The Benefits and Risks of Saunas
by www.SixWise.com
Saunas are a popular attraction in hotels, spas and health
clubs around the United States and world. Enthusiasts say
there is little that can pamper your body and soul like a
trip to the sauna, which is traditionally a wooden room infused
with dry heat that can get as high as 185° F.
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Saunas may help to detoxify your body of impurities
while promoting a sense of calm and well-being.
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It is the intense dry heat that is said to open your pores
and purify your body of toxins while prompting the release
of endorphins, your body's natural pain relievers. This same
heat, however, may pose a hidden danger to certain people.
Seven Healthy Reasons to Use a Sauna
There is no question that saunas prompt real changes in your
body functions. Within minutes, for instance, your skin temperature
can reach about 104° F, and your pulse rate can climb
by 30 percent. This causes your heart to double the amount
of blood it pumps each minute. You can also expect to lose
at least a pint of sweat during a sauna session.
What are the beneficial results of all of this on your health?
1. A Cardio Workout for Your Heart
As your heart rate increases during your sauna session, this
increases your need for oxygen. As a result, your heart gets
a workout while it pumps blood around your body. Meanwhile,
Finnish researchers have found that regular use of saunas
helps keep your blood vessels more elastic and pliable as
a result of the repeated heating and cooling of your body.
2. Increased Resistance to Illness
According to Finnish and German studies, saunas put your
body into a "fever state" that stimulates your immune
system. As a result, regular sauna users have a 30 percent
less chance of getting a cold or the flu.
3. Improved Circulation and Lower Blood Pressure
A sauna's heat causes your blood vessels to dilate and circulation
to your extremities to improve. Saunas also cause a temporary
decrease in your blood pressure, but, according to the North
American Sauna Society, this decrease may last longer with
frequent sauna sessions.
4. Support Your Kidney Function
The sweat your release during a sauna session excretes wastes
and reduces the load put on your kidneys, according to the
North American Sauna Society.
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You should limit your sauna session to 15 or 20 minutes,
then cool down by drinking two to four glasses of cool
water.
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5. Burn More Calories
Due to your increased heart rate and perspiration, a single
sauna session can burn up to 300 calories, according to U.S.
Army research. However, most weight loss that occurs during
a sauna session is water, and will be gained back when you
eat and drink.
6. Relive Stress and Sleep Better
Sauna enthusiasts maintain that they are an excellent tool
for stress relief and promoting a sense of well-being. A sauna
before bed may also help you to get a good night's sleep.
7. Soothe Aches and Pains
Because saunas increase your circulation, they may help with
pain relief.
When Can a Sauna be Harmful?
"All in all, saunas appear safe for the body, but there
is little evidence that they have health benefits above and
beyond relaxation and a feeling of well-being," says
Dr. Harvey Simon, editor-in-chief of Harvard Men's Health
Watch.
If you enjoy saunas and they make you feel good, you can
therefore continue this practice. However, certain groups
of people, especially those with heart conditions, need to
be cautious.
" … Patients with poorly controlled blood pressure,
abnormal heart rhythms, unstable angina, and advanced heart
failure or heart valve disease will probably be advised to
stay cool," says Dr. Simon, who advises that heart patients
check with their doctors before using a sauna.
Meanwhile, according to the Finnish Sauna Society, "People
who should avoid the sauna completely are people running fever
or having inflammatory diseases or injuries. Anybody with
a contagious disease should bathe only in his own sauna. Also
people under the influence of alcohol should not go to the
sauna, nor is there any evidence that the sauna would help
in a hangover."
To ensure that your sauna session is a relaxing treat, be
sure to follow these tips:
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Avoid alcohol before and after your sauna, as this can
impair your sweating and lead to your overheating.
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Limit your session to 15-20 minutes.
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Drink two to four glasses of cool water after your session.
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Avoid the sauna if you don't feel well, and leave immediately
during your sauna if you feel ill.
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Sources
The
North American Sauna Society
The
Finnish Sauna Society
Harvard
Men's Health Watch