 years. The results among the sauna-loving Finns indicate that those who use the sauna two to three times a week have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who only used the sauna once a week. Those who went four to seven times a week had an even lower risk of dying. There is no clear link between taking a sauna and avoiding death from a heart attack or blood clot, but having a lifestyle that includes good conversation, relaxation and warmth that lowers blood pressure are some of the many benefits of a sauna that may explain some of this picture.
Taking a sauna is the simplest trick in the world to "get the glow on!" It's cheaper than most treatments, and while taking a sauna you can be social, feel the endorphins flowing through your body and hit several benefits in one go.
But back to the skin!
Sweating is a natural cooling response to heat, but sweat also flushes bacteria out of the epidermal layer - the epidermis, and the sweat ducts. Cleansing the pores in this way improves blood circulation and gives the skin a softer quality. Glow in a nutshell.
We're not saying that you never need to exercise again, but if you're exercising to maintain good health, it's worth knowing that what happens in your body when you take a sauna is similar to the physiological things that happen when you exercise. According to this study repeated sauna use causes the body to increase its ability to protect itself from cell damage, probably due to a biological phenomenon known as hormesis.
In short, exercise is a form of hormetic stressor, and there are many physiological similarities between sauna use and aerobic exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity. Aerobic capacity is essential for the body to be able to work at a relatively high intensity over a long period of time, as described in Store Norske Leksikon. One of the many benefits of sauna is simply that it can be an alternative to aerobic exercise for people who are unable to participate in physical activity due to chronic illness or physical limitations.
And nobody has time to catch a cold. Lucky for those of us who love saunas, according to German sauna medical research, summarized herethat using a sauna can significantly reduce the incidence of colds and flu. As the body is exposed to the heat of a sauna and steam, it produces white blood cells faster, which in turn helps fight diseases and kills viruses.
In addition, a trip to the sauna can relieve symptoms of sinus congestion from colds or allergies.
Then there's really nothing more to wonder about, is there?
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